Header Text - Configuring WordPress Settings After Installation

As WordPress is one of the world’s most prevalent tools for building websites, it is important to know how to configure WordPress settings. Whether creating a blog, an online store, or a professional portfolio, WordPress gives you the power to design your website the way you want. It’s easy to use and includes countless features that make it flexible for various websites.

However, installing WordPress is insufficient to prepare your site for the world. To ensure your site runs smoothly and securely, there are a few important steps to take right after installation. Proper setup helps your site load faster, keeps it safe from hackers, and improves how well it ranks in search engines like Google.

This guide explains all the essential WordPress website settings you must configure after installation. You’ll learn how to update your site’s basic settings, improve its security, and customize it for a better experience.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  1. After installation, configuring WordPress settings is essential for creating a secure and user-friendly site.
  2. Prevent search engines from indexing your site during development to avoid exposing unfinished content.
  3. Update your site’s title and tagline to make it more professional and SEO-friendly.
  4. Configure user registration settings to control who can register on your site and their roles.
  5. Adjust your time zone, date, and time format to ensure accurate scheduling and consistency.
  6. Customize permalink structures for cleaner, SEO-friendly URLs that are easy for visitors to read.
  7. Review and adjust media settings to optimize image sizes and organize uploads efficiently.
  8. Remove default content to keep your site clean and professional.
  9. Configure discussion settings to manage comments, reduce spam, and maintain content quality.
  10. Complete your user profile with a bio and profile picture to build trust and connect with your audience.
  11. Disable directory browsing to protect your site’s files and improve overall security.

Block Search Engines Indexing

When you first install WordPress and start building your website, it’s not ready for the world to see. There may be incomplete pages, placeholder content, or design elements you’re still working on. If search engines like Google find your site during this stage, they may index these unfinished parts, which can hurt your website’s reputation and affect how it appears in search results later.

To prevent this, WordPress lets you tell search engines not to index your site while it’s under development. This way, you can focus on building and perfecting your website without worrying about search engines showing incomplete pages to visitors.

Here’s how to discourage search engines from indexing your WordPress site:

Navigate to WordPress DashboardSettings Reading. This will open the Reading Settings page. Look for a checkbox called Discourage search engines from indexing this site. Click the box to enable this setting. Then, click Save Changes. This ensures your recent WordPress website settings are applied.

Configure WordPress Settings After Installation - Block Search Engines Indexing

With this setting turned on, search engines are politely asked not to index your site. Remember: this is not a guarantee – they may still index it if they find links to your site elsewhere. This helps reduce the chances of unfinished content being displayed.

Once your site is fully developed and ready to launch, don’t forget to return and uncheck this box. This way, search engines can index your website and show it in search results for visitors.

While on the Reading Settings page, you’ll find a few other things you can do. For instance, you can decide what content appears on your homepage, how many posts are shown, etc.

WordPress lets you choose what to display on your homepage. You have 2 main options:

  1. Your Latest Posts – This is perfect for news or blog websites where new posts should automatically appear on the homepage.
  1. A Static Page – An option that is best for business websites or portfolios where you want a fixed welcome page to greet your visitors.

To set this up: In Your homepage displays, choose Your latest posts or A static page. If you select A static page, choose one page for your Homepage and another for the Posts page.

Configure WordPress Settings After Installation - Choose Content for Your Homepage

Next, control how many posts appear on your homepage and in the blog feed through the Reading Settings page. This is helpful if you want your website to load faster or show fewer posts to keep things clean. Here’s how to adjust it:

In the field called Blog pages show at most; enter the number of posts you want to display. For example, if you type “10”, only the 10 most recent posts appear. Similarly, set the number of posts shown in RSS feeds using the field below. This feature makes it easier for visitors to browse your site and ensures a smooth user experience.

Configure WordPress Settings After Installation - Specify Number of Posts in Blog Pages and RSS Feed

Important: Don’t forget to save your changes after adjusting the reading settings.

Update Site Title & Tagline

Your site’s title and tagline are its first impression. The title is the name of your website, and the tagline is a short description of what your site is about. These appear in the browser tab, search results, and sometimes your website’s header.

A clear and relevant title and tagline lets visitors understand your site quickly and boosts your Search Engine Optimization (SEO). It’s also a great way to strengthen your brand.

For example, if you’re creating a food blog, a title like “Tasty Bites” with a tagline like “Delicious Recipes for Every Meal” tells visitors exactly what to expect. This can attract the right audience and make your site look professional.

Here’s how to update your WordPress site’s title and tagline in WordPress:

Log in to your WordPress Dashboard. Go to Settings General to open General Settings. In the Site Title field, type the name of your website. In the Tagline field, add a short description of your site. Keep it concise and relevant to your niche or topic.

