YOUR GUIDE TO:

BASIC WEBSITE EDITING

Congratulations, you launched your brand-new website for your business!

Now, it’s time to learn how to make updates and add to it for best digital marketing practices. Want to learn more?

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GLOSSARY

  • Website Access
  • Dashboard
  • Contact Info
    • Basic Site Info
    • Editing a Content Block
  • Blog
    • Adding a Blog
    • Editing a Current Blog
    • Blog Categories
  • Media Library
  • Pages
  • Editing Content (Link to the Pages section – just another place for users to find)
  • Advanced Custom Fields (Menus, agents, etc.)
    • Client Reviews/Testimonials
  • Update Bar
  • Forms
    • Editing a Current Form
    • Adding a New Form
    • Changing the Recipient Email for Forms
    • Where to find Form Entries
  • Reusables
  • WooCommerce
    • Product Editing
    • Product Import/Export
    • Adding Variable Products
  • Footer
    • Editing the Footer
    • Adding a Widget
  • Social Media
    • Adding Social Media to Footer
    • Adding Social Media to a Page via Content Block
  • Main Menu
    • Editing the Main Menu
    • Adding a Page to the Main Menu (section already exists)
    • Removing a Page from the Main Menu

WEBSITE ACCESS

Logging In


To access the backend of your website, go to your browser and type in your domain, followed by, “wp-admin”

Example: yourwebsitename.com/wp-admin
🛈 Bookmark this link for easy access!

Once the login screen loads, enter your credentials and select, “Log In

To reset your password, select “Lost your password?

Users


Any person(s) who has access to your website can be found under, “Users” in the black charcoal bar on the left side of your dashboard.


To add a New User, simply click “Add New.


To edit a User, click “Edit.” To send a password reset, click “Send password reset.

DASHBOARD

Your WordPress Dashboard


The dashboard is the first place you are brought to when you log in. This is the main screen of your admin area. Feel free to explore the shortcut opportunities here, but any changes you need to make will live under the black, charcoal bar on the left.

Contact Info

Editing Your Site's Contact Info


In recent developments (2023), contact info lives under Website Settings → Basic Site Info

Once you updated the contact information here, the contact info is dynamically changed throughout the site.

🛈 Sometimes contact info on a page is set up in a content block. If contact info is not changing after following the steps above, you can change the information this way.

Blog

Blog Entries


To add a new blog post, navigate to Posts → Add New

Then, fill out the fields from top to bottom making sure to include the Name, Body text, Category, and Featured image!


To edit an existing blog post, navigate to Posts → All Posts

Then, hover over the post title you would like to edit, and click “Edit.

Once you’ve made your edit, make sure to hit “Update” in the Publish box.


To manage your Blog categories, navigate to Posts → Categories

Here you can add a new category, or edit a current one.

🛈 Adding Categories to your posts make it easy for users to find similar posts!

Media Library

Adding Media To Your Library


Your Media Library is where all media that lives on your website is stored. (Images, videos, PDFs, etc!)

You can either drag and drop new files into the library, or you can upload using the “Add New” button.

Pages

Your Website's Pages


Pages is a collection of all the “pages” that make up your website.

Navigate to Pages → All Pages

🛈 From here, you can also see the Status of your pages

Page Status


To change the status of a page, hover over the page title and click Quick Edit. Choose a page status, then Update.

🛈 Changing the Status is useful if you want to temporarily hide a page from your website. For example, you can create a page for a special event and keep it as a draft. When the event is live, change it to published to make it visible. After the event, you can change it back to draft instead of deleting it.

Creating A New Page


To create a new page, click New Page in the Pages menu

Adding A New Page To The Main Menu


In the charcoal sidebar menu, hover over Appearance and click on Menus.


In the Select a menu to edit dropdown, select Main and click Select


Find and select the page you want to add to the Main Menu. Then click Add To Menu.
🛈 You can view all pages or search by selecting the tabs near the top


Your selection will be at the bottom of the list of pages. Drag and drop the gray tile to the position you want. When you’re done, click Save Menu near the bottom of the page.

🛈 You can also “nest” your page within another menu item. While dragging, move the tile slightly to the right. It will snap into place and nest under the tile above it

Editing a Current Page


To edit a current Page on your website, navigate to Pages and select the Page that you would like to edit from the list. (Either click on the page name, or select Edit while hovering over the Page title).

This will open WP Bakery, your page editing tool! In the example below, we are editing the page titled, “WordPress Editing Page Example

Rows, Columns, & Content Blocks


The Rows, columns, and content blocks in WP Bakery make up everything that is being displayed on your website.

Rows


Rows are the main content element of your site. Rows house columns, and the columns house your content (company verbiage, images, etc.) in content blocks.

You can identify a section as a row when there is a drag handler attached to the row settings (the pencil icon). In the image below we have a standard row, and also an “inner row” shown in red.

Columns


Columns are part of the rows, and they hold all your content blocks.

In the image below we have a standard row, and also an “inner row” shown in red. The columns are circled in green. 

Content Blocks


Content Blocks are how we show off text, images, and the rest of your content within the columns.

In the image below the content blocks are X’d in pink.


All content blocks have the same hover options. (Edit, Clone, & Delete)

Pencil Icon = Edit

Clone Icon = Duplicate the content/Make a copy

X Icon = Delete

The drag handler circled in green allows you to move the content block to any column you want.

Publish Box


The publish box is going to be your best friend when it comes to making edits to your website.


