Wordpress Interview Questions

1. What is WordPress?

The WordPress content management system (CMS) is a free, open-source

software application. With this tool, you can control the entire process of
creating and publishing web content as well as managing their websites.
You can easily manage content on your website using a content
management system, even if you have no experience in programming.
Therefore, WordPress makes it possible for anyone - even those who aren't
developers - to build a website. Almost all web hosts
support PHP and MySQL, which are used by WordPress. WordPress is a
flexible CMS that can be used for virtually any type of website, including
blogging, e-commerce, government, and business sites. With its flexibility
and usability, WordPress is a perfect solution for large and small websites.

2. What are some of the essential features of WordPress?

The following are some of the essential features of WordPress:

 Easily manage the content of your website whenever you want.

 Installing and upgrading WordPress has never been a problem. A number of
web hosts offer one-click installations of WordPress that let you set it up in
just a few seconds.
 Create as many pages, posts, products, and more as you want - You can
upload files, text, images, links, and embed media to your pages whenever
you want.
 The WordPress platform lets you build any type of website, whether it's a
personal blog or website, a portfolio, a photoblog, a business website, an
online magazine, a news publication, a government website, or even an
online community.
 With WordPress, you get three default themes, but if they aren't perfect for
you, you can find thousands of other themes in the theme directory.
 WordPress has a plugin directory with thousands of plugins for every feature
that isn't in the core.
 It's easy to add, edit, or remove additional editors to allow others in your
organization to manage content on your website.

3. What are WordPress Plugins?

WordPress plugins are individual pieces of software that allow you to add
additional functionality to your website. All of these software pieces can be
installed on your WordPress website. By using plugins, you can extend or
add new functionality to your website, enabling you to easily create any
type of website, from e-commerce to directories.
Plugins can tweak your site in minor ways or make massive changes,
depending on the features. By using a plugin, you could, for example,
create a fully multilingual site or add a WhatsApp share button. Many
plugins can help you add a contact form to your website, create
customizable image galleries, and link to social media. You have a lot of
options to choose from, both free and premium.

4. List some of the plugins that come with WordPress.

The following are the top ten most popular WordPress plugins of all time,
based on actual downloads from WordPress.org.

 Yoast SEO
 Wordfence Security
 Akismet
 Contact Form 7
 Google Analytics for WordPress
 Jetpack
 Elementor
 WPForms
 WooCommerce
 All in One SEO Pack

5. How to create a plugin in WordPress?

The following steps will guide you through creating your first plugin:

 Connect to your site via FTP (File Transfer Protocol).

 Navigate to the WordPress plugins folder after gaining access to your site
via FTP. This folder is usually located in /wp-content/plugins.
 After you've navigated into the plugins folder, you can create a folder of
your own. Create a new folder with a unique name that uses lowercase
letters and dashes, for example, first_plugin. Once you've done that, choose
your new folder and continue.

 You will then need to create the main plugin file.

 Then, create a file named very-first-plugin.php in your new plugin folder.

  The plugin information can now be copied and pasted into your newly
created main plugin file. Make sure to modify plugin details such as Plugin
URL and Plugin Name.

6. What limitations does the WordPress website have?

The use of WordPress is not limited. Depending on your needs, it can be

used for anything, from e-commerce sites to membership sites. The
downsides of WordPress include:

 Adding too many plugins can make the website hard to load and run.
 Making changes or modifications to a WordPress site requires PHP
knowledge.
 It is sometimes necessary to update WordPress to keep it compatible with
the latest browsers and mobile devices. Changing the version of WordPress
leads to data loss, so making a backup copy is essential.
 It is very difficult to modify or format the graphic images and tables.
7. What is required to run WordPress?

WordPress has the following minimal requirements:

 PHP version 7.2 or higher.

 A MySQL version of 5.6 or higher OR a MariaDB version of 10.0 or higher.
 Support for HTTP.
 The best servers for running WordPress are Nginx or Apache, but any server
that supports MySQL and PHP will work.

8. How many tables are there by default in WordPress?

In WordPress databases, the shelves are called tables. By default,

WordPress websites contain 12 tables. Only certain data can be stored in
each table. WordPress comments tables, for example, contain information
regarding IP addresses, comment author slugs, etc., of people who have
commented on a post. In this way, data can be stored and retrieved more
quickly.

