Module 2:

WORDPRESS
1. History and Evolution
WordPress began in 2003 as a fork of an existing blogging tool called b2/cafelog. Founders Matt
Mullenweg and Mike Little wanted a better, more stable platform for personal publishing.
 The Early Years (2003–2005): Focused purely on blogging and simple text
management.
 The Plugin & Theme Era (2005–2009): The introduction of the Plugin Directory and
Theme system transformed WordPress from a blog tool into a CMS.
 The API & REST Era (2015–Present): The integration of the REST API allowed
WordPress to become a headless CMS, enabling it to power mobile apps and decoupled
frontend frameworks.
 The Block Era (2018–Present): The introduction of the Gutenberg Editor shifted the
platform toward a "Full Site Editing" experience, prioritizing visual block-based layouts
over rigid code templates.
Key Takeaway: WordPress evolved from a simple "micro-blogging" tool into a robust Operating
System for the Web.
2. [Link] vs. [Link]
This is the most common point of confusion for beginners. Think of it as the difference between
renting an apartment and owning a house.

Feature [Link] [Link]

Ownership A hosted service (SaaS). Self-hosted software.

Maintenan Managed for you by You handle updates, backups, &

ce Automattic. security.

Flexibility Limited by your plan. Infinite control (access to all files).

Free (limited) to high-tier Free software; you pay for

Cost
plans. hosting/domain.

Plugin/ Full access to the entire

Limited access.
Theme ecosystem.

Professor's Note: For professional development and business use, we almost exclusively use [Link] (the
self-hosted version). It provides the autonomy required to customize ERP/POS integrations or complex business logic.

Installation and setup process:

