What is the Best Course to Learn WordPress?

The best WordPress course provides you with quality, time-tested training and will be a course that teaches you the material you need to know in the manner that you learn best. WordPress courses can vary based on several factors, including course curriculum, target audience for the course, pace of the course, mode of instruction, and cost. Read on to consider how these factors will play a role in finding the best and most useful WordPress course for you to take. 

Are You Brand New to Learning WordPress? 

If you have no familiarity with WordPress, the best course for you to take will be one that incorporates information about WordPress basics, such as the distinction between WordPress.com and WordPress.org, how to sign up for a WordPress blog or install WordPress on your computer to create a website, publish content, attach files, and use themes and plugins. You can find free and paid resources that will walk you through the basics of what WordPress is and what you can do with it. 

For beginners, free resources, like video lectures, can provide you with basic WordPress familiarity and step-by-step instructions to get started. Another useful option is a WordPress bootcamp, as most will teach the basics before moving on to more advanced ways to use WordPress. There are also paid and free on-demand or self-paced classes that you can take, though the time investment and quality vary widely with this type of course.

As a novice, you also want to consider your own experience and base of knowledge when looking for beginning WordPress courses. You can find WordPress classes geared toward those with no programming knowledge, those who already know the basics of HTML and CSS, and those who want to learn HTML, CSS, and JavaScript along the way. To find the class that will best suit your needs, look for one that accounts for what you already know and whether you intend to use WordPress to start a blog (where no programming knowledge is necessary) or whether you want to create and customize a website using WordPress. 

Are You Learning WordPress for a Hobby or a Career? 

One of the most important determinants in finding the best course is considering what you want to do with it. WordPress is a popular way to create blogs, websites, ecommerce sites, newsletters, membership sites, and more. If you are only looking to use WordPress to create a blog or a website for fun or as a hobby, you might not need to know advanced forms of website creation or customization. You can easily start your own blog for free by going to WordPress.com and signing up for an account and you can find video tutorials and written instructions to help facilitate this process. 

Many people want or need to learn WordPress as part of their profession. If you are working in web development, web design, or digital marketing, you will want to take a course designed specifically for the set of skills and abilities that will aid your professional use of WordPress. Those wanting to have a career where they create, design, or manage websites for their own business or someone else’s will need training in coding for Web Developers, design and user testing for Web Design, and marketing techniques and strategies for Digital Marketers. Your best course will be a certificate program that will prepare you for your career and many such programs will incorporate modules on WordPress as part of their training. 

If you have already received comprehensive training for your career and are looking to upskill by learning WordPress, a short, intensive WordPress bootcamp that covers basic and advanced features or an on-demand class specific to your interest will be best. WordPress bootcamps will cover SEO strategies for WordPress and often introduce ways to use WordPress for sales and advertising. Digital Marketers can find additional on-demand classes that aim to maximize the use of WordPress for marketing, SEO, and advertising analytics, in particular. 

How Quickly Do You Need to Learn WordPress Skills? 

The speed at which you need to learn WordPress is a factor to consider in determining the best class for you to take. You can learn WordPress skills quickly, though more advanced designing, coding, and testing of custom themes and plugins will take time, effort, and practice to master. A WordPress bootcamp is the fastest way to receive comprehensive knowledge and training in how to use WordPress. In a few intensive days or a couple of weeks, you can learn the basic and advanced features of WordPress quickly in a bootcamp. 

Free resources can also be a quick option, as they will be available for you to access as needed. While it might take some time to find the video lecture, instructions, or tutorial that will suit your needs, locating quality free resources should allow you to quickly learn basic WordPress skills or master specific aspects of using WordPress by practicing on your own. 

What Mode of Instruction Do You Prefer? 

There are important distinctions to consider between how courses are taught and how you can access course material. You can find in-person and live online classes that offer expert WordPress instruction from a trained professional but you can also find more flexible, self-paced options that guide you in learning and using WordPress. When choosing a WordPress class, consider how you would prefer to learn and practice the material and whether you want to teach yourself or receive training from an instructor, as this will prime you for success in learning WordPress. 

