11 Best WordPress Books to Improve Skills [Updated 2024]

WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems out there. It’s easy to use, flexible, and scalable, making it an ideal platform for bloggers and businesses. However, with so many features and options, it can be challenging to master. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of the top 11 WordPress books to help you take your skills to the next level. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced developer, there’s a book on this list.

WordPress is a highly affordable yet reliable site builder platform with over 500 daily site creations. It offers great tools for site optimization to rank your business on search engines. Both time and resources are required for better learning to master WordPress. Regardless of your expertise, there will always remain room for learning something new and updated.

WordPress At a Glance

WordPress is a popular content management system (CMS) that powers over 40% of websites on the internet. It’s a free and open-source platform that allows users to easily create and manage their websites without knowing how to code. Let’s now take a closer look at WordPress and its features.

Ease of Use & Customizability

WordPress is known for its ease of use, with a simple and intuitive interface that makes it easy for anyone to create a website. It’s also highly customizable, with thousands of themes and plugins to extend its functionality. It means you can create a website that looks and functions exactly like you want.

Blogging Functionality

One of the most popular features of WordPress is its blogging functionality. WordPress was originally designed as a blogging platform and still excels in this area. It’s easy to create and publish blog posts, and many tools are available to help you optimize your content for search engines and social media.

Flexibility & Scalability

Another key feature of WordPress is its flexibility. You can create any website, from a simple blog to a complex e-commerce site. It makes it a great choice for businesses of all sizes and individuals who want to create a personal website or blog.

WordPress is also highly scalable and can handle large traffic and content. It makes it a good choice for websites expected to grow over time. Read also, Shopify VS WordPress Who Will Win?

Constant Evolution & Improvement

WordPress constantly evolves and improves, with regular updates and security patches to keep your site safe and up-to-date.

WordPress is a powerful and flexible CMS to create any website. It’s easy to use, highly customizable, and constantly improving. WordPress is a platform worth considering whether you’re a blogger, small business owner, or aspiring web developer. Comparison of Blogger vs WordPress Which one is the best for You?

11 WordPress Books to Read & Learn The Platform

Like any other platform, WordPress requires both time and resources to master the skills requires to build a spectacular site on this site builder platform. Our research team has worked for long hours on your behalf to find the 11 best books about WordPress every blogger needs to know. Consider the following list in this regard:

• WordPress To Go by Sarah McHarry
• WordPress in Easy Steps by Paul McFedries
• WordPress All-in-One for Dummies by Lisa Sabin-Wilson
• WordPress Explained: Your Step-by-Step Guide to WordPress by Stephen Burge
• 1-Hour WordPress 2023 by Dr. Andy Williams
• WordPress Plugin Development Cookbook by Yannick Lefebvre
• Guide to Building a Website with WordPress by Asim Khan
• Pro WordPress Guide for beginners by Onkar Mishra
• WordPress: Pushing the Limits by Rachel McCollin
• Teach Yourself VISUALLY WordPress by George Plumley
• WordPress: The Missing Manual: The Book That Should Have Been in the Box by Matthew MacDonald

Let’s now dive into the details of each book given in the list to grasp the topic fully.

1. WordPress To Go by Sarah McHarry

If you are a struggling blogger or internet entrepreneur striving to build your path toward a successful blogging career, Sarah McHarry’s “WordPress To Go” is for you. The book’s author has tried to cover all important aspects relating to quality website creation and running a successful business. The book contains everything you need to launch a new website on WordPress site-builder. It will also guide you in managing your site’s content properly.

Some key aspects of “WordPress To Go” are given as follows:

• How to find hosting for your website and the process to register a domain.
• Generating your website from scratch.
• Theme installation.
• Incorporating visual resources. 
• Uploading posts.

2. WordPress in Easy Steps by Paul McFedries

If you are already familiar with the basics of WordPress, we advise you to go for “WordPress in Easy Steps” to get a maximum understanding of its features, tools, and plugins. The book contains everything you need to know to install plugins and set them up on your website. By reading this book, you can bring your WordPress skills to the next level.

Overall, “WordPress in Easy Steps” is an excellent resource for anyone who wants to learn how to use WordPress to build a website or blog. The book is easy to follow, with step-by-step instructions and plenty of screenshots to guide readers through each process. Check Out the 14 Best SEO Plugins for WordPress for you in 2024.

3. WordPress for Dummies by Lisa Sabin-Wilson

It is one of the best books available on WordPress, guiding beginners into the world of website creation. Sabin-Wilson is a remarkable author who has strived to serve beginners through her book, “WordPress for Dummies.”

You can learn all the technicalities required to design a good website to attract maximum users. The author has shared a detailed roadmap by which you can transform your newly created website into a steady income stream.