[Link]
Requirements on the server side

 PHP 7.4 or greater

 MySQL 5.7 or MariaDB 10.3 or greater
 HTTPS support
Requirements on local
 Login Account (user id and password) to the server via FTP or shell
 Text Editor
 FTP
 Your web browser of choice
Here's the standard WordPress "famous 5-minute install" process, based on the official guide:
Before you start
 Make sure your host meets WordPress's requirements (PHP, MySQL/MariaDB)
 Have FTP or shell access to your server, plus a text editor
Steps
1. Download WordPress Get the package from [Link]/download/. If you're uploading to
a remote server, download it to your computer with a browser and unzip it. If you have shell
access, you can instead download WordPress directly to your web server using wget to skip FTP.
2. Create a database If your host hasn't already set one up for you, create a MySQL database
and a database user with full privileges on it (via phpMyAdmin or your hosting control panel).
3. Set up [Link] Rename [Link] to [Link] and fill in your
database name, username, password, and host — or let WordPress do this for you by loading wp-
admin/[Link] in your browser once the files are uploaded, since WordPress will ask for
the database details and write them into a new [Link] file itself.
4. Upload the files Use an FTP client to upload all the contents of the wordpress folder (not the
folder itself) into your website's root directory. If you're on shell access instead, move the
contents directly into place. If you want WordPress in a subdirectory, rename the folder
accordingly first.
5. Run the install script Visit your site in a browser — it'll launch the installer automatically.
You'll enter your site title, desired username, password (twice), and email address, plus a
checkbox for whether you want the site visible to search engines. All of this can be changed later
from the admin dashboard.
6. Log in Once installation succeeds, a login prompt appears — log in with the credentials you
just set and you're done.
Common troubleshooting
 Database connection error: double-check the values in [Link], or try resetting
your MySQL password manually via shell or phpMyAdmin.
 PHP code showing up as text instead of running: this means PHP isn't installed or
configured properly on the server — contact your host.
If you'd rather not do this manually, many hosts offer one-click installers, and for local
testing/development there are tools like wp-env, Local, XAMPP, MAMP, and DDEV, which let you
skip the manual installation of WordPress and its dependencies.
WordPress Dashboard & Settings Guide
1. Tour of the WordPress Dashboard
When you log in, you land on the Dashboard (wp-admin). Key areas:
· Admin toolbar (top bar): Site name (visit your live site), comments, "+ New" shortcuts
(post, page, media, user), your profile/logout.
· Left sidebar menu — your main navigation:
· Dashboard – "At a Glance" widgets, activity feed, quick draft, WordPress news
· Posts – blog posts, categories, tags
· Media – uploaded images, videos, documents (the Media Library)
· Pages – static pages (About, Contact, etc.)
· Comments – moderate reader comments
· Appearance – themes, widgets, menus, site editor (theme-dependent)
· Plugins – install/activate/deactivate plugins
· Users – manage accounts and roles
· Tools – import/export, site health
· Settings – General, Writing, Reading, Discussion, Media, Permalinks, Privacy
Everything in WordPress admin follows this same list-then-edit pattern: a table of items (posts,
pages, users) with an "Add New" button at the top.
2. General Settings
Settings → General controls site-wide basics:
· Site Title – shown in browser tabs, search results, and often your header
· Tagline – a short description (e.g., "Just another WordPress site" — change this!)
· WordPress Address (URL) / Site Address (URL) – where WordPress core files live vs.
what visitors type; usually identical unless WordPress is installed in a subdirectory
· Administration Email Address – used for admin notifications
· Membership – allow anyone to register an account
· New User Default Role – Subscriber, Contributor, Author, Editor, or Administrator
· Timezone, Date Format, Time Format, Week Starts On – affects post timestamps
and scheduling
3. Customizing Site Title, Tagline & URL Structure
· Title/Tagline: edit directly in Settings → General (or via Appearance → Customize on
some themes, which updates the same values live with a preview).
· URL structure (Permalinks): found under Settings → Permalinks, not General. This
controls how your post/page URLs look:
· Plain: `?p=123` (not recommended — bad for SEO and readability)
· Day and name: `/2026/07/02/sample-post/`
· Month and name: `/2026/07/sample-post/`
· Post name: `/sample-post/` (most popular choice — clean and SEO-friendly)
· Custom Structure: build your own using tags like `%postname%`, `%category%`, `%year
%`
Changing this after a site is live can break existing links unless your host/plugin handles
redirects, so pick a structure early.
4. Reading Settings
Settings → Reading controls what visitors see and search-engine visibility:
· Your homepage displays: "Your latest posts" (blog-style homepage) or "A static page"
(choose specific pages for Homepage and Posts page — used for business/portfolio sites)
· Blog pages show at most – number of posts per page
· Syndication feeds show the most recent – items in RSS feed
· For each post in a feed, include – full text or summary
· Search engine visibility – "Discourage search engines from indexing this site" checkbox
(useful while building a site, but not a hard block — some crawlers ignore it)
5. Writing Settings
Settings → Writing affects the post-creation experience:
· Default Post Category – auto-assigned if you don't pick one
· Default Post Format – theme-dependent (Standard, Aside, Gallery, etc.)
· Post via email – configure a mailbox to publish posts by sending an email (legacy
feature, rarely used now)
· Update Services – ping services notified when you publish (helps discovery)
6. Discussion Settings
Settings → Discussion governs comments site-wide:
· Default article settings: allow link notifications (pingbacks/trackbacks), allow people to
submit comments, allow comments to auto-close after X days
· Other comment settings: require name/email, require login to comment, auto-close
after N levels of nesting, break comments into pages
· Email me whenever: notify you on new comments or comments held for moderation
· Before a comment appears: require manual approval, or require a previously-approved
comment from that email
· Comment Moderation / Disallowed Comment Keys: hold or block comments
containing certain words, links, or matching spam patterns
· Avatars: show/hide, rating (G, PG, R, X), and default avatar style
7. Media Settings
Settings → Media controls image handling:
· Image sizes: default pixel dimensions for Thumbnail, Medium, and Large sizes that
WordPress auto-generates on upload
· Uploading files: option to organize uploads into month/year-based folders (recommended
for larger sites — keeps the Media Library structured on the server)
8. Posts vs. Pages — The Key Difference

Posts

Purpose Blog content, time-based

Organization Categories & tags

Appears in RSS feed, blog archive

Typical use News, articles, updates

Sorted by Date (newest first)

