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How WordPress Works: A Non-Technical Guide To Themes, Page Builders, and Templates

Get a handle on how WordPress works so you can make the most of your website. In this article, I’ll walk you through the key elements of a WordPress website and give you my take on the best options for each.

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I get it- building a WordPress site can feel like learning a whole new language, with all the talk of themes, page builders, and plugins.

But guess what? It’s not as complicated as it sounds.

Once you know how everything fits together, WordPress becomes way easier to handle.

In this guide, I’m breaking it down so you can design, customize, and launch your website without the tech headaches. No coding required, promise.

What Is WordPress?

At its core, WordPress is a free, open-source Content Management System (CMS) that enables you to build a website without knowing how to code.

As a CMS, WordPress helps you keep track of everything on your website- your blog posts, pages, images, and more- by organizing them in a ‘filing cabinet’ called a database.

This content is stored on a server without any styling or layout applied. WordPress itself doesn’t control how your content looks to visitors.

The main job of WordPress is to keep everything organized and easily accessible so it can be displayed on your website in a structured and styled manner.

To control the look of your website, you’ll apply a theme and customize individual pages with a page builder.

Pro Tip: WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org

It’s important to note the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org:

WordPress.com is a hosted platform where the technical aspects, such as hosting and security, are managed for you, but it comes with limitations on customization unless you’re using higher-paid plans.

WordPress.org, on the other hand, is a self-hosted option where you have full control over your site’s design, functionality, and hosting environment. The tradeoff for control is a little more work for you. Self-hosted means you’ll choose your server, download WordPress yourself,  and set up your database yourself.

Most of the customization options discussed in this post apply to WordPress.org.

What is a WordPress Theme?

Your WordPress theme is responsible for turning the raw content stored in your database into the polished website that you see in your browser.

At a basic level, it controls the ‘look’ of your website: how your text, pictures, and blog posts show up for visitors.

Themes typically come with pre-designed templates for common website elements such as:

  • Headers and Footers
  • Sidebars
  • Blog Post Layouts
  • Page Layouts
These templates control how your site looks and functions, including fonts, colors, and general layouts.

Comparing 3 Common Themes: Hello Theme, Astra, and Divi

Hello Theme (Minimal)

Hello Theme (by Elementor) offers a blank slate for page builders like Elementor. It has minimal styling and no built-in customization features, making it ideal if you want to design your entire site from scratch using a page builder.

ASTRA (ROBUST)​

Astra is a highly customizable theme that offers a range of built-in layouts and styling options for headers, footers, and pages.

You can easily use Astra with just WordPress’s Block Editor (Gutenberg) to design your website without needing an additional page builder. With Astra’s built-in customizer and Gutenberg blocks, you can create a serviceable website without additional tools.

However, if you prefer more design flexibility and support, Astra also integrates with page builders like Elementor or Beaver Builder that give you additional control over complex layouts and design elements.

DIVI (ALL-IN-ONE SOLUTION)​

Divi is unique because it’s both a theme and a page builder in one.

The Divi Theme comes with its own built-in Divi Builder, so you don’t need an additional page builder to create and design your website.

Divi offers a range of pre-built layouts and comprehensive customization features, making it a great choice for users who prefer an all-in-one, fully integrated solution.

With Divi, you can build your site using just its built-in builder without relying on external tools.

What’s The Difference Between A Theme And A Page Builder?

While themes control the overall structure and design of your website, page builders give you more granular control over its appearance with user-friendly design tools.

A WordPress theme typically defines the layout of key elements like headers, footers, sidebars, and page templates. Themes come with built-in designs and customizer options, but they can be limiting when it comes to creating highly customized layouts.

On the other hand, page builders are tools that let you design your website by dragging and dropping things into place. No coding or tech skills required!

They give you full control over how your content is presented, providing more freedom to showcase your brand.

Similar to robust themes, most page builders also come with pre-designed templates to speed up the web design process. You can import full-page layouts or specific elements, such as contact forms or hero sections, and then easily customize fonts, colors, and other details.

When it comes to your WordPress site, themes are required and page builders are technically optional.

But if you want to create custom designs quickly and easily, without relying on a theme’s default settings or learning how to code, you will want to install a page builder. They provide the tools you need to create a professional, beautiful website without a lot of fuss.

3 Popular Page Builders: Elementor, Divi and Beaver Builder

Some of the most popular page builders include Elementor, Divi, and Beaver Builder.

  • Elementor is known for its user-friendliness, its large library of templates, and for its flexibility.

    It integrates well with minimal themes like Hello Elementor, making it a great choice for creators who value the flexibility to tweak every little thing.

    In my opinion, Elementor provides the closest feel to an all-in-one website builder platform like SquareSpace or Wix.
  • Divi offers both a theme and a built-in page builder, providing a seamless all-in-one solution for users who want a tightly integrated experience.

    It comes with pre-built layouts and strong customization options, making it easy to design beautiful websites without switching between multiple tools.

    In my experience, Divi is a little bit more capable and a little bit fussier than Elementor.
  • Beaver Builder is another popular option, known for its relatively clean code (meaning, it won’t slow your website down) and compatibility with a wide range of themes.