9. In WordPress, how can we change the table prefix ( wp_ )?

You can change and rename the WordPress database prefix in several
ways.

Change the table prefix in wp-config.php

Go to the WordPress root directory and open the wp-config.php file. Change
the prefix of the table "wp_" to whatever you wish, for example,
"wp_a564356_". Therefore, the line would look as follows:

$table_prefix = 'wp_a564356_';

Change the table prefix in the database

 In PhpMyAdmin, open the database.

 Select all tables that begin with the wp_ prefix.
 Click With selected to display a drop-down menu. Select Replace table prefix
from the list.
 In the From-field, enter wp_. In the To-field, type the new name.
 Then click Continue to make the changes.

10. What are the basic steps we should take when our WordPress website is
hacked?

Since WordPress is one of the most popular CMS platforms on the web, its
security is paramount. Upon analyzing the existing loopholes, standard
security policies should be implemented in WordPress to protect WordPress
data. The steps that must be taken when your WordPress platform is
hacked are as follows:

 Keep calm and seek an optimal solution.

 Track down the hack.
 Contact your web hosting provider.
 Get an InfoSec expert to help you.
 Download and install a security plugin, such as WordPress security.
 Locate, scan, and fix/remove malware.
 Ensure that your access permissions are correct.
 Also, update WordPress to its latest version.
 Update all user IDs and passwords.
 Check to make sure that your plugins and themes are up to date.

11. How to increase WordPress website security?

Despite being a safe CMS (content management system), WordPress is

susceptible to attacks, just like any other CMS. WordPress security can be
enhanced in many ways, as follows:

 Login procedures should be secure.

 Consider using a secure WordPress hosting provider.
 Update the WordPress version.
 Upgrade the PHP version.
 Download and install security plugins.
 Select a secure theme for WordPress.
 Enable SSL (Secure Socket Layer) or HTTPS (HyperText Transfer Protocol
Secure) for your site.
 Set up a firewall.
 Make a backup of your site.
 Manage user permissions on WordPress.
 Change the default login URL of WordPress.
 Disable xmlrpc.php file.
 Disable editing files within the WordPress dashboard.
 Modify the database file prefix.
 Delete the default WordPress administrator account.
 Hide the WordPress version.

12. What do you mean by posts and pages in WordPress?

The difference between posts and pages is that posts are more timely and
regularly updated, while pages are static. It is possible to have any number
of pages and posts on your website.
  WordPress Post: You can think of a WordPress post as the blog aspect of
the website. In most cases, these are informational updates or news about a
particular topic. It is possible to tag, categorize, and archive posts on your
site. Their content is dynamic and constantly changing.
 WordPress Pages: WordPress offers another prebuilt post type called
pages. A page is similar to a post in that it has a title and body text, but it is
different. In general, we add content to pages that don't need to be updated
frequently. A page is similar to a post in that it has a title and body text, but
it is different. Page content represents static content, such as the "About
Us" page, the "TOCs", the "Contact us" page, and the "Write for Us" page.

13. Can you create custom post types in WordPress?

WordPress developers are able to create custom post types.

The register_post_type() function may be used to add a custom post
type. Plugins allow us to create custom post types as well.

 Custom Post Type UI

 Custom Field

14. Where is the WordPress content stored?

Wp_posts is a table in your MySQL database that holds the content of your
WordPress posts and pages. WordPress displays your content using
dynamic PHP templates, so it doesn't store a separate HTML file for each
page. In the database, you can also find "Pages" (or other custom post
types available in WordPress) in the wp_posts table. Typically, these can be
accessed through phpMyAdmin.

15. Are deactivated plugins likely to slow down WordPress websites?

No, Plugins that are inactive or deactivated don't slow down WordPress.
Deactivating a WordPress plugin simply turns it off. The plugin is still
installed on your site, so you can activate it again if need be. Uninstalling a
plugin, on the other hand, removes it from your website completely. If there
are deactivated plugins preset, they will be treated as if they didn't exist.
WordPress will load only the active plugins.