Rule of thumb: if it's timely and you'll publish more like it regularly → Post. If it's evergreen and
stands alone → Page.
9. Creating and Managing Posts
1. Go to Posts → Add New
2. Enter a title — WordPress auto-generates the URL slug from it (editable)
3. Write content in the block editor (Gutenberg)
4. Set Category and Tags in the right-hand panel
5. Set a Featured Image (shown in previews/thumbnails, theme-dependent)
6. Choose Visibility (Public, Private, Password Protected) and Publish date (immediate or
scheduled)
7. Click Publish (or Save Draft to keep working, Preview to check first)
Managing posts: the Posts list lets you bulk-edit, trash, or quick-edit (inline editing of
title/slug/date without opening the full editor).
10. Formatting Text and Adding Media in Posts
WordPress uses the block editor, where every piece of content is a "block":
· Text blocks: Paragraph, Heading (H2–H6), List, Quote, Table — add with the "+" button or
by typing `/` followed by the block name
· Basic formatting: select text to reveal a toolbar for bold, italic, links, inline code,
strikethrough
· Adding media:
· Image block: upload, choose from Media Library, or insert by URL; supports captions, alt
text (important for accessibility/SEO), and alignment
· Gallery block: multiple images in a grid
· Video/Audio blocks: upload files directly or embed
· Embed block: paste a YouTube, Twitter/X, or other supported URL and it auto-embeds
· Layout blocks: Columns, Group, Cover (image with overlay text) for more complex
designs
· Blocks can be dragged to reorder, and each has its own settings panel on the right
when selected
11. Categories and Tags
Both help organize posts, but differently:
· Categories (Posts → Categories)
· Broad, hierarchical (can have subcategories)
· Every post should have at least one (defaults to "Uncategorized" if none chosen)
· Think of it like a table of contents — few, broad buckets (e.g., "Recipes," "Travel," "Tech")
· Tags (Posts → Tags)
· Specific, non-hierarchical, optional
· Think of it like an index — as many as relevant keywords (e.g., "pasta," "italy," "budget-
travel")
· Useful for cross-referencing related content across categories
Both generate their own archive pages (e.g., `/category/travel/` or `/tag/italy/`) where visitors
can browse related posts.
---
Tip: changes to Settings apply site-wide immediately — no "publish" step needed, unlike
posts/pages.
WordPress Advanced Guide (Part 2)
1. WordPress Themes
Introduction to Themes
A theme controls your site's visual design and layout — colors, fonts, page structure — without
changing your content. WordPress separates content (posts/pages, stored in the database) from
presentation (the theme), so you can switch themes without losing content.
Installing and Activating Themes
1. Appearance → Themes → Add New
2. Search the [Link] theme directory, or click Upload Theme to install a .zip file (for
premium/third-party themes)
 3. Click Install, then Activate
Customizing Themes with the Customizer
Appearance → Customize opens a live preview editor where you can adjust:
 Site identity (logo, title, tagline, favicon)
 Colors and background
 Menus and widgets
 Homepage settings
 Additional CSS (for small custom style tweaks without a plugin)
Newer themes ("block themes") use the Site Editor (Appearance → Editor) instead, which allows
full-site editing including headers, footers, and templates using blocks.
Premium Themes and Child Themes
 Premium themes: paid themes (from marketplaces like ThemeForest, StudioPress, or
theme shops like Astra/Divi) typically offering more design options, dedicated support, and
page-builder integration.
 Child themes: a theme that inherits the styling/functionality of a "parent" theme but lets
you override or add code safely. This is the recommended way to customize a theme with
code — edits made directly to a parent theme get wiped out when that theme
updates, but a child theme's files are untouched.
o A minimal child theme needs just a [Link] (with a header referencing the parent)
and a [Link].
2. Plugins
What Are Plugins?
Plugins are packages of code that add functionality to WordPress without modifying core files —
contact forms, SEO tools, galleries, e-commerce, caching, security, and more. WordPress's plugin
architecture is a major reason for its flexibility.
Installing and Activating Plugins
1. Plugins → Add New
2. Search the directory or Upload Plugin (zip file)
3. Click Install Now, then Activate
4. Many plugins add their own settings page (often under Settings, or their own top-level
menu item)
Popular Plugins by Category
 SEO: Yoast SEO, Rank Math
 Page building: Elementor, WPBakery, Beaver Builder
 Forms: WPForms, Contact Form 7, Gravity Forms
 Security: Wordfence, Sucuri
 Backup: UpdraftPlus, Duplicator
  Caching/performance: WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache, WP Super Cache
 E-commerce: WooCommerce
 SEO/marketing add-ons: MonsterInsights (Google Analytics), Mailchimp integrations
Customizing Plugins and Understanding Conflicts
 Most plugins expose settings pages for basic customization; deeper changes usually
require hooks (actions/filters) added via a child theme's [Link] or a small custom
"site-specific" plugin — never edit a plugin's core files directly, since updates will overwrite
them.
 Conflicts happen when two plugins:
o Load the same JavaScript/CSS library in incompatible versions

o Try to control the same functionality (e.g., two SEO plugins, two caching plugins)

o Have incompatible coding (rare, but possible with heavily customized sites)

