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The various Settings screens are used to configure your WordPress site. Normally, once your WordPress site is set up there’s no reason to change any of these settings. These Settings options will only be touched upon very briefly. You can find out lots more information in regards to configuring your site within the WordPress Codex.
The General settings configure your basic site preferences such as the Site Title and Tag Line, the WordPress Address and Site Address, the administrators email address and the date and time format, among other things.
The WordPress Address (URL) is the location of your main WordPress core files. The Site Address (URL) is the address you want to use for your site homepage. Usually these two URL’s are the same but they can be different if, for example, you have your WordPress files stored in a subdirectory.
When you install WordPress, you get the option to select the language that you’d like to use within the Dashboard. After installation, if you’d like to change the language, you can select this using the Site Language dropdown at the bottom of the page.
The Writing settings configure various options with regards to your site content. Settings include defining the Default Post Category, Default Post Format (if supported by your Theme) and if the Link Manager plugin is installed, the Default Link Category.
If you decide to install the Classic Editor plugin, which allows you use the Classic Editor rather than the Block Editor, you’ll see two extra options on this Writing settings page.
The Default editor for all users option allows you to select the default editor to use. This can either be the Classic Editor or the new Block Editor. If you’ve installed the Classic Editor plugin then you’ll most likely want to select the Classic Editor radio button for this option.
If you have multiple editors on your site, the Allow users to switch editors option allows your users to select which editor that they’d like to use. If you allow your users to switch editors, their individual User Profile page will show a new option that allows them to select between the Classic Editor and the Block Editor.
Special care should be taken if you allow your users to select which editor to use. If a user edits a Page or Post with the Block Editor and then another user edits that same Page/Post later on with the Classic Editor, then you may end up causing issues with your content, especially if that first user re-edits the page with the Block Editor again. There’s a very good chance that you could lose content or break blocks within the Block Editor. If a page is added with the Block Editor, or an existing page is converted to Blocks, then it’s best if only the Block Editor is used to edit that page from then on. Likewise, if a page is added with the Classic Editor, then its best to only edit that page with the Classic Editor from then on.
The Reading settings configure how your site is viewed. You can define whether your front page displays a static Page or your blog Posts, how many blog posts are displayed by default as well as Syndication/RSS options. If you configure your site to display a static front page, you can set which page to display and also which page will show your blog posts.
The Search Engine Visibility setting enables you to block your site from search engines or allow it to be visible.
The Discussion settings define how your readers interact with your site and how your site interacts with other blogs. You can configure Pingbacksand Trackbacks, whether readers can post Comments or not and if so, how those Comments are moderated and displayed on your site.
This screen also lets you configure whether the Post Author should be emailed whenever someone posts a comment on your site. If you are receiving emails whenever someone posts a comment, simply uncheck the box next to Anyone posts a comment within the E-mail me wheneversection on this screen and then save your changes.
If you would like to be notified whenever a comment is held for moderation, it can be configured on this screen as well within the E-mail me whenever section. The email notification is sent to the email address listed in the Settings > General page.
The Media settings define the default image sizes that are created when an image is uploaded.
You can also configure whether your uploaded media files are stored in folders based on the year and the month of the upload.
The Permalink settings enable you to configure the URL format that is displayed in the web browser when someone browses your site. WordPress will default your Permalinks to the Day and name format however you can change this so that the URL is more user friendly. This also helps considerably with Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). To change the way your site URL is displayed simply select one of the radio button options within the Common Settings section on this screen. Next to each option is an example of how the URL would be displayed.
With the introduction of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), WordPress now makes it easier to add a Privacy Policy page to your website.
Whilst the GDPR is a European regulation, its requirements applies to all sites no matter where they’re located, and its purpose is to help inform EU residents how a website collects, stores and processes their personal data.
The Privacy settings enables you to select an existing Privacy Policy page, if you already have one. If you don’t already have a Privacy Policy page, you can click the Create New Page button and WordPress will create a new page for you and also populate it with some suggested text. Prior to publishing this Privacy Policy page, please ensure you read it thoroughly to ensure that the content accurately reflects your website and policies. This pre-populated content also includes several blank sections which are recommended to be filled in.
Your selected Privacy Policy page will be shown on your Login and Registration pages. It’s also recommended that you add a link to your Privacy Policy on every page of your website. If you have a footer section on your site, this is a great place to add it.