Configure WordPress Settings After Installation - Update Site Title and Tagline

Then, scroll down to the bottom and click Save Changes. This ensures your new title and tagline are applied.

Set Time Zone, Date, & Time Format

After installing WordPress it’s important to set the correct time zone, date, and time formats to keep everything on your site consistent and well-organized. These settings ensure any scheduled posts, updates, or events on your site happen at the right time. It’s important to do this if you’re managing an audience in a specific region or running a site with frequent updates.

For example, if you’re running a blog and scheduling posts, having the wrong time zone can cause posts to go live at odd hours. If you set the right time zone, you ensure your content reaches your audience at the best time. Here’s how to adjust these settings in WordPress:

Go into your WordPress Dashboard, to Settings General. Look for the Timezone dropdown. Select the correct time zone for your location or the location of your target audience. You can select by city name (e.g., New York) or UTC offset (e.g., UTC+5).

Configure WordPress Settings After Installation - Set Timezone

Now, under Date Format, choose how you want the date to appear on your site (e.g., November 20, 2024, or 20/11/2024). You can also create a custom format using the given options.

Configure WordPress Settings After Installation - Choose Date Format

After that, pick how you want the time to be displayed under Time Format (e.g., 12-hour format with AM/PM or 24-hour format). Like the date format, you can also customize this.

Configure WordPress Settings After Installation - Select Time Format

Once you’re done with your changes, page down and click Save Changes to apply your new WordPress settings. With these, your WordPress website will display the correct date and time, keeping everything in sync. This aligns your visitors, posts, and schedules, and makes your site look professional and organized.

Configure User Registration Settings

Deciding whether to allow users to register on your WordPress website depends on the purpose of your site. If you are running a membership site, forum, or online store, it can be helpful to enable user registration.

This lets visitors create accounts and interact with your site. However, if you don’t need user accounts, you must disable this option to avoid unnecessary spam registrations. To disable user registration:

Go to WordPress DashboardSettings General. Navigate to Membership. If you wish to allow registrations, check Anyone can register. If not, leave it unchecked.

Configure WordPress Settings After Installation - Enable or Disable User Registration

Under Membership, you’ll see an option for New User Default Role; this sets a default role for new users. Choose the role based on what you want users to do on your site. The default Subscriber role usually works well because it gives minimal access.

Configure WordPress Settings After Installation - Set Default Role for New Users

Lastly, click Save Changes at the bottom of the page to apply the settings.

Adjust Writing Settings

Writing settings are important to set after installing WordPress. This helps you control how new content is created and managed on your site. These WordPress settings allow you to choose a default category and format for your posts and configure mail server options for posting via email. Let’s go through each of these settings step by step.

When you create a new post in WordPress, it automatically gets assigned a category and format. Choosing a default category ensures your posts are organized, even if you forget to pick one. The post format dictates how the post looks, such as a standard blog post, a gallery, or a video.

Go to Settings Writing in your WordPress Dashboard. Look for the Default Post Category dropdown menu. Select the category you want all new posts by default. For example, if most of your posts are blogs, set it to “Blog” or a category that fits your content.

Under Default Post Format, choose the format that suits your posts, such as Standard for regular articles or Gallery for image collections.

Configure WordPress Settings After Installation - Default Post Settings

WordPress has a feature that lets you publish posts by sending an email. While this is less common now, it can still be useful in specific cases, like remote blogging. To configure this feature:

Enter the following mail server details under Post via Email on the Writing Settings page:

  1. Mail Server: Enter the server address where your email account is hosted (e.g., mail.yourdomain.com).
  2. Login Name: Enter the email address you’ll use to send posts.
  3. Password: Enter the email password for that account.
  4. Default Mail Category: Choose your default mail category.
Configure WordPress Settings After Installation - Mail Server Settings

After filling in and choosing the required items, click Save Changes to save your modifications.

Permalinks are permanent web addresses (URLs) for your posts and pages. They’re how visitors and search engines find your content. A well-structured permalink is important for SEO because it helps search engines understand your content better. It also makes your links more readable and user-friendly.

For example, a link like:

yourwebsite.com/2024/11/awesome-tips

is much clearer than something like:

yourwebsite.com/?p=123

Clean and simple permalinks improve user experience and make your site look more professional.

The best permalink structure for most websites is Post Name. This means your URLs will include the title of your post or page (e.g., yourwebsite.com/awesome-tips). It’s short, descriptive, and great for SEO because it adds keywords to your post title.

Here’s how to set up your permalink structure:

Head to WordPress Dashboard. On the left-hand menu, click Settings, then select Permalinks. You’ll see several options for structuring your permalinks, such as Plain. Select the Post Name option for a clean and SEO-friendly structure.

Configure WordPress Settings After Installation - Choose Permalink Structure

After that, scroll down and click Save Changes to apply your settings. Once you update your permalinks, WordPress will automatically generate URLs using the new structure.