16. What is a loop in WordPress?

A PHP code for displaying WordPress posts is referred to as a loop or

WordPress code. The WordPress themes display posts using a loop on the
web pages of the website. These loops include functions that display the
posts. One of the most important components of the WordPress code is its
Loop, which contains several Template Tags for publishing, formatting, and
organizing post content. By default, the WordPress loop includes the
following information for each post:

 Title (the_title())
 Time (the_time())
 Categories (the_category()).

17. How can comments be disabled in WordPress?

Disabling comments in WordPress can be done in several ways. You can

disable comments in future posts, for instance.

Navigate to admin panel -> settings -> discussion tab. Uncheck the "Allow
people to post comments on new articles" option and then click on "Save
Changes". By doing this, all comments on your future posts will be disabled.
18. What are config files in WordPress?

Wp-config.php is a core WordPress file. Information pertaining to the

database is contained in this file, such as its name, username, password,
and host (typically localhost).

WordPress uses this information to store and retrieve data ( such as users,
posts, settings, etc.) from the database. WordPress does not include the file
wp-config.php in its default download package. It contains a file named wp-
config-sample.php, that can be renamed to wp-config.php.

19. Is there any way to make other pages appear on the front page in
WordPress?

To make your static page a front page you have to follow these steps:

 Go to the Admin Panel and click on "Static Page".

 You can select your front page in the "Front page" section.
 From now on, your selected page will serve as your default front page.
20. Can you tell me how to create a page template?

Creating custom templates can serve a number of purposes, such as

making a different layout from the home page or displaying custom post
types like news.

 Add a news.php file to the theme folder.

 Add the get_header() and get_footer() functions to the news.php page.
 Add them at the top. The template name is now "News Template".

21. How to update the WordPress website?

You can update your WordPress site in two simple ways: automatically and
manually.

Automatic Method (One-click update): This is the easiest way to

upgrade your WordPress version. It is as easy as clicking a button, and the
installation will take only a few minutes.

 Go to the WordPress admin dashboard and see if you have a new release
available. To initiate the website update, click Please update now. On the
Updates page, you'll need to click on the Update Now button again.
  Minor updates are indicated by a success message and options for plugin
and theme updates. A welcome screen will, however, summarize what has
been upgraded for major releases.

 Now that you have updated WordPress, you can ensure that all of your
themes and plugins are compatible with the new version.

Manual Method: You will need to manually upload WordPress files using
FTP (File Transfer Protocol). In case the first method doesn't work, you can
use this method.

 Update WordPress to the latest version. Click on the Download button on the
WordPress download page.
 WordPress will now be downloaded to your browser as a zip file. Extract the
zip file once it has been downloaded. There will be a WordPress folder
inside, containing all the WordPress files required for the update.
 Access your WordPress site through FileZilla or either through your preferred
FTP client.
 Look at the existing wp-admin directory and wp-includes directory on the
remote side (right side of the panel) and right-click to delete/remove them.
 Select the new wp-includes and wp-admin folders from the left-hand side of
the panel (local site), then click Upload.

 The remaining WordPress files must be uploaded from your computer to the
web host directory.
 Upload the new WordPress files to the server by overwriting the old ones.
  Check if you've successfully completed the WordPress updates via FTP for
your website by navigating to yoursite.com/wp-admin/upgrade.php/.

Wordpress Interview Questions for

Experienced
22. Explain the term template tags in WordPress.

Template tags are an immensely valuable part of WordPress, especially

when developing themes. A WordPress template tag is a PHP function that
generates and displays content dynamically on a website. Themes in
WordPress contain different templates that theme developers use to display
dynamic data. The WordPress themes can use several built-in template
tags. The template tags are contained in 9 files in the wp-includes directory.

 wp-includes/general-template.php
 wp-includes/link-template.php
 wp-includes/category-template.php
 wp-includes/nav-menu-template.php
 wp-includes/author-template.php
 wp-includes/post-template.php
 wp-includes/post-thumbnail-template.php
 wp-includes/comment-template.php
 wp-includes/bookmark-template.php

23. List a few template tags that can be used in WordPress.

The following are some template tags you can use in WordPress.

 get_header()
 get_footer()
 get_sidebar()
 wp_login_url()
 get_calendar()
 allowed_tags()
 the_author()
 get_the_author()
 wp_list_bookmarks()
 get_bookmark()
 the_category()
 the_category_rss()
 comment_author()
 comment_author_email()
 the_permalink()
 user_trailingslashit()
 permalink_anchor()
 post_class()
  post_password_required()
 get_post_thumbnail_id()
 the_post_thumbnail()
 wp_nav_menu()
 walk_nav_menu_tree(), etc.