 Troubleshooting conflicts: deactivate all plugins, then reactivate one at a time to

isolate the culprit; check the plugin's support forum for known issues; ensure plugins and
WordPress core are all updated.
3. Widgets and Menus
Widgets
Widgets are small content/functionality blocks (search bar, recent posts, categories list, custom
text/HTML) placed in theme-defined areas like sidebars or footers.
 Access via Appearance → Widgets (in block themes, widgets are managed as blocks
within a "Widgets" editing screen, or directly in the Site Editor)
 Drag a widget/block into the target area (e.g., "Sidebar" or "Footer 1") and configure its
settings
Creating Custom Menus
Appearance → Menus:
1. Create a new menu and give it a name
2. Add items from Pages, Posts, Categories, Custom Links, or Tags
3. Drag items to reorder; indent an item under another to create a dropdown/sub-
menu
Managing Menu Locations
Themes define specific menu locations (e.g., "Primary Menu," "Footer Menu," "Mobile Menu").
Under the Menus screen, check the box for which registered location your custom menu should
appear in — a theme might support 1–3 locations depending on its design.
Responsive Menu Design
Most modern themes automatically convert menus into a "hamburger" icon on smaller screens —
this is handled in the theme's CSS/JS, not something you configure manually in most cases. If
building custom menus with code, this typically involves CSS media queries and a JavaScript
toggle for showing/hiding the mobile nav.
4. Custom Post Types and Taxonomies
Creating Custom Post Types (CPTs)
By default WordPress has Posts and Pages, but you can register your own content types (e.g.,
"Products," "Testimonials," "Events") using register_post_type() in a theme's [Link] or a
custom plugin:
php
function create_custom_post_type() {
register_post_type('testimonial', [
'labels' => [
'name' => 'Testimonials',
'singular_name' => 'Testimonial',
],
'public' => true,
'has_archive' => true,
'supports' => ['title', 'editor', 'thumbnail'],
'menu_icon' => 'dashicons-testimonial',
]);
}
add_action('init', 'create_custom_post_type');
Plugins like Custom Post Type UI let you do this through a settings screen instead of code.
Registering Custom Taxonomies
Taxonomies are classification systems (like categories/tags, but custom) — e.g., "Genre" for a
Movies CPT:
php
function create_custom_taxonomy() {
register_taxonomy('genre', 'movie', [
'label' => 'Genre',
'hierarchical' => true,
]);
}
add_action('init', 'create_custom_taxonomy');
Using CPTs for Specific Content Needs
Common use cases: portfolios, real estate listings, recipes, team members, case studies,
events/calendars — anything structurally different from a standard blog post.
Advanced CPT Settings
 supports: control which editor features appear (title, editor, thumbnail, excerpt, custom
fields, comments)
 rewrite: customize the URL slug
 capability_type: tie permissions to custom roles
 show_in_rest: enable block editor + REST API support (required for Gutenberg
compatibility)
 Pairing CPTs with custom fields (via Advanced Custom Fields plugin) is the standard
way to add structured data (e.g., "price," "location," "event date")
5. User Management and Permissions
Roles and Capabilities
WordPress has five default roles (single-site), each bundling a set of capabilities:

