WordPress is free, open-source software for building websites. You install it on a web server, and then you can create pages, write blog posts, change the design and add features from a dashboard, without writing code. It powers more than 40% of all websites on the internet, from personal blogs to news sites, online shops and company websites.
WordPress.org and WordPress.com
People often confuse these two:
| WordPress.org (self-hosted) | WordPress.com (hosted service) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | The free software you install on your own hosting | A company's service that hosts WordPress for you |
| Cost | Software is free; you pay for a domain and hosting | Free plan with limits; paid plans for more features |
| Control | Full control: any theme, any plugin, your own code | Depends on the plan; lower plans limit plugins and themes |
| Who maintains it | You (or your developer) handle updates and backups | The company handles servers, updates and security |
Most freelance work is on self-hosted WordPress (WordPress.org), because businesses want full control. In this course, "WordPress" means the self-hosted version unless we say otherwise.
The main parts of WordPress
- Dashboard (admin area): where you manage everything, usually at
yoursite.com/wp-admin. - Posts and pages: the content of the site.
- Themes: control the design and layout.
- Plugins: add features, such as contact forms, online shops, SEO tools or backups.
- Users: people who can log in, each with a role (administrator, editor, author and so on).
What you can build
- Business websites (home, about, services, contact).
- Blogs and news or magazine sites.
- Online shops with WooCommerce, a free e-commerce plugin.
- Portfolios for photographers, designers and other creatives.
- Booking sites for clinics, salons and consultants.
- Learning sites, membership sites and directories (with extra plugins).
Why clients hire WordPress freelancers
Many business owners know WordPress is popular, but they do not have the time or skills to set it up well. Common jobs include:
- Building a new website from scratch.
- Redesigning an old site or moving it to a new theme.
- Setting up WooCommerce shops and adding products.
- Fixing errors, broken layouts or hacked sites.
- Making a slow site faster.
- Monthly maintenance: updates, backups and security checks.
Is coding required?
No. You can build professional sites with themes, the block editor and plugins. Knowing a little HTML and CSS helps you fix small design problems, and later learning PHP opens more advanced work. But this course needs no coding at all.
What you will learn
By the end of this course you will be able to buy a domain and hosting, install WordPress, build pages with blocks, choose themes and plugins safely, set up a simple shop, make the site fast and secure, and deliver client projects professionally.
Practice task (15 min)
- Open three websites you like and use a free "what WordPress theme is this" or technology-checker tool to see which ones run on WordPress.
- For one local business you know, write whether it would suit WordPress.org or WordPress.com, and why.
- List three WordPress jobs from this lesson that you would like to offer.
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