The book also covers the essential features of WordPress, such as themes and plugins, which allow users to customize the look and functionality of their site. Readers will learn how to choose a theme, install and activate plugins, and use widgets to add additional functionality to their site.

Other topics covered in the book include creating and managing content, using WordPress as a blogging platform, optimizing the site for search engines, and securing the site against hacking and malware attacks.

Best for: This book is one of the best options for beginners who wish to raise their understanding of WordPress and its salient features. The book is a must-read for designers and developers with less technical knowledge.

4. WordPress Explained by Stephen Burge

If you are a struggling blogger or internet entrepreneur striving to build your path toward a successful blogging career, Sarah McHarry’s “WordPress To Go” is for you. The book’s author has tried to cover all important aspects relating to quality website creation and running a successful business. The book contains everything you need to launch a new website on WordPress site-builder. It will also guide you in managing your site’s content properly.

Stephen Burge has successfully explained the steps involved in your site creation on WordPress and ranking it on search engines to boast your business. The book will assist you in grasping the understanding of WordPress from top to bottom. The book’s author uses several analogies and visual elements to explain the topics. Following are the key concepts that you will learn after reading this book:

• Introduction to WordPress: The book introduces WordPress and its benefits, such as ease of use, flexibility, and scalability.
• Installing WordPress: The author walks readers through installing WordPress on their web hosting account and setting it up for the first time.
• Understanding WordPress Dashboard: The book explains how to navigate the WordPress dashboard, customize settings, and manage posts, pages, and other content.
• Creating a WordPress Site: The book covers the basics of creating a WordPress site, including selecting a theme, customizing the site’s appearance, and adding content.
• WordPress Plugins: The book explains how to find, install, and use plugins to add extra features and functionality to a WordPress site.
• WordPress Security: The book covers the basics of WordPress security, including how to choose a strong password, secure the WordPress site against attacks, and back up the site’s content.
• WordPress SEO: The book provides an overview of WordPress SEO, including how to optimize a site for search engines and drive traffic to the site.

5. 1-Hour WordPress 2023 by Dr. Andy Williams

This book deals with WordPress training individuals in website development using a site-builder platform like WordPress. The idea behind compiling this book was to design a complete guide for beginners to learn website development in less than an hour. Andy Williams has crafted this book on a need-to-know basis avoiding the unnecessary technical aspects of WordPress.

Every topic you read in the book will have some screenshots to clear your thoughts about the topic. You can also, check the 20 Best Free WordPress Themes in 2024.

The following topics are covered in the book:

• You will learn to set up a domain, hosting, and WordPress installation. 
• Exploring the platform and planning to create your business website.
• Website design and setting the site up for success.
• Brief information about the editors, including Gutenberg and WYSIWYG. 
• How to use and install plugins to enhance the functionality of your website. 
• How to keep your site’s plugins up-to-date.

Best for: The book is highly recommended to beginners and newbies searching for a comprehensive guide to WordPress. Keep following the book, and you will design a perfect website. 

6. WordPress Plugin Development Cookbook by Yannick Lefebvre

If you are a struggling blogger or internet entrepreneur striving to build your path toward a successful blogging career, Sarah McHarry’s “WordPress To Go” is for you. The book’s author has tried to cover all important aspects relating to quality website creation and running a successful business. The book contains everything you need to launch a new website on WordPress site-builder. It will also guide you in managing your site’s content properly.

If you’re interested in developing your own WordPress plugins, then “WordPress Plugin Development Cookbook” by Yannick Lefebvre is an excellent resource to help you get started.

The book is designed for developers with some WordPress and PHP experience. It provides a step-by-step guide to creating custom WordPress plugins, with practical examples and code snippets to help readers understand the concepts.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the book:

• Understanding WordPress Plugin Architecture: The book starts with an overview of the WordPress plugin architecture, explaining how plugins are structured and how they interact with WordPress.
• Creating a Custom Plugin: The author walks readers through creating a custom plugin from scratch, covering topics such as setting up the plugin header, creating plugin options, and using hooks and filters.
• Customizing WordPress with Plugins: The book covers several practical examples of using plugins to customize WordPress, such as creating custom post types, adding custom fields to posts, and creating custom widgets.
• Managing Plugin Data: The author guides how to manage data within a plugin, covering topics such as creating and querying custom database tables, creating and updating custom post meta, and using the WordPress Options API.
• Advanced Plugin Development: The book covers advanced topics such as using the WordPress REST API to create a custom API endpoint, creating custom WordPress roles and capabilities, and using JavaScript and AJAX to enhance plugin functionality.
• Debugging and Testing Plugins: The author guides how to debug and test WordPress plugins, covering topics such as using the WordPress Debugging Tools, setting up automated tests, and using code analysis tools.