24. State the difference between Wordpress and Wix.

Both WordPress and Wix are platforms for building websites, but each has
completely different approaches. while Wix is a website builder.

Wordpress Wix

WordPress is an open-source content A simple and easy-to-use website builder, Wix

management system (CMS) that lets allows you to build your website from scratch
you easily create content pages and with flexible designs, which makes it ideal for
publish them online. portfolio-style websites.

As you begin using the CMS, it may

Getting started with Wix is a straightforward
be intimidating since it does not hold
process.
your hand too much.

There are hundreds of website templates

WordPress offers only a few official offered by Wix - all of which are responsive -
themes on its site. and its editor enables users to add their
personal touches, so that is an excellent start.

As a WordPress user, you bear the In terms of security, Wix goes ahead and
brunt of the responsibility of securing takes care of it all on its own, aside from the
your website. Essentially, you need basics such as choosing a strong password or
to stay on top of core updates, watch using two-factor authentication. It is highly
out for various errors, choose the secure because Wix is a closed system and
Wordpress Wix

right host, and take care of Wix's able team provides server maintenance
everything else. and script updates.

Besides its knowledge base,

Wix provides both a comprehensive
WordPress doesn't provide any
knowledge base as well as telephone support.
specialized support.

25. What do you mean by WordPress Hooks?

Whenever you wish to alter or customize something in WordPress, you can

almost certainly make use of a hook. WordPress hooks enable you to
manipulate the behavior of a procedure without having to modify the
WordPress core files. With hooks, you can modify or add new features to
WordPress without modifying the core files

26. What is Action and Filter Hooks?

Action and Filter are types of WordPress Hooks.

 Action Hooks: Actions enable you to perform a task at predefined points

during the WordPress runtime. In the WordPress code, actions are defined as
follows:

do_action( 'action_name', [optional_arguments] );

Here, the 'action_name' string represents the name of the action. If you
would like to pass additional arguments to the callback function, you can
specify the [optional_arguments] variable. When no value is specified, this
field is empty by default.

 Filter Hooks: Filters allow you to modify and return any data processed by
WordPress. In the WordPress code, filters are defined as follows:

apply_filters( 'filter_name', 'value_to_be_filtered', [optional_arguments] );

Here, the ‘filter_name’ string represents the name of the filter.

'value_to_be_filtered' represents the value that has to be filtered and
returned. In the same way as actions, the [optional_arguments] variable
can pass additional arguments.

27. Why WordPress is considered better than CMS?

WordPress is the most popular platform because it's easy to use for non-
developers to create professional websites. In comparison with most CMS, it
is easier to master WordPress; anyone can build a powerful website that is
easy to maintain without much effort. A wide range of organizations uses it,
from the Rolling Stones to MSNBC to the Sweden government.

 WordPress is easy to set up and use.

 WordPress comes with built-in SEO enhancements. It is particularly effective
when it comes to promoting SEO best practices.
 You can customize your site's appearance with thousands of graphics
templates in WordPress.
 WordPress offers you a lot of design flexibility. Instead of using a single design
layout for your entire website, you can use different design layouts if you
wish.
 WordPress is constantly adding new features, better tools, and new plugins
that can be installed with just a click of a mouse.
 You can easily customize it (even if you aren't a developer).
 You do not have to be a security expert. WordPress has always prioritized
security above all else.

28. State the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org.

Differences between WordPress.org and WordPress.com are as follows:

Wordpress.org WordPress.com

WordPress.org allows you to host your WordPress.com, on the other hand,

site. You'll have to buy your hosting handles all of this for you. All you have to
service and install WordPress on that do is register/create an account and you
server. can begin building.