Role Typical abilities

Administra Full control — settings, plugins,

tor themes, users

Publish/edit/delete any posts and

Editor
pages

Author Publish/edit/delete their own posts

Contributo Write/edit their own posts, but can't

r publish

Manage their own profile, read

Subscriber
content only

Plugins like Members or User Role Editor let you create custom roles or fine-tune capabilities.
Adding and Managing Users
Users → Add New: enter username, email, and assign a role. WordPress emails the new user a
password-setup link (or you can set one manually). Users → All Users: edit, change roles, or
delete existing accounts; bulk actions available.
Creating Accounts with Different Permissions
Assign roles based on function: give clients "Editor" (not Administrator) so they can manage
content without touching settings/plugins; give writers "Author" or "Contributor" depending on
whether they should publish directly.
User Profile Settings
Users → Profile (or Your Profile): name, bio, profile picture (via Gravatar), admin color scheme,
keyboard shortcuts for comment moderation, toolbar visibility, and password change.
6. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO Basics for WordPress
WordPress is fairly SEO-friendly out of the box (clean code, permalink control), but on-page
factors still matter: quality content, proper heading structure (one H1 per page), descriptive
URLs, internal linking, image alt text, and mobile-friendliness.
Using SEO Plugins (e.g., Yoast SEO)
Yoast (and similarly Rank Math) adds a metabox to each post/page for:
 Custom SEO title and meta description
 Focus keyphrase analysis with readability/SEO scoring
 XML sitemap generation
 Control over noindex/nofollow per post
 Breadcrumbs and schema markup support
Optimizing Content for Search Engines
 Use one primary keyword/phrase naturally in the title, first paragraph, and a heading
 Write unique meta descriptions per page
 Use descriptive, keyword-relevant permalinks (/best-pasta-recipes/ not /post-123/)
 Add descriptive alt text to all images
 Interlink related posts/pages
 Keep content genuinely useful — modern search algorithms weight relevance and quality
heavily
SEO Best Practices for WordPress Sites
 Choose a fast, lightweight, well-coded theme
 Use HTTPS (SSL certificate)
 Optimize images before upload (see Performance section)
 Set up Google Search Console and submit your sitemap
 Avoid duplicate content (watch for category/tag archives duplicating post content)
 Keep site structure shallow (important pages within 2–3 clicks of the homepage)
7. Security and Backup
Importance of Website Security
WordPress's popularity makes it a common target for automated attacks (brute-force logins,
outdated-plugin exploits, malware injection). A breach can mean data loss, blacklisting by search
engines/browsers, or reputational damage.
Securing a WordPress Installation
 Keep WordPress core, themes, and plugins updated
 Use strong, unique passwords and enable two-factor authentication
 Limit login attempts (via plugin) to block brute-force attacks
 Change the default admin username; avoid predictable usernames
  Keep the number of active plugins minimal — each is a potential attack surface
 Use a reputable host with server-level security (firewalls, malware scanning)
 Disable file editing from the dashboard (define('DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT', true); in wp-
[Link])
 Use SSL/HTTPS site-wide
Backup Solutions
 Plugins: UpdraftPlus, Duplicator, BackupBuddy
 Store backups off-server (cloud storage: Google Drive, Dropbox, S3) so a compromised
server doesn't take backups down with it
 Back up both the database and the files (uploads, themes, plugins)
 Schedule automatic backups (daily/weekly depending on how often content changes)
Security Plugins and Techniques
 Wordfence: firewall, malware scanning, login security
 Sucuri: security monitoring, firewall, malware cleanup
 iThemes Security: hardening features (file change detection, brute-force protection)
 Combine plugin-level security with server-level measures (host firewalls, regular
core/plugin updates) — no single plugin is a complete solution.
8. E-commerce with WordPress
Introduction to E-commerce Plugins
WooCommerce is the dominant WordPress e-commerce plugin (free, open-source, highly
extensible). Alternatives include Easy Digital Downloads (digital products) and shopping-cart-
focused options for niche needs.
Setting Up an Online Store
1. Install and activate WooCommerce
2. Run the setup wizard: store location/currency, industry, product types
3. Configure shipping zones and tax settings
4. Choose a store-compatible theme (Storefront is WooCommerce's official free theme)
Managing Products and Orders
 Products → Add New: title, description, price, images, categories/tags, inventory (stock
tracking), product type (simple, variable — e.g., size/color variants, digital/downloadable)
 WooCommerce → Orders: view, process, and update order status (Processing,
Completed, Refunded, etc.); manage customer details and shipping
Payment Gateway Integration
WooCommerce supports built-in gateways (like direct bank transfer/COD) plus extensions for
Stripe, PayPal, Square, and region-specific gateways. Each gateway plugin typically requires
API keys from the payment provider's dashboard, configured under WooCommerce → Settings →
