Installing GeneratePress and Cleaning Up the Starter Site

Hi there. I know you might have already installed this theme in the first lesson, but I have to begin with the first things first to teach just another lesson in this post. So, let's goooo!

Now that you’ve chosen a beginner-friendly theme, the next step is to install it properly and prepare a clean foundation. Most new members skip this cleanup step, and that is why their site feels messy before they even start. Follow the steps below to set up a smooth, stable starting point.

Step 1: Log Into Your WordPress Dashboard
Go to your WA SiteManager and click Log In.
You should land on your WordPress dashboard.

Step 2: Go to Appearance → Themes
On the left menu, click Appearance → Themes.
Select Add New and search for GeneratePress.
Choose the version by Tom Usborne.
Click Install → Activate.

(Ignore this is done already)

Your site now runs on GeneratePress.

Step 3: Remove Extra Themes
Keeping extra themes slows down your site and creates clutter.
Inside Appearance → Themes:
Delete everything except GeneratePress.
This keeps things simple for beginners. Select a theme and scroll down until you see the "Delete" button.
TIP: Keep Twenty-Twenty-Five theme because it's a default theme. WordPress recommends you have a default theme installed even if not activated. This is a security feature, just in case your active theme fails for a reason.

Step 4: Remove Demo Content
Most new WordPress installations include sample posts and pages. These confuse beginners later.
Go to Posts → All Posts → Trash the “Hello World” post.
Go to Pages → All Pages → Trash “Sample Page.”
Now empty the trash in both sections, (Posts and Pages sections).

Step 5: Turn Off Unnecessary Widgets
Widgets are old WordPress tools. They often show up in sidebars even when you don’t want them.
Go to Appearance → Widgets.
Remove anything added by default.
For now, keep your site clean and empty.

Step 6: Adjust Permalink Settings
This step helps your URLs look clean.
Go to Settings → Permalinks.
Select Post Name.
Click Save Changes.

Step 7: Set Your Homepage Structure
Go to Settings → Reading.
For now, select “Your latest posts.”
This keeps everything simple until we build your homepage manually in a later lesson.

Step 8: Remove Unneeded Plugins
A fresh install sometimes comes with extra plugins you will never use.
Go to Plugins → Installed Plugins.
Delete anything you do not understand or recognize.
Keep only the essentials WA installed for security and speed. Keep Google Site Kit, SEO Framework, any other essential plugin preinstalled. Remove the rest that are less important.

Step 9: Clean Your Media Library
Go to Media → Library.
Delete any sample images or icons that came with WordPress.
A clean library keeps things organized.

Step 10: Test Your Site
Click your site name at the top left and select Visit Site. Or open a new tab and copy and paste your homepage URL there to view the changes on another tab while keeping the one for WordPress dashboard active. This helps to avoid the back and force movements in you use one tab only.
You should now see a clean, empty GeneratePress site with no sample content and no clutter.

Your site is now ready for real building. You are starting from a stable base, which prevents the frustrations beginners often face when they skip these steps.

That’s it for today! Let me know what you think about this post in the comments below.