Top 20 Free and Paid WordPress Tutorials
As you may know, here at Sanders Design, I am a big fan of WordPress and we regularly use WordPress to build bespoke websites. This is because WordPress is genuinely one of the best content management systems. It is easy to use, it is versatile, and it gets the job done.
While I offer WordPress care plans for lasting website success, I know that many people out there simply want to manage WordPress sites themselves or at least get a feel for the software they are using. Luckily for those people, WordPress is incredibly popular.
This means that there are thousands upon thousands of WordPress tutorials out there teaching you exactly how to use it.
I have published below a list showing the best sites to find WordPress tutorials online. I have ten free sites and ten paid ones. If you really want to understand how WordPress works, and even start to manage some aspects of how your site works, any one of these twenty websites will make a good starting point.
Free WordPress tutorials
I am going to start by talking about some of the free WordPress tutorials that you have to choose from. Now, despite being free, a lot of these sites actually have a ton of useful information that you can use to build up your website. I can personally vouch for each of these websites, and I have even picked up a couple of handy hints and tips from them too.
WordPress.com
Now, WordPress.com is the hosted version of WordPress. I do not use WordPress.com to build websites. This is because you really should have dedicated WordPress hosting. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t learn some critical information from WordPress.com. This site has a ton of tutorials on using WordPress software. A lot of it will apply to your website. Since WordPress.com is a platform built for those creating their ‘very first’ website, it is a great way to brush up on the basics.
WordPress.org
If you are looking for WordPress tutorials, why not start at the website that began it all? This is the exact place where WordPress was created, so you know that they are going to be good. There will be a ton of handy ‘beginner’s guides’ that you can dive into. However, the real excitement with WordPress.org is the amount of documentation available. Once you understand coding in WordPress.org, then you can learn absolutely everything that there is to know about the platform.
Yoast
When you have a WordPress website built by the team here at Sanders Design, we will be using Yoast or Rank Math as the SEO plugin. This is because Yoast is tremendous and can really help when it comes to getting your site ranked in the search engines.
Yoast has a plethora of tutorials available that will teach you exactly how to SEO your WordPress website. Obviously, you can talk to me if you want things done by an expert; however, Yoast tutorials are still a great way to get familiar with your website’s inner workings.
Smashing Magazine
Smashing Magazine is a website that has tutorials for a variety of tech. While they are not the most extensive of websites when it comes to WordPress tutorials, they do cover some of the more complicated topics that other free tutorials seem to steer clear of.
This includes content planning, working with multiple websites using WordPress at the same time, and image optimisation. They also have a ton of guides to CSS, HTML, and PHP, three programming languages that you will need to understand when you really want to take WordPress to the next level.
LearnWoo
LearnWoo is a 100% free WordPress tutorials website for those interested in learning how to use WooCommerce. If you have an eCommerce set up by the team here at Sanders Design, you will probably be using WooCommerce. This is because I have found it to be the absolute best plugin for WordPress for those that want to run an online store. While a lot of WooCommerce should be fairly self-explanatory, the WordPress tutorials that you find on this website will really help you to dive into the plugin to get the most out of it.
WP Beginner
While this site can be a bit tough to navigate, this is purely down to the wealth of information that they have available. At the last count, I think that they had well over 500 tutorials 100% dedicated to WordPress. This means that they have covered pretty much everything that you could possibly want to know about WordPress. Some of the posts can get pretty specific too.
YouTube
YouTube is packed to the brim with educational material on pretty much everything that you can imagine. This means WordPress tutorials. If you want to know how to do something in WordPress, then search for it on YouTube. I am confident that you will find the exact information that you need. YouTube also benefits from the fact that it is all videos. This means that it is great for those that are more visual learners.
Tutorials Point
Tutorials Point covers basic information related to WordPress installations. Their site is laid out in such a way that you can understand the absolute basics of each of the functions in the CMS. This is the best site for WordPress tutorials for those that just want to do a bit of basic management on their site rather than extensive coding and dealing with complicated plugins.
W3 Schools
This website is often recommended for those that want to learn about coding for the web. In fact, this is how many people get started with web coding. In recent years, they have started to add a couple of WordPress tutorials on the site. You will learn the basics before diving into more advanced concepts. Since W3 Schools is a coding website at heart, you will also learn a lot about the code behind WordPress too.
WP Explorer
And last but not least, you have WP Explorer. This WordPress tutorial site takes the form of a blog where you will be introduced to small functions of WordPress, e.g. theme creation, laying out your content correctly, etc. Simple tutorials, but highly useful for the beginner.
Paid WordPress Tutorials
The next top ten WordPress tutorials are all paid websites. While many of these websites will have introductory courses for you to learn WordPress, their tutorials tend to be a bit more extensive and cover some of the more complicated things that you can do in the CMS, e.g. coding, designing your own templates, or even improving the SEO of your site even further.
