After you login, you will see three major areas to your site: the Dashboard, the left navigation area, and the admin bar at the top.

Screenshot of the WordPress Dashboard

1. Dashboard – This is the first screen you see when you log in. The layout can be changed based on your preferences. To edit your Dashboard, click the Screen Options  button in the upper-right corner of the screen.

2. Left Navigation – The main navigation is on the left side of the Dashboard.  Hover your mouse over a menu item to display all submenu options under that item.  You can return to the Dashboard at any time by clicking Dashboard at the top of the navigation.  Additionally, you can collapse the main navigation to the left of the screen by clicking Collapse Navigation at the bottom of the menu.  The left main navigation will be available regardless of where you are in the site.

3. Admin bar – The admin bar at the top of the screen allows you to navigate to different areas inside your site(s) and profile information. It will be available regardless of where you are in the site. From left to right, you have the following options:

My Sites – When you hover over the My Sites link, you will see the list of sites that you own. Click My Sites to view the My Sites page.

The name of the site you’re currently editing – From editing mode, click the name of the site to preview it. From preview mode, click the name of the site again to go directly to the site’s Dashboard page.

Comment bubble – The comment bubble will indicate all new comments for the site you’re currently editing. Click the comment bubble to go directly to the Comments page.

+ New – Hover over the + New button to see its submenu. The submenu allows you to quickly add posts, media, links, pages, or users to the site.