Payments.
9. Performance Optimization
Speeding Up WordPress Sites
Key levers: hosting quality, caching, image optimization, minimizing plugin bloat, and using a
CDN.
Caching Techniques
 Page caching: serves a pre-built static HTML version of a page instead of rebuilding it
from PHP/database on every visit (WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache, WP Super Cache, or server-
level caching from your host)
 Browser caching: tells visitors' browsers to store static assets (CSS/JS/images) locally for
repeat visits
 Object caching: caches database query results (Redis/Memcached), useful for high-traffic
sites
Image Optimization
 Compress images before/after upload (plugins: Smush, ShortPixel, Imagify)
 Use modern formats (WebP) where supported
 Enable lazy loading so images below the fold load only as the user scrolls (built into
WordPress core by default since 5.5)
 Serve appropriately sized images rather than relying on CSS to shrink oversized files
Minification and Optimization Plugins
 Minification: strips whitespace/comments from CSS/JS files to reduce size
 Combining files: reduces the number of HTTP requests (less critical with HTTP/2)
 Tools: Autoptimize, WP Rocket (includes minification), Asset CleanUp (disable unused
CSS/JS per page)
10. Multisite and Multilingual Websites
Setting Up WordPress Multisite
Multisite lets one WordPress installation run multiple sites sharing the same core
files/plugins/themes.
1. Add define('WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE', true); to [Link]
2. Go to Tools → Network Setup, choose subdomain or subdirectory structure
3. Follow the prompts to update [Link] and .htaccess
4. After reload, a new My Sites → Network Admin area appears for managing all sites
Managing Multiple Sites from One Installation
The Network Admin dashboard lets a Super Admin create new sites, manage users across the
network, and control which themes/plugins are network-activated (available to all sites) vs. site-
specific.
Creating a Multilingual Website
 Plugins: WPML (premium, robust), Polylang (free/premium tiers), TranslatePress
  These let you create translated versions of posts/pages, switch based on visitor language,
and add a language switcher widget/menu
Best Practices for Multisite/Multilingual
 Plan the site structure (subdomains vs. subdirectories vs. domain mapping) before launch
— hard to change later
 Keep plugin count lean — network-wide plugins affect every site's performance
 For multilingual: maintain consistent URL structure per language (e.g., /en/, /fr/) for SEO
clarity
 Regularly audit that all language versions stay in sync content-wise
11. Advanced Customization
Customizing Themes with Code
Beyond the Customizer, deeper changes involve editing theme template files ([Link],
[Link], [Link], etc.) — always via a child theme to survive updates.
Creating Custom Page Templates
In a theme (or child theme), create a new PHP file with a template header comment:
php
<?php
/* Template Name: Full Width Page */
get_header();
// custom layout code here
get_footer();
This template then becomes selectable from the Page Attributes panel when editing a page.
Using Child Themes for Advanced Customization
Reiterating: child themes are the safe way to override template files, add custom [Link]
code, or load additional stylesheets/scripts — without risking loss of changes on parent theme
updates.
Customizing Plugins and Functionality
For plugin behavior changes, prefer hooks (add_action/add_filter) over editing plugin files
directly. Many well-built plugins expose specific filters for this purpose (documented in their
developer docs).
12. Troubleshooting and Maintenance
Common WordPress Issues and Solutions
 White Screen of Death: usually a PHP error or memory limit issue — enable debug mode
to identify it, or deactivate plugins one by one
 Locked out of admin: reset password via database (phpMyAdmin) or use an FTP-based
"emergency" password reset script
  500 Internal Server Error: often a corrupted .htaccess or plugin conflict — regenerate
permalinks, or deactivate plugins via FTP by renaming the plugins folder
 Broken images/styles after migration: usually a URL mismatch — update Site/Home
URL in the database or use a migration plugin
Debugging Techniques
Enable WordPress debug mode in [Link]:
php
define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);
This logs errors to wp-content/[Link] without displaying them to site visitors. Also check
server error logs, and browser console for JS errors.
Updating WordPress Core, Themes, and Plugins
 Always back up before updating (especially major version updates)
 Test updates on a staging site first for critical/production sites
 WordPress core often updates automatically for minor security releases; major releases
and most plugin/theme updates are manual (or can be automated with caution)
 Check plugin/theme changelogs for breaking changes before updating
Best Practices for Ongoing Maintenance
 Regular backups (automated, off-site)
 Keep core/themes/plugins updated on a schedule
 Monitor uptime and security scans
 Periodically remove unused plugins/themes (even inactive ones pose some risk and
clutter)
 Review user accounts periodically and remove stale/unnecessary access
 Keep a staging environment for testing changes before they go live