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Running the site · 4.4

The settings you should know first

Last reviewed

The short version

  • Settings are the choices that apply to your whole site.
  • Start with General. It holds your site title, tagline and admin email.
  • Reading decides what the home page shows. It also has the search engine checkbox.
  • Writing sets the default category for new posts.

Where settings live

Open Settings in the main menu. It has several screens.

Three settings screens and what each covers. General: site title, tagline, addresses, email, who may register, language, time zone. Writing: default category. Reading: what the home page shows and search engine visibility.
Three settings screens to know first.

This page covers three of them. Settings also has screens for discussion and for web address shapes.[1] Those are not covered here.

General settings

The General screen holds some of the most basic settings for your site.[2]

The General Settings screen, with boxes for the site title, tagline, addresses, email address and default user role.
The General Settings screen. Screenshot: WordPress documentation, captured 2026-10-18.

Here are the ones to set first.

Site Title. This is the name of your site. Most themes show it at the top of every page.[2]

Tagline. This is a few words that say what your site is about.[2]

Administration Email Address. WordPress sends site notices to this address.[2] It is not the same as the email on your own user account.[2]

If you change it, WordPress sends a note to the new address. The new address works only after you click the link in that note.[2] Make sure someone can read this inbox. Recovery mode and critical error notices go there.[2]

Timezone. Pick a city in your timezone.[2]

Two addresses

The General screen has two address boxes. They look alike, but they mean different things.

Two boxes: the WordPress Address, where the WordPress files live, and the Site Address, what visitors type in a browser. For most sites they are the same.
Two address settings, usually the same.

The WordPress Address is where the WordPress files live.[2] The Site Address is what people type in a browser to reach your site.[2]

For most sites these two are the same. They differ only when WordPress lives in its own folder.[2] If you are not sure, leave them alone.

Reading settings

Reading decides what the home page shows and how many posts appear per page.[3] The posts and pages page covers the home page choice.

The same screen has a checkbox called Discourage search engines from indexing this site. Ticking it asks search engines to leave your site out.[3]

A ticked checkbox labelled Discourage search engines, with an arrow to a note: it is a request, not a lock. Search engines are asked to skip the site, it is up to them to honour it, and visitors can still reach the site.
The search engine checkbox is a request.

This is a request. It is up to search engines to honour it.[3] The option does not block access to your site.[3] Visitors can still reach it.

Tick it while you build the site, if you wish. Untick it when you want to be found.

Writing settings

Writing has a Default Post Category list. The category you choose is given to any post where you forget to pick one.[4]

If you delete a category, its posts move to this default category.[4]

Save your changes

Each screen has a Save Changes button at the bottom. Your changes are saved to the database when you click it.[2]

Where next

The last page of this handbook is about keeping WordPress updated.

Sources

  1. Administration Screens, WordPress.org Documentation (accessed 2026-10-18)
  2. Settings General screen, WordPress.org Documentation (accessed 2026-10-18)
  3. Settings Reading screen, WordPress.org Documentation (accessed 2026-10-18)
  4. Settings Writing screen, WordPress.org Documentation (accessed 2026-10-18)