WordPress.org is likely the better choice WordPress.com, however, makes

if you are interested in making money monetizing your website more difficult.
from your website. There are no First and foremost, you will need to
restrictions on how you can monetize subscribe to the Business plan or higher
your content, such as adding affiliate to access features such as Google
links or creating a membership website. Adsense or eCommerce capabilities.
Also, you can use advertising plugins like Furthermore, WordPress.com limits
Advanced Ads to manage your affiliate marketing. Users have been
campaigns directly from your WordPress prohibited from using the platform to
dashboard. promote affiliate products primarily.

Depending on the plan you choose,

Technical support is not provided by WordPress.com provides you with varying
WordPress.org. If you prefer, you can levels of technical support. While all plans
browse the support forums or read the include email assistance, you'll need a
documentation. Premium plan to access live chat
assistance.

You can choose from thousands of With WordPress.com, you can only use
plugins and themes on WordPress.org. plugins if you have a Business plan or
Wordpress.org WordPress.com

higher. Advanced customization features

are not available without a Premium
package.

WordPress.com, on the other hand, has

limited options for SEO. For Google
You can almost completely control your
Analytics integration, you will need a
SEO strategies with WordPress.org. Yoast
Premium subscription. Further, advanced
SEO is a plugin that can help you
SEO tools aren't available without a
optimize your posts and pages for
Business plan or higher. Thus, your
selected keywords.
website can't be optimized by cheaper
packages.

29. What do you mean by importers in WordPress?

Importers are WordPress tools that can move content from an existing
WordPress site to a new one. A site can also be moved from localhost to an
online server with this tool. Different data can be migrated using the
WordPress importer. A few examples include:

 Pages, posts, and other types of custom posts

 Custom fields and post meta
 Comments
 Tags, Categories
 Authors, etc.

30. How can I adjust the default length of an excerpt in WordPress?

Excerpts are parts of posts linking to full articles. In this way, readers are
enticed to continue reading. It is helpful to highlight the important parts of
your content since titles alone are not enough to capture readers' attention.
Excerpts are limited to the first 55 words of your posts, but you can change
the excerpt length either manually or with a WordPress plugin. The manual
method usually involves editing the code, but you don't need to be an
expert in any programming language to do this. Changing the default
length of the excerpt in WordPress requires us to add the following syntax
to the functions.php file and edit the number of words we wish to appear in
the excerpt.

function changed_excerptlength($length){
return X;
}
add_filter(‘excerpt_length’, ‘changed_excerptlength’);

Here, X is the number of excerpt words to be displayed.

31. Explain avatar and gravatar in WordPress.

In the case of WordPress blogs or business websites, putting a face to your

content will help your visitors connect and become more engaged. A good
way of accomplishing this is with an avatar, a picture identifying you across
your website. An avatar gives your site a more personal touch and lets
users get to know you better. Using Gravatar, WordPress provides its users
with avatars. Gravatar is an acronym for Globally Recognized Avatar. The
Gravatar platform allows users to upload an image and use that image as
their avatar on various websites. Gravatar images are displayed alongside
comments, posts, and various other website activities.

32. Can you tell me why widgets don't display in the sidebar?

To add a widget, users must first verify that the themes they are using
support it. It is possible that the problem could be caused by the absence of
function.php or a file similar to it. Another possibility is that the user forgot
to save the changes they made to the widget or did not refresh the older
page display.

33. Explain shortcode in WordPress.

A shortcode is a small chunk of code, placed between brackets like

[yourshortcode], that performs a specific function for your site. It can be
placed anywhere to provide a specific feature to a page, post, or other
content. WordPress shortcodes make it easy to add dynamic content to
pages, posts, and sidebars. Several WordPress plugins and themes offer
shortcodes for adding specialized content to websites, such as sliders,
image galleries, contact forms, and more.

34. What is the best way to display a list of child pages in WordPress?

Shortcodes are convenient, but they require you to add them to every page
that has a parent or a child page. You may end up using shortcodes on a lot
of pages, and you may even forget to do it. It would be beneficial to alter
the page template file in your theme so that child pages will be displayed
automatically. This can be achieved by editing the main page.php template,
or by creating a custom page template in your theme.

35. Is it possible to check whether a featured image exists in WordPress?

The has_post_thumbnail() method can be used to determine whether the

featured image is present.

