WordPress Settings

Introduction

WordPress settings allow you to configure various aspects of your website without editing code. Understanding and properly configuring these settings is essential for creating a functional, secure, and search engine-friendly WordPress site.

In this guide, we'll explore all the major WordPress settings sections, explain what each option controls, and provide recommended configurations for different types of websites.

Accessing WordPress Settings

To access WordPress settings, you need to log in to your WordPress admin dashboard (also known as the WordPress admin area).

1. Go to your WordPress login page (usually yourdomain.com/wp-login.php)
2. Enter your username/email and password
3. Once logged in, look at the left sidebar menu for the various settings categories

General Settings

The General Settings section contains the fundamental configuration options for your WordPress site.

Navigating to General Settings

Dashboard → Settings → General

Key General Settings Options

Setting	Description	Recommended Value
Site Title	The name of your website	Your brand or website name
Tagline	A short description of your site	Brief description of what your site offers
WordPress Address (URL)	The location of your WordPress core files	Your domain (with https)
Site Address (URL)	The address users will type to reach your site	Usually same as WordPress Address
Email Address	Admin email for notifications	Your business email
Membership	Allow anyone to register	Usually "Unchecked" unless you need user registration
New User Default Role	Default role for new registrations	"Subscriber" for security
Site Language	Default language for your site	Your preferred language
Timezone	Your local timezone	Your local timezone
Date Format	How dates appear	Based on regional preference
Time Format	How times appear	Based on regional preference
Week Starts On	First day of the week	Based on regional preference

Example: Setting Up a Business Website

For a professional business website:

1. Set a clear, brand-oriented Site Title: "Smith Consulting LLC"
2. Create a descriptive Tagline: "Professional IT Solutions for Small Businesses"
3. Ensure both URL fields use HTTPS: https://smithconsulting.com
4. Set Email Address to your business domain: [email protected]
5. Keep Membership disabled unless you offer client portals
6. Configure your local timezone and date formats

Writing Settings

Writing Settings control how content is created and formatted on your site.

Navigating to Writing Settings

Dashboard → Settings → Writing

Key Writing Settings Options

Setting	Description	Recommended Value
Default Post Category	Category for new posts	Most common category
Default Post Format	Format for new posts	Standard (unless special format needed)
Post via email	Publish by sending email	Usually disabled
Update Services	Ping services when you publish	Can disable for most sites

Reading Settings

Reading Settings determine how your content is displayed to visitors.

Navigating to Reading Settings

Dashboard → Settings → Reading

Key Reading Settings Options

Setting	Description	Recommended Value
Your homepage displays	What appears on front page	"A static page" for business sites, "Latest posts" for blogs
Homepage / Posts page	If using static homepage	Select your homepage and blog page
Blog pages show at most	Number of posts per page	10 (balance between loading speed and content)
Syndication feeds show the most recent	Number of items in RSS feed	10
For each article in a feed, show	Full text or summary	"Summary" for better SEO and traffic
Search Engine Visibility	Discourage search engines	Unchecked (unless in development)

Example: Setting Up a Business Site with Blog

jsx

// Setting up a homepage and blog page structure in WordPress
// Step 1: Create two pages
const homePage = createPage({
  title: 'Welcome to Our Business',
  content: '<!-- Your homepage content -->',
  template: 'full-width-template'
});

const blogPage = createPage({
  title: 'Our Blog',
  content: '', // Blog page doesn't need content
});

// Step 2: Configure reading settings
updateReadingSettings({
  homepage_displays: 'static_page',
  homepage: homePage.id,
  posts_page: blogPage.id,
  posts_per_page: 6
});

This configuration creates a professional business site with:

• A welcoming homepage showcasing your products/services
• A dedicated blog section for updates and content marketing
• Optimal number of posts displayed per page

Discussion Settings

Discussion Settings control comments and notifications on your website.

Navigating to Discussion Settings

Dashboard → Settings → Discussion

Key Discussion Settings Options

Setting	Description	Recommended Value
Allow people to submit comments	Enable/disable comments	Based on site needs
Comment author must fill out name and email	Require comment info	Checked
Users must be registered and logged in to comment	Limit who can comment	Optional
Automatically close comments	Disable comments on older posts	Consider enabling for less spam
Enable threaded comments	Allow comment replies	Checked
Break comments into pages	Paginate long comment sections	Optional
Email me whenever	Notification options	Based on preference
Before a comment appears	Comment moderation	"Comment must be manually approved" for security
Comment Moderation	Conditions for moderation	Configure based on spam concerns
Disallowed Comment Keys	Words that trigger spam filter	Add common spam terms
Avatars	Display profile pictures	Usually enabled

Recommended Discussion Settings for Different Sites

For a Corporate/Business Site:

• Disable comments on pages
• Enable comments only on blog posts
• Require manual approval of all comments
• Set up email notifications for new comments

For a Blog:

• Enable comments site-wide
• Allow threaded (nested) comments up to 3-4 levels
• Set up spam filters
• Enable Gravatar images

Managing Comment Spam

WordPress comment spam can be a significant problem. Here are recommended settings to reduce spam:

jsx

// Recommended anti-spam settings
updateDiscussionSettings({
  comment_moderation: true,
  comment_whitelist: true,
  require_name_email: true,
  comment_max_links: 2,
  moderation_keys: 'casino, loan, viagra, pharmacy, free offer, limited time, weight loss'
});

// Install and configure anti-spam plugin
installPlugin('akismet');
configureAkismet({
  api_key: 'your-api-key',
  strictness: 'aggressive',
  discard_worst_spam: true
});

Media Settings

Media Settings control how WordPress handles images and other media files.

