WordPress Setup and the First Settings

WordPress is the world's most-used website platform; that popularity has a flip side too: a tutorial at every step on the internet, and a different approach in every tutorial. After the third video, the beginner is more confused, not more informed.

This article lines the WordPress setup process into one path: installation, the non-negotiable settings, the rules of theme and plugin choice. The goal is not "showing everything"; it is showing the shortest, safest road to a working site.

Installation: today a five-minute job

Almost all modern hosting comes with one-click WordPress installation: the "WordPress install" button in the panel, the site name, the admin user (do NOT name it "admin"; that is the first attack target) and a strong password. In five minutes your control panel is ready at site.az/wp-admin. Manual installation (uploading files, creating a database) is possible too, but in 2026 the need for it arises rarely. If the hosting is not yet chosen, the selection criteria are here.

The first 30 minutes' settings

Immediately after installation, before moving to content, close out this list:

• Settings → General: the site name and short description; both can appear in search results.
• Settings → Permalinks: choose "Post name". This makes the addresses site.az/article-name instead of site.az/?p=123; it matters for SEO and changing it later is painful.
• Settings → Reading: tick "Discourage search engines" until the site is ready; do NOT FORGET to untick it at launch (one of the most classic mistakes).
• Delete the pre-installed "Hello World" post and the sample page.
• Users: a strong password for yourself; if there is a team, an own account for each person, with the minimal role needed.

Theme choice: simplicity wins

The theme is the site's visual skeleton. A beginner's three workable routes: fast, simple themes from the official catalogue; modern themes built on the block editor; or the free versions of the popular universal themes. Two criteria suffice for the choice: the last-update date (a theme older than a year is a risk signal) and the mobile view (open the demo on a phone).

One warning: heavy "does-everything" themes look attractive at first, then become a speed and clutter problem. A simple theme + expansion as needed is far more comfortable than the reverse.

The plugin rule: few, but right

Plugins are WordPress's power source and, at the same time, its biggest problem source. The starter kit should cover four functions:

The rule: ONE plugin per function. Two cache plugins break each other; three SEO plugins create chaos. Keep the total count under control too; more than twenty plugins is usually a "something needs deleting" signal. Looking at the last-update date and the active-install count before installing takes one minute; being protected from a problem is days of gain.

Security: three habits at the start

WordPress is a target because it is widespread; but the victims have almost always made the same three mistakes. First: an un-updated system; make core, theme and plugin updates a weekly habit (on a small site, automatic updates are acceptable too). Second: weak login; a strong password + a login-attempt limit + two-factor authentication where possible. Third: backuplessness; it must be thought of not for "if" a problem happens but for "when". This trio wants seriousness at the insurance level, not the hobby level.

The first content structure

The technical preparation is done; now the content. Pages are for stable content: About, Services, Contact. Posts are the blog stream. For a start, the five-page skeleton is enough; build the menu in Appearance → Menus and keep only the main pages. If you will go with a blog strategy, plan the categories in advance under three-to-five headings; tidying up later is possible, but laborious.

Sources and further reading

Where to verify the source

The steps can change with versions; the current instructions are at the official source.

• WordPress.org — the installation guide
• WordPress.org — the security recommendations

Continuing the topic

The set-up site's next steps:

• WordPress SEO: the complete guide
• Why website speed matters and how to raise it
• Wix, WordPress or Tilda?
• Moving a site up on Google
• Other articles on this topic

WordPress's learning curve is steep in the first week, then it flattens. Install it this evening, close out this list; everything else gets learned on a working site, without hurry.