I have purposely selected these sites because each of them offers a real value. Many of them go beyond WordPress tutorials too. This means that you may be able to learn a ton more about managing a website or even certain parts of your business. I will focus primarily on WordPress here.
WP101
WP101 is only about the WordPress tutorials. By all accounts, they have managed to attract over 2-million people to their platform over the years, which certainly isn’t too shabby!
There are a lot of tutorials included on WP101. One of the things that I love is that there are specific tutorials for some of the more popular WordPress plugins e.g. WooCommerce (which I use to help build eCommerce websites) and Yoast SEO (which I also use to help boost your position in the search engines).
Basically, there are tons of tutorials to be found on WP101, and it is a great place to check when you want to learn how to do anything with the platform.
WP Apprentice
WP Apprentice is another website that is jam-packed with information that will help you to improve your WordPress site. This includes tutorials on boosting the security of your website and, once again, tons of tutorials on individual plugins for WordPress.
You will also have a ton of information about boosting the SEO of your site, boosting the speed of your site, and getting to grips with creating quality content.
LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn isn’t likely going to be the first name that springs to mind when people are looking for WordPress tutorials, or education at all for that matter. However, in recent years, the business social media site has gone to great lengths to increase its offerings.
LinkedIn has over 60 courses available for WordPress, and they go all the way up to advanced courses on WordPress coding, including developing your own plugins. While these courses have been designed for those that want to boost their CVs, I reckon that there is enough information here for the small business owner to take their WordPress site to the next level.
Udemy
Udemy is a website that has courses across a plethora of different subjects, including WordPress. While their WordPress courses are not as extensive as some other offerings, they are put together well.
This is because Udemy is able to attract some of the best tutors in the business. All of these courses will come under a single monthly fee too.
Oh, and yes, this means courses that aren’t related to WordPress. You can even find a few on marketing your business. Udemy is easily one of my favourite websites for education on just about anything.
WP Sessions
WPSessions.com is a collection of WordPress tutorials put together by some of the biggest names in the field. There are tons and tons of mini-courses here, most of them in video format. The courses teach very specific skills, e.g. working with specific plugins, or even building your own plugins. Of course, they will also teach you the basics of working with WordPress if you are new to the platform. Everything is accessible through a small monthly fee, and they are adding brand new tutorials every month.
WP Shout
A lot of the content that you find on WPShout.com is actually free. This includes a fairly lengthy “introduction to WordPress” style course.
However, they also have some lengthy courses on coding, security, and theme development. While you will have to pay for each individual course, WPShout.com goes to huge lengths to ensure that you are provided with all of the information that you need to take using WordPress to the next level.
OS Training
One of the things that I absolutely love about OS Training is how specific some of their courses are able to get. This includes dedicated courses on building restaurant websites, portfolio websites, and even collecting payments through WordPress.
There are dozens upon dozens of courses. While the specific nature of some of these courses means that not everything is going to appeal to your business aims, there is enough general information here too. The yearly price isn’t even going to be all that high.
Plural Sight
Plural Sight is a business-focused website for those real ‘WordPress power users’. While I can’t imagine that you will be getting much use out of PluralSight.com if you are learning the absolute basics of WordPress, I know that as you start to become more advanced in the platform, you will really benefit from the information here. This includes extensive information on making your WordPress site ‘international’ and developing your first WordPress site plugins. You also have tons and tons of coding guides.
Lynda
Lynda is very much in the same vein as Udemy. This means that there are a few WordPress tutorials from some of the biggest names in the business. You may also find a few free courses scattered throughout the site too. Many of the courses that you do find on Lynda are going to be quite specific, but there are some more generalised WordPress tutorials to help you brush up on the basics too.
WPTrainingCourses.com
This site is a bit more unique than the others. It will cost a little bit more, but WP Training Courses goes down a different path. Rather than following a preset course, with this website, you will be working one-on-one with an instructor. While I can’t imagine that many people will be heading here when they are first building up their website, when they are looking for more extensive and specific tutorials to their site building, this website is a fantastic place to be. The tutors are knowledgeable, and there is a tutor for pretty much everything that you want to do on the platform.
Conclusion
At Sanders Design, we have embraced WordPress. It provides a flexible and affordable solution for our client’s. With a plugin or customisation possible to match any business need, there really is no better option for your business. Join 40% of the internet who already use WordPress to power their online marketing.
By choosing WordPress, we create stunning bespoke websites that clients love. WordPress is easy to use, and many clients require little training to get to grips with their new website; however, for those who like to learn more, WordPress tutorials are a great way to expand their website knowledge.
Of course, if you want to spend time focusing on your business rather than learning how to manage your website, then talk to me. I will be more than happy to walk you through WordPress care plans and support for your website. This will ensure that you are always able to get the most from your website.