Navigating to Media Settings

Dashboard → Settings → Media

Key Media Settings Options

Setting	Description	Recommended Value
Image sizes	Default dimensions for thumbnails, medium and large images	Thumbnail: 150×150 Medium: 300×300 Large: 1024×1024
Uploading Files	Organize uploads into month/year folders	Checked (helps organize media library)

Setting Optimal Image Sizes

jsx

// Configure optimal image sizes for a responsive theme
updateMediaSettings({
  thumbnail_size_w: 150,
  thumbnail_size_h: 150,
  thumbnail_crop: 1,
  medium_size_w: 400,
  medium_size_h: 400,
  large_size_w: 1200,
  large_size_h: 1200,
  organize_uploads: 'yes'
});

// Adding custom image sizes (using functions.php)
// This would go in your theme's functions.php file
add_image_size('featured-header', 1600, 500, true);
add_image_size('square-medium', 600, 600, true);
add_image_size('blog-thumbnail', 400, 300, true);

Permalink Settings

Permalink Settings determine the URL structure of your posts and pages.

Navigating to Permalink Settings

Dashboard → Settings → Permalinks

Permalink Structure Options

Structure	Example	Best Use Case
Plain	?p=123	Rarely recommended
Day and name	/2023/05/20/sample-post/	News sites
Month and name	/2023/05/sample-post/	Blogs with frequent posts
Numeric	/archives/123	Rarely recommended
Post name	/sample-post/	Most websites (SEO-friendly)
Custom Structure	Custom format	Advanced needs

SEO-Friendly Permalink Setup

For most websites, the "Post name" option provides the most SEO benefits:

jsx

// Configure SEO-friendly permalinks
updatePermalinkSettings({
  structure: '/%postname%/',
  category_base: 'topics', // Optional: customize category URLs
  tag_base: 'tags'        // Optional: customize tag URLs
});

This creates URLs like:

• https://yoursite.com/your-post-title/
• https://yoursite.com/topics/your-category/
• https://yoursite.com/tags/your-tag/

Understanding Permalink Tags

WordPress provides several tags you can use in custom permalink structures:

Tag	Description
%year%	The year of the post (4 digits)
%monthnum%	Month of the year (2 digits)
%day%	Day of the month (2 digits)
%hour%	Hour of the day (2 digits)
%minute%	Minute of the hour (2 digits)
%second%	Second of the minute (2 digits)
%postname%	URL-friendly version of the post title
%post_id%	The unique ID of the post
%category%	URL-friendly version of the category name
%author%	URL-friendly version of the author name

Privacy Settings

WordPress includes privacy tools to help your site comply with regulations like GDPR.

Navigating to Privacy Settings

Dashboard → Settings → Privacy

Key Privacy Features

1. Privacy Policy Page: Select or create a privacy policy page
2. Data Export: Tools to export user data upon request
3. Data Erasure: Tools to erase user data upon request

Creating a GDPR-Compliant Privacy Policy

WordPress provides a privacy policy template you can customize:

1. Go to Settings → Privacy
2. Click "Create New Page" or select an existing page
3. Edit the template text to reflect your actual data practices
4. Include information about:
   • What data you collect
   • How you use cookies
   • Third-party services you use
   • How users can request their data
   • How users can request data deletion

Using Site Health Check

WordPress includes a Site Health feature to help you monitor your site's performance and security.

Accessing Site Health

Dashboard → Tools → Site Health

What Site Health Checks

1. Performance: Server configuration, PHP version, database optimization
2. Security: HTTPS implementation, secure connections
3. Server Settings: File permissions, recommended modules
4. Plugin Management: Plugin updates and compatibility

Best Practices for WordPress Settings

Security-Focused Settings

1. Disable open registration unless necessary
2. Set new user default role to Subscriber
3. Moderate all comments or disable if not needed
4. Ensure proper file permissions (managed through hosting)
5. Use HTTPS for all URLs

Performance-Focused Settings

1. Set optimal image sizes
2. Limit posts per page to 10 or fewer
3. Consider showing excerpts in feeds
4. Use efficient permalink structures
5. Organize media by date

SEO-Friendly Settings

1. Create a clear site title and tagline
2. Use post name permalink structure
3. Ensure search engines aren't blocked
4. Set featured images at appropriate sizes
5. Use categories and tags effectively

Summary

WordPress settings provide a powerful way to customize your website's functionality without coding. By understanding and properly configuring these settings, you can:

• Improve your site's security
• Enhance search engine visibility
• Create better user experiences
• Manage content more effectively
• Ensure legal compliance

Remember that some settings, particularly permalinks, should be configured early in your site development as changing them later may break existing links.

Additional Resources

• WordPress Codex: The official WordPress documentation
• WordPress Forums: Community support for specific settings questions
• WordPress Security Best Practices: Advanced security configuration
• GDPR Compliance Guide: More detailed information on privacy requirements

Exercises

1. Basic Settings Audit: Go through each settings page in your WordPress installation and document your current configuration.

2. Create a Settings Checklist: Develop a pre-launch settings checklist for future WordPress sites you build.

3. Permalink Experiment: Create a test post and see how its URL changes with different permalink structures (be careful not to do this on a live production site).

4. Privacy Policy Setup: Create a custom privacy policy page that accurately reflects your website's data handling practices.

5. Media Organization: Implement a media organization strategy using both WordPress settings and file naming conventions.