Common WordPress Terms Explained
Table of Contents
- WordPress Dashboard & Site Management
- Editing Pages & Posts
- Pages & Posts
- Site Areas, Customization & Design
- Menus & Navigation
- Sidebar & Widgets
WordPress Dashboard & Site Management
Dashboard
The Dashboard, also known as the WordPress Dashboard or Admin Area, is the screen you see after logging in to your WordPress site. It's also known as your site's backend — the private area where you manage everything behind the scenes. You log into your dashboard by going to your-website.com/wp-admin
Dashboard Sidebar
The Dashboard Sidebar is the vertical menu on the left side of your WordPress dashboard. It’s where you’ll find links to everything — Posts, Pages, Media, Appearance, Plugins, Users, Tools, and Settings. You’ll use this sidebar often to navigate through different areas of your site's backend.
Plugins
Plugins are add-ons that extend what your WordPress site can do. Think of them like apps for your website. You can install plugins to add new features such as contact forms, SEO tools, or e-commerce functionality.
Click "Plugins" in the dashboard sidebar to manage your plugins.
WordPress Settings
Your Settings area controls site-wide details such as your comment settings, permalinks, date format, time zone, and much more. These options are found under Settings in your Dashboard Sidebar. You won't need to adjust them often, but it’s good to know where they live.
Editing Pages & Posts
The Editor
The Editor is the main screen where you edit and design your pages and blog posts. It is the visual builder you'll use to add text, images, buttons, and other content to your site. You'll sometimes hear it called the Block Editor, Gutenberg Editor, page editor or post editor — they all mean the same thing!
Block
Blocks are the building pieces of every page and post. Each piece of content — like a paragraph, image, button, gallery, or video — is its own block. You can move them around, copy and paste them, duplicate them, and customize how they look.
Block Settings
When you click on a block, its settings appear in the sidebar on the right. These settings let you adjust the design or behavior of that specific block — for example, changing the colors, spacing, or link settings.
Page Settings
These are the Kadence Page Settings found in the editor. They control options for the individual post or page — like hiding the header or footer, changing the page layout, etc.
Rows and Sections
Rows and sections help you organize the layout of your page. In Kadence, the Row Layout block is used to create different sections of a page — like a hero area, an about section, or a testimonial section. Each row can include one or more columns (aka Section Blocks), which hold your content blocks (like galleries, testimonials, text, images, buttons etc).
Pages & Posts
Page
A page is used for static content that stays mostly the same over time — like your Home, About, Contact, or Shop page. You can create new pages or edit existing pages by going to your WordPress Dashboard > Pages.
Post/Blog Post
A blog post is similar to a page, but it’s meant for content you publish more frequently — like articles, recipes, tutorials, etc. Unlike pages, posts are automatically added to your Blog page and displayed in reverse chronological order (newest first).
Posts can also be organized using categories to help your readers find related content.
You can create new posts or edit existing posts by going to your WordPress Dashboard > Posts.
Click here to see an example of a blog post.
Blog
Your blog is the section of your website that displays all of your posts in reverse chronological order (newest first). It's often found at a URL like your-website.com/blog. This page automatically updates when you publish new posts.
Categories
Categories are used to group related posts together. Think of them as broad topics or themes — like Fashion, Travel, or Wellness. To edit or add new categories, go to your Dashboard > Posts > Categories
Category Pages
Every category in WordPress automatically has its own page, called a category archive page. This page displays all the posts within that category, usually in a grid or list format. You can link to these pages in your menu or use them to create organized sections of your site (like Recipes by Category for example).
Click here to see an example of a category page.
Site Areas, Customization & Design
Customizer
The Customizer is where you can adjust your site's design settings — like the color palette, fonts, logo, blog layout, header, footer layout, and much more. You can open it by going to Appearance > Customize.
Header
The header is the top section of your website. It's where your logo, menu(s), and sometimes a search icon, social icons, or button live. It normally appears on every page of your site. You can edit your header in the Customizer under "Header".
Hero
A "hero" is a large, eye-catching area near the top of a page. It's often used to introduce the content on that page with a headline, subheading, and button. Many heroes include a background image or even an image beside the text.
Footer
The footer is the section at the very bottom of your website that (usually) appears on every page. It's often used for things like menus, contact info, copyright text, social links, or newsletter signups. You can customize your footer in Appearance > Customizer > Footer, where you can edit the design and layout, add widgets, and adjust what appears in each column.
Menus & Navigation
Menu
A menu, or navigation menu, is a list of links that help visitors navigate your site. You can add your pages, blog categories, or custom links to menus. Menus can be placed in many different areas of your site — like the header, footer, or sidebar.
Menus are created and managed in Dashboard > Appearance > Menus. Learn more about creating Navigation Menus.
Menu Links
A menu link is an individual item inside your menu — think Home, About, Contact, or Shop. Each menu link can connect to a page, post, category, or an external URL (like your Instagram or Etsy shop).
Primary Menu
Your primary menu is the main navigation of your site. It's located inside of your header. It's the most visible menu and typically includes important links like Home, About, Blog, Shop, etc.
Secondary Menu
A secondary menu is an optional + usually smaller navigation menu that’s great for category links if your site is blog-focused, or for less prominent pages like FAQ, Press, Partnerships, Subscribe, etc.
Footer Menu
A footer menu is a navigation menu that appears at the very bottom of your site. It's a great place for links that don't need to appear in your main navigation, like Privacy Policy, Shop Policies, Terms & Conditions and Contact.. You can have more than one footer menu.
Mobile Menu
The mobile menu appears on phones and tablets — often behind a small "hamburger" icon (☰). It keeps your navigation clean and easy to use on smaller screens and devices.
Dropdown
A dropdown is a submenu that appears when you hover over or tap on a main menu link. Dropdowns are often used to organize related pages under one heading — for example, Course → Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Dinner.
Sidebar & Widgets
Sidebar
A sidebar is a vertical section that appears beside your main content, most commonly on a blog page or blog posts. It can include blocks or widgets such as a search bar, image, social icons, or featured posts. Depending on your theme, your sidebar can appear on the right, left, or not at all.
Click here to see an example of post with a sidebar.
Sidebar Widget
In WordPress, sidebars used to be made up of “widgets” — but today, they’re block-based. That means you can add blocks (like a Search block, Image block, Text block, etc) directly into your sidebar, just like you would when editing a page or post. Some people still refer the sidebar blocks as "widgets".
You can edit your sidebar by going to Appearance > Widgets
Footer Widgets
Like Sidebars, Footers used to be built with “widgets,” but most modern themes (including Kadence) now use blocks instead. You can add blocks — like text, images, buttons, or social icons — directly into the footer "widget areas".
You can edit your footer in Appearance > Customize > Footer or edit the footer "widget areas" directly in Appearance > Widgets