If your site already has content, check your links to ensure they work correctly. You may need to set up redirects to avoid broken links.

Review & Adjust Media Settings

Media Settings in WordPress control how images and other files are handled on your site. If you customize these WordPress settings, you can manage the sizes of images uploaded to your site and decide how they are stored. This helps organize your site and ensures images look their best.

When you upload an image to WordPress, it automatically creates several versions of the image in different sizes: thumbnail, medium, and large. These sizes are based on the default WordPress settings, but you can change them to fit your website’s needs. For example, adjusting these settings can help if you want larger thumbnails or smaller medium images. Here’s how to do it:

Go to WordPress DashboardSettings Media. You’ll see fields for 3 image sizes:

  1. Thumbnail size: Set the width and height for thumbnail images. If you want square thumbnails, check the box to crop them to exact dimensions.
  2. Medium size: This size is often used for blog content. For medium-sized images, choose width and height.
  3. Large size: Set the dimensions for large images; best for featured images or full-width designs.

Enter the dimensions that work best for your site. For example:

  • Thumbnail: 150×150 pixels
  • Medium: 300×300 pixels
  • Large: 1024×1024 pixels
Configure WordPress Settings After Installation - Media Settings

Below the image size settings, you’ll see an option called Organize my uploads into month- and year-based folders. If you check this box, WordPress will automatically group your files into folders based on when they were uploaded. This helps keep your Media Library neat and easy to navigate.

Now, scroll down a little and click Save Changes to apply your new WordPress website settings.

Configure WordPress Settings After Installation - Group Files

You may be wondering why adjusting Media Settings matters. Optimizing your media settings ensures the images on your site load faster, fit your design and don’t take up unnecessary storage space. Also, organizing properly facilitates finding files in the future, especially if your site has lots of media.

Revise Discussion & Comment Settings

Managing comments on your WordPress site is important for keeping conversations respectful, reducing spam, and maintaining your site quality. If left unchecked, spam comments can clutter your site and harm your credibility. By configuring discussion and comment settings, you control who can comment, how comments are managed, and when you’re notified about them.

Here’s how to adjust comment settings in WordPress:

Navigate to WordPress Dashboard →  Settings Discussion. In Default post settings, decide whether to allow people to post comments on new posts. If you uncheck this option, comments will be disabled for future posts, but you can enable them later for individual posts.

Configure WordPress Settings After Installation - Default Post Settings

Under Comment Moderation, you can automatically add rules to hold comments with links or specific words in moderation.

Configure WordPress Settings After Installation - Comment Moderation Settings

Now scroll to the section called Email Me Whenever to set notifications. Check the box if you want to be notified when someone posts a comment or if a comment is held for moderation. This keeps you informed about new activity on your site.

Configure WordPress Settings After Installation - Setup Email Notifications

Again, don’t forget to click Save Changes to save your preferences.

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Remove Default Content

When you install WordPress, it comes with sample content like a “Hello World” post, a “Sample Page”, and default comments. While these are meant to help you get started, leaving them on your site can make it look unprofessional and cluttered. Removing these default items is a quick step that ensures your site is clean and ready for customization.

Default posts and pages serve no real purpose once you start building your site. Visitors may see these placeholders, which can make your site look incomplete. Also, search engines may index this content, which could affect your site’s SEO. By clearing out default content, you create a fresh start for your website.

To do this, access your WordPress website’s Admin Dashboard. In the left-hand menu, go to Posts and click All Posts. Hover over your desired post title, then click Trash to delete it.

Configure WordPress Settings After Installation - Delete a Post

Then, navigate to PagesAll Pages. Hover over your page title and click Trash to remove it.

Configure WordPress Settings After Installation - Remove a Page

Next, go to Comments in the left-hand menu. Look for default comments, like the one on the “Hello World” post. Hover over this comment and click Trash to delete it.

Configure WordPress Settings After Installation - Delete Comment

Remember, when you delete posts, pages, or comments, they remain in the trash folder temporarily. To permanently remove them, go to the Trash tab under Posts, Pages, or Comments. Click Empty Trash to permanently delete the content.

Configure WordPress Settings After Installation - Empty Comments Trash

By removing default content, you’re taking an important step to make your site look professional and ready for your unique content. It’s a simple but effective way to create a good first impression.

Complete Your User Profile

Another thing to do while adjusting WordPress settings is to complete a user profile. It’s an easy way to boost your credibility and make your website look good.

Your profile shows visitors who you are, adds a personal touch to your content, and builds trust with your audience. It’s important if you’re writing blog posts or managing the site, as readers like to know more about the person behind the content.

A well-filled profile:

  • Ensures your site looks competent and professional.
  • Allows readers to connect with you by sharing your background or expertise.
  • Improves branding, especially if you’re running a blog or business site.
  • Adds credibility, making visitors trust your content more.