Learning from free resources or on-demand classes is a great option for self-motivated learners or those with busy schedules who cannot commit to an in-person or live online class. With these options, you should devote time to locating the resources that work best for you and that come from reputable, up-to-date sources. You might find that even paid on-demand classes are teaching older versions of WordPress software, so always double-check that the materials are current and compiled by a person or organization that you can trust. Both free resources and on-demand classes allow you to learn WordPress at your own pace, you can skip over topics you already know or material you find too easy and focus on the skills you want to master. Many on-demand classes also provide you with practice material that you can use to sharpen your skills. A disadvantage to on-demand classes and free resources is that if you run into issues or have difficulty following video lectures, guides, or instructions then you will likely need to sort it out yourself. 

For those looking for a more structured, guided experience from a live instructor, look for in-person or live online classes. A WordPress bootcamp will suit you best if you prefer to learn in a classroom-style environment where you receive guided instruction and hands-on practice. While being taught by a live instructor often costs more, the benefits include receiving individualized feedback, being able to ask for clarification or further information, and having someone who can troubleshoot issues you run into with the more advanced WordPress skills like designing and editing your own custom WordPress theme. Certificate programs will also often operate similarly with in-person and online options, though these are best for someone looking to receive comprehensive career-oriented training. 

How Much Are You Willing to Pay? 

Consider the cost as you weigh which class works best for you. WordPress classes range in price from $0, for free resources, to $1500, which is the higher end of the cost of a WordPress bootcamp. Full certificate programs will often be more expensive than a WordPress bootcamp, so if you’re looking for career-oriented training, then you should expect to pay more to learn the necessary skills and tools that you need for your profession. 

While it might look like free resources are the best choice, keep in mind that paid courses offer access to expert instructors, updated and accurate skills and information, individualized feedback, and hands-on practice as well as the ability to build your work portfolio and network with those in the field and those who could be your future colleagues. Most who make their livelihood working with WordPress, either in development, design, or marketing roles, have some kind of formalized education that prepares them to do so and this education is rarely free. Low-cost options like on-demand classes, bootcamps, and certificate programs exist and are great ways to receive quality skills training if you intend to use WordPress in your career. 

Learn WordPress Skills with Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop offers a variety of affordable in-person and live online classes for those looking to learn how to use WordPress. A great bootcamp option is Noble Desktop’s 18-hour WordPress Bootcamp. Knowledge of HTML and CSS is a prerequisite to taking this bootcamp as it is designed for those who want not only an introduction to WordPress but who want to learn more advanced and specialized ways to code and develop customized WordPress websites and themes. This prerequisite can be fulfilled by taking Noble’s Web Development with HMTL & CSS class or equivalent knowledge and training in HTML and CSS. Students taking this bootcamp can expect to receive expert instruction and hands-on guidance as they learn the ins and outs of WordPress from installing WordPress, publishing posts, adding text, images, and video, and utilizing themes and plugins, to learning about more advanced customization options, downloading WordPress onto your computer, and creating your own custom theme for WordPress. 

Additionally, you can consider taking a longer, more comprehensive certificate program to learn multiple skill sets and tools throughout one class. The WordPress Bootcamp is included as part of two useful certificate programs offered by Noble Desktop, the Front-End Web Development Certificate and the Web Design Certificate. Both certificate programs are geared towards teaching WordPress website development and are for those looking to follow career pathways to become Web Developers, Web Designers, or WordPress Developers. 

Front-end web development focuses on coding the part of a website or application that users will see and interact with and this is usually the part of web development that you’ll need to know to become a WordPress Developer. The Front End Web Development Certificate offers hands-on training from experts and taking this program will provide all of the skills necessary to learn HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for front end web development and WordPress website creation. The Web Design Certificate will be more useful if you are interested in not only learning to code, for WordPress and other websites, but also learning important principles of design and getting hands-on experience creating clickable prototypes of websites to add to your portfolio. 

Additionally, if you take Noble Desktop’s Full-Stack Web Developer Certificate, you will have the option to add on the WordPress Bootcamp at the end for no additional cost. This program is especially useful for those who want to become well-rounded Web Developers and are interested in knowing not only how to program the part of a website users see and interact with (the front end) but also the infrastructure behind the front-facing website (the back end).