7. Guide to Building a Website with WordPress by Asim Khan

This comprehensive guidebook offers step-by-step instructions on how to create a website using WordPress. The book covers many topics, including themes, plugins, WordPress plans, and more. By following the instructions in this guide, readers can create a professional-looking website at an affordable price.

The book begins with an introduction to WordPress, then detailed information on its various features and plugins. Additionally, the book highlights the differences between .org and .com domains and offers advice on selecting the best WordPress themes. Overall, this guidebook provides all the information and guidance needed to create an effective and successful website using WordPress.

8. Pro WordPress Guide for Beginners by Onkar Mishra

“Pro WordPress Guide for Beginners” is a comprehensive guide to using WordPress aimed at beginners with little to no experience with the platform. The book covers everything from creating a WordPress site to customizing themes and plugins.

The book is divided into four parts. Part one introduces WordPress and its features, explaining the differences between WordPress.org and WordPress.com. It also covers the basics of setting up a WordPress site, including choosing a hosting provider and installing WordPress.

Part two delves into the WordPress dashboard, explaining the different sections and how to use them. This section covers creating posts and pages, managing media, and configuring settings.

Part three covers themes and plugins. It explains how to install and activate themes and plugins and how to customize them to fit your needs. This section also covers important topics such as website security and optimization.

Finally, part four covers advanced topics such as custom post types, taxonomies, and WordPress Multisite. Overall, “Pro WordPress Guide for Beginners” provides a comprehensive overview of WordPress, covering everything from the basics to advanced topics.

9. WordPress: Pushing the Limits by Rachel McCollin

The book’s authors offer various strategies for approaching WordPress challenges and selecting the best solutions for each situation. The book also guides key aspects of web development, such as hosting and development environments, theme building, and contingency planning.

Additionally, the book covers essential programming languages for web development, such as HTML, PHP, JavaScript, and CSS.

Ultimately, the goal of WordPress: Pushing the Limits is to help readers benefit from the insights of seasoned WordPress programmers and create successful websites for their clients. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced WordPress user, this book offers a wealth of knowledge and practical advice to help you develop advanced websites that compete in today’s challenging marketplace.

10. Teach Yourself VISUALLY WordPress by George Plumley

To build your blog using WordPress, Teach Yourself VISUALLY WordPress, 3rd Edition by George Plumley, is a must-read. This book will introduce you to WordPress and guide you through every step of the process – from coming up with ideas to executing your plan.

This updated edition covers all the latest changes and features of WordPress, including mobile blogging solutions that allow you to post on the go. With plenty of screenshots and real-life examples from the author’s WordPress blogs, this visual guide will easily take you through the entire setup and creation process.

No matter your skill level, Teach Yourself VISUALLY WordPress, 3rd Edition, will provide all the answers you need and help you get organized and published quickly. You’ll learn how to customize your site with plugins, themes, personalized editing, and blog from anywhere with mobile solutions.

The book also covers buying your domain, choosing a hosting service, and setting up the admin panel. Plus, you’ll discover the best practices for creating engaging and dynamic websites that will keep your readers returning for more. Whether building a personal brand, promoting a business, or simply having something to say, this guide to building your blog is essential to get started.

11. WordPress: The Missing Manual: The Book That Should Have Been in the Box by Matthew MacDonald

If you are new to WordPress, navigating the platform and its various features can be overwhelming. Fortunately, plenty of resources are available to help you get started, including the book “WordPress: The Missing Manual” by Matthew MacDonald.

“WordPress: The Missing Manual” is an essential guide for beginners looking to set up and manage their own WordPress website. One thing that sets “WordPress: The Missing Manual” apart from other WordPress guides is its clear and concise language. MacDonald’s writing is easy to understand, and he avoids using technical jargon that might confuse beginners. Instead, he explains concepts in a straightforward manner that is easy to follow.

The book is also incredibly comprehensive. It covers everything from basic WordPress features to more advanced topics, such as creating custom post types and working with APIs. The book is well-organized, with each chapter focusing on a specific aspect of WordPress.

Another benefit of “WordPress: The Missing Manual” is its focus on practical, hands-on learning. Throughout the book, MacDonald provides step-by-step instructions for performing various tasks in WordPress. He also includes plenty of screenshots and illustrations to help readers visualize the process.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, WordPress is a powerful platform with endless possibilities. From creating a simple blog to developing custom themes and plugins, there’s something for everyone. However, with so many features and options, it can be overwhelming. That’s where these top 10 WordPress books come in. They are an excellent resource for beginners looking to get started and experienced developers looking to take their skills to the next level. So, pick up a book today and start learning!