12 Best WordPress Books to Read in 2021

If you are a bookworm and a blogger in one, the best WordPress books should be in your library. It may sound old-school now that almost all information is found on the internet, but books may still be one of the best ways to learn about something. There is a wide variety of books about WordPress. There are beginner-friendly books with introductions and how-tos while there are still books for experts and professionals that focus more on the technical side of WordPress. There are books for bloggers and writers, for SEO and data analysts, to WordPress books for designers and coders.

This post may summarize just that and which options are the best, depending on the content you are looking for. Here are some of the best WordPress books to read in 2021:

Introductions, How-tos, and Beginner-friendly books

WordPress for Dummies

Author: Lisa Sabin-Wilson

Kindle Price: $18

Paperback Price: $25.36

Already in its 9th edition, this book helps readers learn all aspects of WordPress in the simplest and least overwhelming approach. Teaches basics on how to customize themes, add plugins, and create a post. Basically, this book considers its readers as users of established WordPress websites. Mainly focuses to help bloggers and editors navigate through WordPress as a content management system, and less on the technical aspects of it.

WordPress: the Missing Manual

Author: Matthew MacDonald

Kindle Price: $30.99

Paperback Price: $33.86

The full title is WordPress: The Missing Manual: The book that should have been in the box. Unlike the first book, this beginner’s manual teaches users how to use WordPress in building a website. It boasts of being jargon-free that teaches basics on setting up WordPress, creating a website, and adding features to it. It also teaches basics on how to use backup tools for the website. Not only that, but it also gives tips on how to use SEO and site statistics in attracting a following. If you are looking for an all-in-one resource, this might be the best to read.

WordPress for Beginners 2020

Author: Dr. Andy Williams

Kindle Price: $4.49 but free for Kindle Unlimited Users

Paperback Price: $12.99

This is only one of the wide collections published by Dr. Andy Williams about WordPress. It is the latest release so it pretty much covers the latest version of WordPress. What is great about this book is that each step-by-step tutorial has screenshots to support it. The book teaches everything from the beginning – how to set up web hosting and domain registrations. How to properly install (the right version) of WordPress. How to use and install WordPress themes. And more. This is a great book to read if you want detailed instructions on how to set up a website to how to manage it.

1-Hour WordPress 2020

Author: Dr. Andy Williams

Kindle Price: $3.69 but free for Kindle Unlimited Users

Paperback Price: $11.99

Can you imagine learning everything you need about WordPress in just under an hour? This is exactly what this book promises its readers. The goal – to teach ANYONE how to build a fully functional WordPress site in less than an hour. If you are creating a website on a whim, and need it ASAP for a small project but have no budget to hire seasoned designers, then maybe this is worth a try.

SEO, Data analysis, and Management books

SEO for WordPress

Author: Kent Mauresmo

Kindle Price: $5.97

Paperback Price: $5.97

Also, SEO for WordPress: How to get your website on Page #1 of Google… Fast! Teaches a lot of things about permalinks, correct tag usage, image optimization, keyword analysis, and advanced keyword research. Pretty much everything SEO is here.

Make Money Blogging

Author: Lee Sebastian

Kindle Price: $2.99 but free for Kindle Unlimited Users

Paperback Price: $13.38

Also, Make Money Blogging: How to Set Up a Blog on Your Own Self-Hosted Domain and Make Money. There is very technical information here that teaches passionate writers not only to become successful bloggers but also to learn how to manage websites to make them more profitable.

How to Blog for Profit without Selling Your Soul

Author: Ruth Soukup

Kindle Price:$9.99

An Amazon Best Seller, this is the content creator’s best friend. It teaches how to create action plans on how to produce a profitable blog. It also helps readers on improving productivity and more.

SEO for WordPress Power Bloggers

Author: Karen Callahan

Kindle Price: $3.97 but free for Kindle Unlimited Users

SEO is indeed essential knowledge for bloggers and content creators. It is important to master it so it could be used to your advantage. This book teaches how to use SEO specifically for WordPress websites.

Building, Coding, Design, and Development with WordPress

WordPress Security 2020 for WebMasters

Author: Dr. Andy Williams

Kindle Price: $3.69 but free for Kindle Unlimited Users,

Paperback Price: $8.99

Security is one of the most technical, and most important, pieces of knowledge every WordPress user must know and understand. It is a crucial aspect of website building that could save you from completely losing a website and its content. This book focuses on how to tighten up security for WordPress websites and how to prevent hackers from getting in.

Building Web Apps with WordPress

Author: Brian Messenlehner

Paperback Price: $34.99

This is a great book to read for seasoned programmers who are new to WordPress website building. It compares design and development using WordPress with the usual programming languages like PHP, CSS, and more. It also gives ideas on how to build customized plugins for personal use. A great book to read for seasoned programmers.

WordPress Theme Development

Author: Rachel McCollin

If you want to expand your knowledge beyond creating and building WordPress sites, this is a great go-to book. How do you build your first WordPress theme? Which language is best to use for this? This is a great book to read if you want a bit of a challenge.

WordPress 5 Cookbook

Author: Rakhitha Nimesh Ratnayake

This book familiarizes uses with common problems encountered when building WordPress websites. It also teaches what kinds of solutions are available and how to avoid such problems. It is a great book that is newly published and is worth a read.