How to remove the default WordPress content
The "Hello world!" post, the "Sample Page" and the "Just another WordPress site" tagline come with every install. Delete or replace them before launch.
Step by step, with screenshots: Hello world and Sample Page: cleaning up after a WordPress install →
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What it is
Default WordPress content is what the installer creates on every new site: a post called "Hello world!" with a sample comment, a "Sample Page", and on sites installed before WordPress 6.1, the tagline "Just another WordPress site".
Left online, these pages look unfinished to visitors and give Google thin, generic pages to index next to your real ones. The tagline is the most visible: many themes and SEO plugins put it in the home page title, so it appears in search results and link previews.
OK looks like this: the sample post and page are deleted or replaced, the trash is emptied, and the tagline under Settings → General either says what the site offers or is empty. getReport checks for the default post, page and tagline.
What a passing site looks like
- The default "Hello world!" post and "Sample Page" are gonewarning · −1.5 ptseffort S
- The site has its own taglinewarning · −1 ptseffort S
1. Default WordPress content
Why it matters. The "Hello world!" post and the "Sample Page" are created by the installer. Leaving them online looks unfinished to visitors and gives Google two thin pages to index.
- Delete the "Hello world!" post (Posts → All Posts) and the "Sample Page" (Pages → All Pages), then empty the trash.
- If they already rank, redirect them to a real page instead of deleting.
2. The tagline is still "Just another WordPress site"
Why it matters. The default tagline appears in the title tag, link previews and search results of the home page. It tells everyone the site was never finished.
- Go to Settings → General and write a tagline that says what the site offers in a few words.
- Check the home page title in your SEO plugin afterwards; some templates append the tagline.
Questions people ask
What is a tagline in WordPress?
The tagline is a short line that describes your site, set under Settings → General next to the Site Title. Themes may show it under the logo, and many put it in the home page's title tag, so it can appear in search results and link previews. Write a few words about what you offer, or leave it empty.
Where does the WordPress tagline appear?
It depends on the theme and SEO plugin: often under the site title in the header, in the home page's <title> as "Site name | Tagline", in RSS feeds and in some link previews. Check your home page's title in the SEO plugin after changing it, because some templates add the tagline automatically.
How do you remove Hello world from WordPress?
Go to Posts → All Posts, move "Hello world!" to the trash and empty the trash; do the same for "Sample Page" under Pages. If the post already ranks or has links, redirect its URL to a real page instead of deleting it. Delete the sample comment too, under Comments.
How do you change the WordPress tagline?
Go to Settings → General, edit the Tagline field and save; in block themes you can also edit the Site Tagline block in the Site Editor. Write what the site offers in a few words, or clear the field. Then purge your cache so the new text reaches visitors and search engines.