Originally published January 27, 2014
When my friend Nick DeNardis messaged me early in the morning,
You around? I’m looking for some good WordPress ‘tutorials’ on how to use the interface. I thought you would have some bookmarks that you like that is more comprehensive than me just Googling for them.
I knew what he was looking for.
As organizer of two WordPress meetup groups, Metro Detroit WordPress Meetup and West Metro Detroit WordPress group, I’m asked that question frequently.
Whether they’ve created their site themselves, or had a third-party create their site, our meetup members want to learn the steps for managing content on WordPress.
And my first response is usually, How do you prefer to learn?
We all differ in how we learn new things, whether from
- Taking classes
- Watching video
- One-on-one training
- Reading how-to guides, documentation, and articles
If you’re someone who learns best from online videos or reading documentation, read on.
Online Resources for Learning to Manage Content on WordPress
WordPress Lessons
What better place to start learning WordPress than the site that creates WordPress?
For people with self-hosted WordPress sites, WordPress Support includes extensive documentation for writing, editing, and managing your content in the Basic Usage section.
You’ll find information about
- Writing Posts
- Getting an overview of your site on the Dashboard
- How to use the Media Library
- Creating content for Pages, and more
The Writing Posts section provides detailed user information for the new block editor (called Gutenberg) as well as the long-time editor (now referred to as Classic Editor).
Similarly, people with sites on WordPress.com will find helpful documentation in WordPress Editor (for the new block editor) and the long-time editor, referred to as the Visual Editor.
Important note: depending on whether you’re a relatively new user on WordPress.com (started your site after December 2018) or you’re using a new theme, you may find you can only use the new block editor on your site.
Easy WP Guide
One of my favorite WordPress learning resources is Easy WP Guide, created by my friend Anthony Hortin.
Anthony’s detailed guide (100+ pages) covers the basics of editing and updating your WordPress content, and is filled with images and all kinds of useful tips.
You’ll find easy-to-follow instructions for using the Classic Editor as well as the new block editor.
The guide is available in PDF, eBook or (brandable) Word format.
WP Beginner Videos
Prefer to learn WordPress by watching a video? WP Beginner videos will get you started with WordPress in no time.
The WP Beginner site is well respected for its helpful and informative posts.
Their free videos include a wider range of topics than Anthony’s guide, covering editing content, as well as administrative functions.
With over 600 videos (as of December 2019), WP Beginner has organized their videos into playlists, which makes it easier for you to search for tutorials, basics, plugins, and more.
What I like about their videos: they’re free, captioned, and explain one topic in a short amount of time.
WP 101 Videos
With over 230 videos (as of December 2019), including more than two dozen free videos, WP 101 Videos offers a wide range of basic, intermediate, and advanced tutorials for learning WordPress.
When I was trying to learn the ins and outs of Gutenberg, the new block editor, I used a combination of WP 101 videos along with Easy WP Guide.
Depending on which subscription model chosen ($19/month, $49/year, or $99/lifetime membership), you get unlimited access to WP101 videos as well as their members-only help forum.
What I like about their videos: WP 101 has expanded their videos to include popular plugins, including WooCommerce, Jetpack, Events Calendar, and Yoast SEO.
LinkedIn Learning WordPress Training
Previously known as Lynda.com, the LinkedIn Learning WordPress Essential Training courses offer multiple options for learning WordPress.
The WordPress 5 Essential Training video course taught by my WordPress colleague Morten Rand-Hendricksen will get you up and running WordPress on your self-hosted WordPress site.
Morten explains how WordPress works, how to create posts and pages, and take advantage of the new block editor in the less than two-hour course.
In addition, LinkedIn Learning offers WordPress.com Essential Training course focused on using the free WordPress.com online service.
You can start a free one-month LinkedIn Learning trial to see if the courses will work for you or pay $29.99 for a monthly membership.
An annual membership is also available, but it’s not clear to me what the cost is.
LinkedIn Learning has a teaser comment that the annual membership cost is $19.99, but includes an asterisk that says the cost may be different depending on what country you’re in.
Wish they had been clearer with their annual membership price.
Note: you may be able to take LinkedIn Learning courses for free through your local library.
Wrapping Up
There are many online resources for learning WordPress. The resources I’ve listed happen to be the ones I’ve used and found helpful over the years.
My fried Nick was happy when I shared the online resources with him:
Thank you so much! We have students who are looking for training on our blogs.wayne editor (WordPress) and I know there is a ton of resources out there.
You’re welcome Nick; glad to help out.
What are your favorite online resources for learning WordPress? Share your info in the comments.
That’s a good list of resources, Deborah. I’ve been referring my own clients to the WP Beginner videos, and I’m going to replace the freebie book on my own site with Easy WP Guide. I’m teaching a web design course at a local college, and they have paid for Lynda.com licenses for the students. Those courses are very good… and they should be!
Hi Lane,
Thank you for your comment. Glad you found the resource list helpful.
I agree, the Lynda.com videos are well done. Morten Rand-Hendriksen, who does the WordPress training videos for Lynda.com, does an excellent job. As you may already know, Morten is very active in the WordPress community.
If I might ask, what college do you teach at? I worked in higher education for several years, working on the web team for a local community college.