WordPress Setup:How to Configure Your Website Correctly

Installing is not the same as setting up

In the previous step, you learned how to install WordPress on your web hosting. Your website is now active and you can access its administration dashboard.

However, installing does not mean setting it up.

Before you start creating content, it is important to prepare the working environment correctly so that you maintain order, security and clarity from day one.

We are not going to configure everything. We will focus only on the essential settings.

Although they may seem insignificant, these small details will make a real difference to your project’s final result.

What should you do after installing WordPress for the first time?

After installing WordPress, you should explore the dashboard, remove the test content and check the general settings. This will give you a solid foundation from which to start properly.

WordPress setup involves adjusting the system’s main options before you start creating real pages.

When installed, WordPress includes sample content, test comments and certain default settings that are not intended for a professional project.

How is the WordPress dashboard organised?

When you open the dashboard, you will find a home screen made up of several useful sections, such as:

• Shortcuts for creating content.
• Information about your website’s health.
• WordPress events, news and tips.
• Blocks you can use to customise different parts of your website.

Customise your workspace

If you prefer a cleaner layout, you can hide the elements you do not need.

Simply go to the top right and click “Screen Options”.

There, you can disable the elements you do not want to see and obtain a clearer, better organised dashboard.

What is each section for?

On the left, you will find the sidebar menu. This is your website’s control centre.

Each option performs a specific function in WordPress.

The WordPress sidebar menu

Here is a clear, practical explanation of the role of each section, without going into advanced settings yet.

The WordPress sidebar menu provides access to posts, pages, media, plugins, users and settings.

Posts

Create and manage blog posts. They are used to publish news, tutorials and informative content in chronological order.

Media

A file library where you can upload and manage images, videos, audio files and documents.

Pages

Allows you to create static or informative content, such as the home page, contact page, services or other website pages. Unlike posts, pages are not organised chronologically.

Comments

Manage messages from users. You can approve them, reply to them, delete them or block spam.

Appearance

Controls the website’s visual design. Here, you can manage themes, menus and other customisation elements.

Plugins

Add new features to WordPress using additional tools called plugins.

Users

Manage access to the website, permissions and each user’s role.

Settings

The general WordPress configuration centre. Here, you can manage fundamental elements such as language, privacy and permalinks.

It is normal for the WordPress dashboard to seem difficult to understand at first. You do not need to understand everything today. You only need to know what is necessary to start properly. In the Scale & Own method, we will look at each option step by step.

How to view your website while you work

Before you start configuring the basic settings, it is important that you know how to view your website as a visitor will see it while you work on it.

This will help you orient yourself and work much more efficiently during the process.

• Go to the top-left corner and locate the WordPress logo or your website’s name.
• Right-click it and select “Open Link in New Tab”.

Your website will open in another browser tab. This allows you to see the result of the changes you make in real time.

Whenever you modify a page, a setting or a customisation element, simply refresh that tab to see the result.

Initial setup step by step

We are now going to check the basic configuration of your administrator account. This step is simple, but important for making sure your account is configured correctly.

Access the Users section

• In the left-hand menu, click Users.
• You will see the user account created during installation.
• Move your cursor over your name.
• Click Edit.

Check your profile information

In this section, you only need to check a few essential elements:

• Language: make sure it matches the language you want to use in the administration dashboard.
• Email address: check that your address is correct.
• Display name: check the name that will appear publicly if you publish posts on your website.

After checking this information:

• Scroll to the bottom of the page.
• Click Update Profile.

This is where you configure the main information that identifies your website. This section normally only needs to be configured once.

Open the general settings

From the administration dashboard, open the left-hand menu.

• Click Settings.
• Then select General.

A screen containing your website’s main information will open.

On this page, check and complete the following fields:

Site title and description

• Site Title: the name that will identify your website and may appear in different places in WordPress and in search results.
• Tagline: a short description that summarises your website’s purpose or main topic.

Site icon (favicon)

• Site Icon (favicon): you can add it later if you do not have it yet. This small image visually represents your website in several places in the browser.

Site address (URL)

• Make sure it starts with https://, which indicates that an SSL certificate is active and allows secure browsing.

Administration email address

• This is the website’s main contact address. WordPress uses it to send you important notifications related to the administration and operation of the website.

Regional settings

• Timezone, date format, time format and language: adapt these values to your country or preferences.

When you have made all the changes in this section, click the “Save Changes” button at the bottom of the page.

These settings are very intuitive, will not take much time and, once configured correctly, should not normally need to be changed again.

In this section, you define what a person will see when they access your website.

Open the reading settings

• In the left-hand menu, click Settings.
• Then select Reading.
• Configure the home page.

Configure the home page

Under the “Your homepage displays” option, select:

✔️ A static page

By default, WordPress displays the latest blog posts on the home page. By choosing “A static page”, you indicate that the home page should be a page designed by you.

Once your pages have been created, you can return to this setting and select them.

Search engine visibility

On the same screen, a little further down, you will find the “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” box, which asks them not to include it in their results.

✔️ Select it.

We do this because your website is still under construction and this is not the right time for search engines to examine its content. That step will take place at the end, when everything is complete.

Every piece of content published on your website, whether it is a page or a blog post, has a unique address on the internet.

This address is called a permalink.

It is the URL that people can enter, save or share to access a specific piece of content directly.

For example: https://yoursite.com/healthy-breakfasts/

When someone opens this link, they arrive directly on a specific page or post on your website.

Open the permalink settings

• Access the permalinks
• In the left-hand menu, open Settings → Permalinks.

Select the URL structure

• A screen showing several possible URL structures for your website will open.
• Select the Post name option, then click Save Changes.

When it is first installed, WordPress automatically creates a post and, in some cases, a sample page. This content is not part of your project and may harm your website’s professional image if it remains visible.

Delete the test post

• In the left-hand menu, click Posts.
• The list of existing posts will open.
• Find the post titled Hello world!.
• Move your cursor over it and click Trash.
• Click Delete.

Delete the sample page (if it is the page created automatically by WordPress)

Look for the page titled Sample Page or any other page created automatically during installation. Move it to the trash if you do not need it.

Removing this content prevents test pages or posts from appearing on your website and allows you to start building your project on a clean, professional foundation.

When you install WordPress through Hostinger, the system may automatically add several preconfigured plugins.

Access the installed plugins

• In the left-hand menu, click Plugins.
• Then open Installed Plugins.

Identify the pre-installed plugins

• Identify the plugins you do not need

In Hostinger installations, it is common to find plugins such as:

• Hostinger AI
• Hostinger Easy Onboarding
• Hostinger Reach
• Hostinger Tools

Some of these plugins may be useful in specific situations, but they are not essential when you begin creating your website.

Later, we will install only the plugins needed for your business model.

Select all the plugins you want to deactivate.

Deactivate the plugins before deleting them

Deactivate the selected plugins

• At the top of the page, open the Bulk actions menu. Select Deactivate. Click Apply.
• At the top of the page, open the Bulk actions menu.
• Select Deactivate.
• Click Apply.

This deactivates the plugins before they are deleted, which helps to avoid possible conflicts or errors.

What you should have achieved

If you completed this setup correctly, you should now have:

• A clear and organised dashboard.
• No unnecessary test content.
• The basic settings configured.
• A clear method for viewing your website while you work.

The first phase of creating your website, the technical foundation, is now complete.

Your environment is clean and ready. The design phase can begin, starting with the element that determines the appearance of everything else: the theme. In the next step, you will learn how to choose a block theme and understand why that choice affects everything you build afterwards.

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