WordPress Built-In Content Types

These are standard content types and structures for WordPress:

• Posts- Use posts for time-sensitive content like news, press releases or blog posts. Out of the box Wordpress installations and fallback behavior will show posts in reverse chronological order.  Posts are also used for custom content types.  Posts can be associated with categories and tags, and if applicable, are included in your site’s rss feed.
• Pages- Use pages for your static content, such as an 'About us' or ‘Contact Us’ page.  Pages live outside of the normal post chronology, and are often used to present timeless information about yourself or your site -- information that is always applicable.  Pages can be organized into hierarchies (pages/subpages) and can use different Page Templates.

Other WordPress Lingo

Additional WordPress structures and definitions hat you should be familiar with:

• Media- the images, video, recordings, and files you upload and use in your site (by default, uploads are saved in your site’s /wp-content/uploads/ folder, sorted by date of upload.  The Media Library Screen allows you to edit, view, and delete Media previously uploaded to your blog. Multiple Media objects can be selected for deletion. Search and filtering ability is also provided to allow you to find the desired Media.
• Links- WordPress allows you to store a set of external links, also known as your blogroll. These links can be put into categories, imported, exported, added, deleted, and edited.  The blogroll can be enabled/disabled through widget placement. 
• Widgets- user-interface features such as rss feeds, post categories, tag clouds, navigation, search, etc.  They are most often placed in the sidebar throughout the site.  They can be added, removed, and rearranged on the by hovering over the dashboard’s “Appearance” option and clicking “Widgets”.
• Menus- Wordpress allows site managers to edit the main menu of the site by inserting posts/pages and arranging the dropdown/menu hierarchy.  To edit your main menu, hover over the dashboard’s “Appearance” option and click “Menus”.
• Plugins- addons for Wordpress that extend a Wordpress site’s capabilities.  Plugins exist for both front-end and back-end functionality and can be easily installed/managed through the Wordpress Plugin Manager.  Note- extensive use of plugins may lead to hindered site performance/load time.  Additionally, plugin updates may have severe impacts on a site if not tested properly. It is recommended that a complete site backup be run prior to testing any updates.
• Permalinks- the permanent URLs to your individual pieces of content; every piece of content is assigned a unique ID and a customizable permalink.  Ideally, permalinks should be search engine optimized and follow a specific hierarchy to provide a deeper site structure.