Example:
if ( has_post_thumbnail() )
{
the_post_thumbnail();
}
36. Can you explain the user metafunction in WordPress?

A user meta in WordPress is a set of distinct, different, and customized text

fields for each user according to his or her preferences. In other words,
WordPress user meta allows you to add whatever information you wish
about your users. Update_user_meta() is the function you use to add or
update a user's metadata. It looks as follows:

update_user_meta( $user_id, $meta_key, $meta_value, $prev_value );

Here,

 $user_id: User's ID to be affected.

 $meta_key: Name of user meta field to be altered.
 $meta_value: The value to be assigned to the user meta field. You may use
integer, string, array, etc.
 $prev_value: Used for handling duplicate meta keys. Normally you can omit
this option.

37. What are widgets in WordPress?

A WordPress widget can be used to add specific content or features to a

website. Website widgets can be added to various parts of a site, such as
the sidebars or footer, or any other areas. Widgets allow you to add
features and functions to your site with no programming required. There
are many widgets you can add to your site, including menus, banner ads,
calendars, popular posts, and social icons.

38. In what situations does the plugin menu not appear on the WordPress
website.

When using free wordpress.com, users can't see the plugin menu because
it's limited in plugin usage. Even users who do not have an administrator
account will not be able to access the plugin menu.

39. What are WordPress Themes?

In WordPress, a theme consists of a collection of files (stylesheets, graphics,

and code) that dictate what your blog or website will look like. Depending
on your theme, you can tweak everything from your site's layout to the link
colors. While a theme can be thought of as a 'skin' for your site, they are
incredibly powerful. Your website theme affects the appearance of your
site, including the typography, layout, color scheme, and other design
elements.

When you create a new WordPress website, it comes with a pre-installed

theme, but you can change it in WordPress to match your industry and
needs. The right theme can improve visitors' engagement, enhance the
appearance of your website, and make it easier to use. Divi, Astra,
OceanWP, etc., are the most popular and best WordPress themes available
for download.

40. What is a Child theme in WordPress?

A child theme inherits the functionality, features, and styling of the parent
theme (WordPress theme). Child themes let you change small details of
your site's appearance while still preserving the parent theme's appearance
and functionality. The child theme is designed to inherit the features and
appearance of the parent theme, while also enabling the user to make
modifications/alterations to any part of the theme.

41. Explain WordPress Taxonomies.

WordPress Taxonomies group content or data together in WordPress.

Shortly, it allows you to organize/group your posts based on what they have
in common (characteristics). Several default taxonomies are available, and
you can also design your own. WordPress's Categories and Tags are two of
its most popular taxonomies.

42. Explain Category and Tags in WordPress. How to convert a category into
a tag?

Categorization and tags play a much greater role in the content

organization as well as SEO.

 Categories: Essentially, categories are a general way to group content on a

WordPress website. The idea of a category is to represent a topic or a group
of topics that are somehow related to one another. A post can belong to
several categories at once. Nevertheless, assigning more than two or three
categories to one post is perhaps not the best idea.
 Tags: Tags provide a good way to identify a piece of content by specific
keywords. Just choose a few words that best describe a given post.

43. What are meta tags?

Meta tags are snippets of HTML code that describe the content of a website
or a specific webpage. Search engines use these bits of data to determine
what a page is about, and they provide the content that shows up in search
results. Although meta tags still provide the description displayed in search
engine results, they contribute greatly to improving CTRs (Click-Through
Rates).

Conclusion

In today's social era, creating a good, appealing, and attractive website for
any business is so common to attract and engage more customers. The
solution to this problem is WordPress: an open-source Content Management
System (CMS) that enables you to easily build your websites. WordPress has
60% of the market share among the top 3 content management systems,
i.e., WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal. The newest version of WordPress is
5.9.3 and was released on April 5, 2022. Are you looking for an opportunity
to advance in your career as a WordPress developer? Then this article will
help you.

As there is a massive demand for WordPress, there could be plenty more

questions related to it. However, we have tried to cover most of them.
Having read these interview questions and practiced more of them, you will
gain confidence in your preparation and will be prepared to take that next
step towards achieving your goal. Hopefully, we were able to address any
questions or concerns you may have had.

All the best with your future pursuits.