    I have many clients who love it, although I remain partial to the user interfaces of Elementor and Divi.

How Third-Party Templates Fit In

Third-party templates are pre-designed layouts that work with page builders like Elementor or Beaver Builder to streamline your website’s design process.

These templates typically include multiple page designs, such as homepages, about pages, and contact pages, along with predefined styles for fonts, colors, and images.

Each template should come with  specific instructions, but the process generally involves importing the template into the page builder.

Once imported, the template applies its design to the selected pages or elements (headers, footers etc), giving you a cohesive and polished look without designing each element from scratch.

For example, if you’re using Elementor, after uploading the template, its aesthetic will be applied to various sections like headers, footers, and inner pages.

Paired with a minimal theme like Hello, the template takes full control of the site’s appearance, meaning it will override the theme’s instructions.

What is Divi? A Special Case

Divi, by Elegant Themes, is unique because it functions as both a theme and a page builder. 

The Divi Theme is a powerful WordPress theme with built-in customization options for headers, footers, and page layouts. It integrates seamlessly with the Divi Builder, allowing you to design your site without needing a separate page builder.

The Divi Builder is also available as a standalone plugin, similar to Elementor, offering a drag-and-drop interface to create custom layouts and designs.

Where other page builders use templates, Divi uses child themesThese child themes act as Divi’s version of templates, coming with pre-designed layouts for headers, footers, and pages. 

They often include custom styling and features specific to Divi, and unlike standard templates, Divi child themes can also contain custom code and scripts to extend the core Divi Theme’s functionality. 

This gives Divi a more integrated and versatile experience compared to other builders.

How Plugins Complete Your WordPress Toolkit

Once you’ve got the look and layout of your site handled with your theme and page builder, you may need extra functionality. That’s where plugins come in.

Plugins are like apps for your WordPress website. They allow you to add special features without needing to code.

Whether you want to handle spam, optimize it for search engines, or add complex forms, there’s a plugin for almost anything you can think of.

Plugins work in the background to make your website more powerful and user-friendly. They don’t control the look of your site like themes or page builders do, but they handle the important tasks that keep your website running smoothly and efficiently.

Some common uses for plugins include:

  • SEO optimization to help your site rank better in search results (e.g., Yoast SEO)
  • Spam blocking to reduce spammy comments and emails (e.g. Akismet)
  • Website speed optimization (e.g., WP Rocket)
  • E-commerce functionality (e.g., WooCommerce for adding a store to your site)

You can easily install plugins through the WordPress plugin directory, and many are free. Just remember: too many plugins can slow down your site, so it’s important to use only what you need and keep them updated.

Pro Tip: Use Your Plugins wisely

Plugins feel a little bit like magic. but with great power comes great responsibility.

WordPress doesn’t keep tabs on which plugins you’re installing, so it’s easy to accidentally add two plugins that do the same thing (like both trying to speed up your site).

When that happens, they can end up clashing and leave things a bit messy.

If you notice your site acting up, check for duplicate functionality and remove the extra plugins to keep everything running smoothly.

TL;DR: How It All Works Together

1️⃣ WordPress acts as the foundation for organizing your content (text, images, and media), while the theme provides the structure and overall design framework.

2️⃣ Minimal themes like Hello allow page builders to have full control, whereas more robust themes like Astra offer built-in layouts and customization options.

3️⃣ Page builders, such as Elementor, Divi, and Beaver Builder, give you the flexibility to design custom layouts and control the aesthetic of your site, often overriding the theme’s default styling.

4️⃣ Purchased templates take this a step further by providing pre-designed layouts that you can quickly apply through the page builder, ensuring consistency and speeding up the design workflow.

5️⃣ Finally, plugins add yet another layer of functionality, letting you handle everything from SEO and security to performance optimization, enhancing your site in ways that extend beyond its design and structure.

Want to know what this website uses? This website is built on the Hello Elementor theme, Elementor Pro and a third-party website template that I customized to meet my needs.

An infographic illustrating how WordPress works. The graphic shows the relationship between the web host, the WordPress CMS, the WordPress theme, the page builder and templates.

Getting Started With your WordPress Site?

Building a WordPress website can feel like a very, very big job that comes with too many choices.

But once you understand how all the pieces- the CMS, themes, page builders, and templates, fit together, it becomes a lot simpler.

The beauty of WordPress is that you’re in control. And now that you understand how the pieces fit together, it’s almost like a madlibs:

Fill in the blank- theme, page builder, template- and go!

If you’re just getting started, I recommend starting with the template. Choose a Divi-child theme or Elementor Template that you like, using that to dictate your choice of builder and theme.

Ready to finally get your WordPress site up and running smoothly?

Book a WordPress Help Session with me, and let’s get your tech stack sorted so you can focus on what really matters: building your business, not battling your website.

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Laura Jawad, Ph.D. is an SEO strategist for female service providers and female-founded businesses. She offers SEO site reviews, SEO coaching and on-page optimization for wordpress users. Please reach out with questions, schedule a Chemistry call or explore her services page!
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