How to Clean Up a New WordPress blog
In this instructional video, let’s take a look at how to sign up for WordPress. After you register, you can clean up your new WordPress blog dashboard to improve your visibility and user experience. Cleaning up your WordPress dashboard takes only a few moments, and it will greatly improve your functionality in navigation.
If you have just installed and started using your WordPress blog, you will notice several irrelevant posts, comments, and links that appear as a default function when first starting a WordPress site. If you do not want the default features and widgets to appear, you will have to remove them manually.
First, before we clean up the WordPress dashboard, let’s get a WordPress account.
Why WordPress?
Wordpess is an open-source web publishing tool that has garnered huge popularity over the years. One of the most important features is that WordPress is free. It offers a great deal of functions and features, and many users love it’s easy access and free, open-source availability.
Now, WordPress blogs are commonly used, and there are a few reasons as to why. First, the user functionality is very easy to use and attracts beginner users. Secondly, there are many available publishing options that range from the most simple to some of the most complex. Allowing more complex functions attracts the more advanced users as well. This flexibility is a great user feature on WordPress, and that’s why it continues to attract thousands of happy, returning users.
There are also advanced features that do not limit your publishing capabilities. There is also a great deal of plugins available for use on WordPress. In addition, the user forums and user guides are expansive and very helpful in troubleshooting problems, even for beginners.
You can download both WordPress software, or simply create a WordPress account using a subdomain.
Sign up for WordPress
First, let’s get started by signing up for WordPress now. There are a few options on how to sign up for WordPress. First, you can elect to download the pure software. Or, you can elect to host a subdomain on WordPress.
Using the software will allow you to publish content directly to your web hosting account using your own unique URL. Signing up for a subdomain, on the other hand, will provide you with a WordPress-hosted site and you do not have to download the software. You can make changes and blog directly from the WordPress-hosted site. However, your available features using this option are much more limited than installing and using the software.
Install the WordPress software
- Go to www.wordpress.org
- Download the zip file
- Save to your computer
- Open folder
- Use FTP to upload to web hosting account
Get a WordPress account
- Go to www.wordpress.com
- Click on Sign Up Now
- Enter username, password, and email
- Select Username Only or Blog options
- Click on Next
Now that you have your WordPress account, go ahead and login now. Next, let’s clean up the WordPress dashboard.
Remove default comments on WordPress
- Access WordPress dashboard
- Find Comment
- Delete comment by clicking link
- Or, hover over the comment with your mouse, and delete
The first comment you will see is from WordPress. This is a default function and all new WordPress blogs have the new, initial WordPress comment. To delete the comment, first access your WordPress dashboard. Then, go ahead and click the Delete button located directly on the comment.
Remove default posts on WordPress
- Access WordPress dashboard
- Click on Post link
- Find default post from Hello World
- Select the post
- Delete the post
- Or, hover over the post with your mouse, and delete
You will want to also delete the default posts to tidy up the post area. Click on the post link, and find the default post. This default post is called Hello Word. You can check the post and delete directly from the Post area. Or, you can directly access the post and hover over it with your mouse. A delete link will appear, and you can go ahead and delete the post now.
Remove default links in WordPress
- Access WordPress dashboard
- Click on Links menu
- Click on Edit
- Click on Select All to select all links
- Click on Bulk Actions
- Click on Delete
- Click on Apply
Next, let’s take a look at all the default links. Click on the Links menu to access the default links that are included in WordPress startup. Then, click Edit. All the default links to the WordPress development sites will be listed. Go ahead and delete these links now. Check the Select All box. This will automatically select all the links in the provided list. Next, select Bulk Actions. Then, click on Delete. Finally, click on Apply to save all of your changes.
Remove default pages in WordPress
- Access WordPress dashboard
- Select unneeded, default WordPress pages
- Click on Delete
Your new WordPress blog comes equipped with several default pages as an included feature. You may or may not wish to keep or include those pages in your site index. Let’s take a look at those pages now.
Access your WordPress dashboard and find the default page called About. This page, for instance, is one of the WordPress pages commonly deleted upon start up. If you plan to modify this page and edit, add, or create content about yourself or your business, then you can click on Edit now to begin accessing the information. However, if you do not plan on using the About page, you should delete the page to clean up your WordPress blog. Now, you may go through all of the default pages and delete the ones you will not use.
After you have completed these initial steps, your WordPress blog will be completely clean. It will no longer contain irrelevant posts, comments, pages, or links. You can begin creating new, relevant content for your new WordPress blog.
