Welcome! This training will get you comfortable with the fundamentals of building pages on the NC State Web Platform. No prior WordPress experience is required. If you’re comfortable with Word, Google Docs, or any modern content editor, you already have the instincts you need. This training shows you how those instincts apply here.

Each video below builds on the last, so it’s best to watch them in order if you’re new to WordPress and the NC State Web Platform. There’s no required quiz for this training; it’s available to everyone, anytime, and there’s an optional self-check at the end if you want to gauge your own readiness before moving on to another training.

Estimated time to complete: about 22 minutes of video, plus about 15 minutes of practice.

What Is the NC State Web Platform?

Completion Time: 2 minutes

This video gives you the lay of the land by discussing what the NC State Web Platform actually is and how your site fits into the bigger picture.

WordPress Basics

Completion Time: 3 minutes

Let’s open WordPress and get oriented. This video walks through logging in, finding your way around the Dashboard, and the key difference between Pages and Posts, which is a distinction that matters more than it might seem.

The Block Inserter and Editor

Completion Time: 3 minutes

This video shows you how to actually add and arrange content using blocks — the building blocks (pun intended) of every page.

This is the first of three short practice tasks that walk you through building a Practice Page in WP Playground. WP Playground is a private practice site that runs in your browser. You’ll want to keep your WP Playground tab open until you finish. WP Playground doesn’t automatically save your work between sessions.

In WP Playground, go to Pages and add a new page called Practice Page.

1. Add a Heading block and a Paragraph block.
2. Add a Buttons block, one of the NC State blocks in the Base pack.
3. Use List View to move the button to the end of the page.
4. Click Save Draft.

How Users Read on the Web

Completion Time: 2 minutes

Before we go further, it’s worth pausing on something more important than any block: how people actually read web pages.

Once you’re ready to build more advanced pages, Writing a Utility Page and Writing a Marketing Page put this thinking into practice.

Images and Media

Completion Time: 3 minutes

Images are everywhere on your site, so it’s important to make sure you’re using them well. This video covers sizing, format, and one of the most important (and most often skipped) accessibility practices: alt text.

Heading Structure

Completion Time: 3 minutes

Headings aren’t just for visual style. They provide important structure on a page or post. This short video explains why getting heading levels right matters for every single user on your site, not just the ones using assistive technology.

Hands-on Task: Adding Headings

1. Review the Heading Structure Example page and find the three places where its headings break the rules from this video. The answer key is at the bottom of that page.
2. On your Practice Page, make sure your heading is an H2. Then add an H3 below it for a subsection.

Linking in WordPress

Completion Time: 2 minutes

You’ll be adding links constantly in paragraphs, buttons, and several Base pack blocks. Here’s how to do it well, including a shortcut for linking to your own content.

Hands-on Task: Adding Images

1. Upload a photo to the Media Library at the recommended 1500×844 size and write meaningful alt text for it. Then add it to your Practice Page with an Image block.
2. Write a sentence with one link to an external site, such as ncsu.edu, and one internal link to the Sample Page that comes with your Playground site.
3. Give your button from task 1 a link and some text.
4. Click Preview to see your page the way visitors will.

Base Feature Pack Blocks

Beyond WordPress’s standard blocks, such as Paragraph, Heading and Image, the Base pack includes seven NC State blocks.

Block	What it does
Accordion	Show (and hide) content in collapsible panels.
Block Quote	Add some quoted text from another source.
Buttons	Display one or more links as buttons.
Featured Content	Display two or more important links (with optional images) in a two- or three-column grid.
RSS Feed	Display entries from any RSS or Atom feed.
Split Content	Showcase two blocks side by side.
Text Links	Display supplementary links in a one- or two-column list.

Working Outside the Editor

Completion Time: 3 minutes

A few important settings live outside the page editor entirely. This video gives you a quick tour of WordPress Settings and our custom NC State Settings page, plus where to go when you need help.

You’ve Completed the Base Training

At this point you should be comfortable navigating WordPress, building a page with core and Base Feature Pack blocks, and writing for how people actually read online.

Want to check your understanding? Take an optional five-minute self-check. It’s not scored and won’t affect your access, but it’s a good way to see if anything didn’t quite stick before moving on.

What’s next? If you’re ready to build more visually rich pages, tell stories through posts, or set up forms and feeds, explore our other trainings:

• Advanced: Going Beyond the Basics with Engaging Page Layouts
• Storytelling: Creating News Content and Telling NC State’s Story
• Engagement and Events: Lead Generation, Events and RSVP Management
• Dynamic Content: Content That Updates on Its Own, So Your Site Works While You Sleep

Your site administrator chooses which Feature Packs are turned on. Starting with version 4.19, sites that require training will let you add a pack’s blocks after you pass its quiz.