If you have a WordPress site, or someone has told you that you need one, and you are not sure where to start — this is the day that gets you started properly.
Who delivers this: Christopher Ross · WordPress trainer and freelance developer · WordPress training delivery since 2007 (broader training practice since 2004) · MA, Learning and Technology, Royal Roads University
WordPress 101 is the practical day for people who own a WordPress site, or are about to, and want to stop guessing every time they log in. By the end of it you will know what every screen does, you will have published a real page and a real post, and you will leave with a short list of the settings I want you to never touch and the ones I want you to check every month.
Upcoming session: in-person, full-day, St. Catharines on Thursday, October 22, 2026. Custom team dates available year-round.
Who this is for
- Fit. Small business owners, non-profit staff, new marketing coordinators, anyone who has just been handed the keys to a WordPress site and told “you run it now.”
- Fit. Owners who paid an agency to build the site three years ago, have not touched it since, and want to take the wheel without breaking anything.
- Not fit. Developers who already write PHP, build custom blocks, or ship themes. That is 401 territory and you will be bored in the first hour.
Prerequisites: you can use a web browser and you have, or are about to have, a WordPress site you can sign into. That is the bar.
What you’ll be able to do after
- Explain, in one sentence, what WordPress actually is and how it differs from Wix or Squarespace — so you can answer the question when your board asks.
- Write and publish a Page and a Post, and know which one you are reaching for and why.
- Use the block editor to build a layout with headings, images, lists, and buttons without fighting it.
- Add an image to the media library, give it a sensible filename and alt text, and reuse it without uploading three copies.
- Run the weekly maintenance routine — updates, a quick check, a backup confirmation — without panicking.
Curriculum, in four themed blocks
- What WordPress actually is. The difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com, what your host does and does not handle, and why this matters the first time something breaks. Posts versus Pages — the single concept that separates “I get it” from “I keep guessing.”
- The block editor, on purpose. Adding, moving, and nesting blocks. Headings, paragraphs, images, lists, buttons, columns. Reusable patterns when you find yourself typing the same layout twice. The settings sidebar without the panic.
- Media, themes, and plugins without the mess. Uploading images that do not break the page, choosing a theme that suits the site you actually have, and installing a small handful of essential plugins (security, backups, SEO, forms) without ending up with twenty-eight of them.
- Settings, SEO basics, and keeping it alive. The Settings screens you should know, the ones you should leave alone, what a permalink is and why you do not change it casually, basic on-page SEO from the dashboard, and the monthly update-and-check routine that keeps the site healthy.
Real examples we’ll work through
- A proper About page with a headline, two columns, an image, and a contact button — the page most small-business sites get wrong.
- A first blog post with a feature image, headings, internal links, and a category that actually makes sense.
- A simple homepage rebuild from the block editor, using patterns, that you could keep maintaining yourself.
Format, duration, and pricing
Most teams take 101 as a single full-day class, six hours, in person. I run it primarily across the Niagara region, and I travel for two-day onsite workshops where it makes sense. Pricing is by format and travel zone, not by group size.
| Format | Niagara region | Outside Niagara (Ontario) | Across Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-day class (6 hr) | $1,800 | $2,000 | $2,800 |
| Two-day onsite workshop | $3,600 | $4,000 | $5,600 |
In-person delivery includes room setup, reference materials, a post-training summary for managers, and travel within the Niagara region. Online equivalents start at $895. Final scope and quote confirmed on the discovery call.
Currently booking through Q3 2026. One public cohort per quarter in Niagara; private team engagements scheduled separately.
·· Upcoming
Next Available Dates
Public sessions for this course currently on the calendar. Click a date for full details and registration.