Here’s how to update your profile in WordPress:

Go to WordPress DashboardUsers Profile. Fill in personal information like your first and last name, nickname, and how you want your name displayed publicly.

Configure WordPress Settings After Installation - Fill In Name

In the Biographical Info section, write a short description of yourself. This is where you can introduce yourself to readers – share your expertise, hobbies, or what your site is about.

Configure WordPress Settings After Installation - Biographical Information

You may also enable or disable options like Visual Editor and Syntax Highlighting.

Configure WordPress Settings After Installation - Enable or Disable Visual Editor and Syntax Highlighting

WordPress uses Gravatar to display profile pictures. If you don’t have one set up, visit Gravatar.com and create an account with the same email address you use for your WordPress profile. Upload your photo, and it will automatically sync to your WordPress profile.

Configure WordPress Settings After Installation - Change Picture

You can also set a new password to log into your WordPress Dashboard. Once you’ve added all the WordPress settings, scroll to the bottom of the page and click Update Profile to save all your changes.

Disable Directory Browsing

Directory browsing in WordPress allows visitors to see a list of files and folders on your server if there’s no index file (like index.php or index.html). While this may sound harmless, it poses a huge security risk for your WordPress website. Hackers can explore these directories to find sensitive information, such as configuration files or plugins; this facilitates exploiting vulnerabilities.

Therefore, disabling directory browsing is important to protect your website from unwanted access. It ensures that only the pages and files you intend to display are visible to visitors.

However, before disabling directory browsing, add /wp-includes/ to the base URL of your WordPress site. For example

https://yourwebsite.com/wp-includes

Ensure you replace yourwebsite.com with your actual domain name.

If you’re redirected to a 403 Forbidden or 404 Not Found error page, you know your site is secure. Hosted.com users will see a 404 error page as follows:

Configure WordPress Settings After Installation - 404 Error Page

If you see a list of folders and files from your site, you must disable directory browsing in WordPress. Do this as follows:

First, access the .htaccess file. It’s located in the root folder of your WordPress installation. You can access it using an FTP client or your hosting provider’s File Manager (like cPanel).

For this tutorial example, we use Hosted’s File Manager feature, which you can access by logging into the Hosted.com cPanel and navigating to Tools → Files → File Manager.

Configure WordPress Settings After Installation - Hosted’s File Manager

Now, go to the /public_html directory. Select the .htaccess file and click Edit at the top. This will open your file in an editor.

Configure WordPress Settings After Installation - Edit .htaccess File

Once the file is opened, add the following line at the end of the file:

Options All -Indexes

Then, click Save Changes to save the .htaccess file.

Configure WordPress Settings After Installation - Add Code to .htaccess File

After that, try accessing a directory on your site that doesn’t have an index file (e.g., yourwebsite.com/wp-content/uploads). Instead of seeing a list of files, you should now see a 403 Forbidden error or a blank page. This means directory browsing has been successfully disabled.

Configure WordPress Settings After Installation - Directory Browsing Disabled
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FAQs

What happens if I don’t configure these settings after installation?

If you skip configuring WordPress settings, your site may not perform at its best. For example, search engines might index incomplete pages, affecting your SEO. Default content like “Hello World” could make your site look unprofessional. Media settings that haven’t been optimized may slow down your site. Also, spam comments could clutter your site, damaging its credibility. Considering all this, it’s important to configure your WordPress settings to ensure your site is secure, user-friendly, and optimized.

Can I change these settings later?

Yes, you can update most WordPress settings anytime. Whether changing permalinks, enabling user registration, or adjusting media sizes, you can always return and modify these settings to fit your site’s needs. However, some changes, like permalinks, may require additional steps, like redirecting old URLs to fix broken links.

Which settings impact SEO the most?

Several WordPress settings can significantly impact your site’s SEO. Using clean, keyword-rich permalinks helps search engines better understand and rank your content. Adjusting search engine visibility ensures your site is indexed only when ready. A well-crafted site title and tagline enhance your site’s appearance in search results, making it more appealing to users. Additionally, optimized media settings improve site speed, a key factor for higher search engine rankings. These are some of the most important things to do after WordPress installation.

How does the default post category affect my site?

The default post category determines where new posts are placed if you forget to assign one. If it’s set to “Uncategorized”, the post can look unprofessional and confuse readers. Assigning a meaningful default category improves organization and helps visitors easily navigate your content.

What should I do if I’m unsure about certain settings?

If you’re unsure about specific WordPress settings, start with the default options; they are designed to work well for most users. For guidance, you can check WordPress documentation, forums, or tutorials. Additionally, many hosting providers offer support to help you configure your site. As your site grows, you can revisit and adjust these WordPress settings to better suit your needs.

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