All content blocks have the same hover options. (Edit, Clone, & Delete)

Pencil Icon = Edit

Clone Icon = Duplicate the content/Make a copy

X Icon = Delete

The drag handler circled in green allows you to move the content block to any column you want.

Headers


When you are ready to edit a header, simply hover over the element and click on the pencil icon.

Enter the new Header under, “Title” and click Save changes. This is not a live save! you must Update the Page after Save Changes in order for the change to be live. 

Textblocks


First, find a textbox you want to edit. If you hover over the section, a green box will appear with Text Box on it. Click the Pencil icon to edit the text.

Edit the text the way you like. When you are done, be sure to click Save Changes.
🛈 I see text on the front end of my website, but the text block is blank! Sometimes the text is colored white. In the backend, you won’t be able to see it. Simply click into the text editing window and press CTRL+A. This highlights any text so you can see it.

Editing a ``Single Image``


Find the image block you would like to change, hover over it, and click the pencil icon.

You can see a preview of the image in the window. Click the red X to remove it. Click the green + to add a new one from the media library.

You can also change the size of the image in the Image size field. You can type dimensions the word full to adjust the size. (See the note below the Image size box for details)


🛈 You also might find it useful to turn your image into a button. To add a link, go to the On click action dropdown and select the Open custom link option. You can then add any url link you like.

FORMS

Forms


You can see all the forms on your website by navigating to Forms on the left side menu.

Hover over any form title to Edit, review Entries, or adjust the form’s Settings. 

To edit a form, click on a current field and adjust the settings on the right. Make sure to click, Save Form when you are happy with the changes. You can also Preview the form, first.

To edit where the form is SENT (aka who on your team will receive the contact form submissions), go to Settings → Notifications.

To view form submissions, click on Entries. 

Reusables

Using Reusables On Your Website


You can turn any individual or group of blocks into reusable blocks. For example, let’s say you have a Paragraph block and button that you often place at the end of your pages. To avoid remaking the same content each time, you can make this content into a reusable block.

Creating a Reusable


In the charcoal sidebar menu, hover over Reusables and click on Add New.


Use Rows, Columns, and Content Blocks to create your design.

🛈 Be sure to Publish/Update your reusable after finishing.


Navigate to the page you want the Reusable on. On the left side menu, scroll down to the Reusables section.  Set Reusables to Enabled. 

If you want your Reusable at the top of the page, enable Reusables Before. If you want them on the bottom of your page, select Reusables After.


🛈 In this example, we are adding a reusable to the bottom of this page.

Click into the text box under the section you are adding to (Before or After). A list of your reusables will appear. Click the one you want to add.


The order the gray tiles are in is the order they will be on your page. Click and drag the tiles to the order you want.

When you are done, be sure to update your page by clicking the Update button near the top.


🛈 Here is what the reusables look like on the website.

Footer

Your Website Footer


The Footer is the information that lives on the bottom of your website. It contains important information like contact info, hours, and your mission statement.

Editing The Footer


In the charcoal sidebar menu, hover over Appearance and click on Widgets.

🛈 Why is it called Widgets? Widgets are small apps that are used as shortcuts on your website. A collection of Widgets is what makes up your Footer.


The gray tiles on the left are Widgets and the white blocks on the left is the structure that holds them (Footer).


Swivel open the white blocks by clicking the gray triangle.  Now you can see what kind of information lives in each section of the footer.


Swivel open the gray tiles blocks by clicking the gray triangle.  This shows what content is in that section. From here, you can delete or change the content. When you are done making your edits, be sure to click Save in the section you are working in.

🛈 What is [Basic Site Info]? Where can I change my business information? Basic Site Info is a shortcut that pulls information from the Basic Site Info section of your website automatically. To change this information, follow the steps here.

Adding a Widget


In the charcoal sidebar menu, hover over Appearance and click on Widgets.


The gray tiles on the left are Widgets you can add to your Footer.


Swivel open the gray block you want to add by clicking the gray triangle.  Select the location you would like to place it from the dropdown. Click Add Widget.


The Widget will now appear under the section you selected. You can then add your content. Click save to finish.

Social Media

Social Media Shortcodes


A Shortcode is a small piece of code that pulls information from another part of the website. In this case, we use the shortcode [site_socials]. This pulls the information from Basic Site Info and inserts it already formatted correctly.

Adding Social Media To The Footer


In the charcoal sidebar menu, hover over Website Settings and click on Basic Site Info.


From here, you can view and edit your basic site info, including your Social media info in the Socials tab


Click on the Shortcodes tab to view the available shortcodes for your website. We’ll be using [site_socials]. Highlight and copy this text.


In the charcoal sidebar menu, hover over Appearance and click on Widgets.


The gray tiles on the left are Widgets you can add to your Footer.


Swivel open Custom HTML.  Select the location you would like to place it from the dropdown. Click Add Widget.


Paste your shortcode into the box, and click Save. Now your site’s social media info will be automatically inserted and formatted in your footer.

Adding Social Media To Pages Using HTML Content Block


Click the gray plus mark to add a content block to a row or column.
🛈 See Rows, Columns, & Content Blocks for more info.


In the Add Element window, search for Raw HTML. Click it to add to your page.


Type in or paste the shortcode [site_socials] into this box. Click Save Changes.


Click Update to save your page. Now your site’s social media info will be automatically inserted and formatted on your page.

Main Menu

Your Website Menu


The Main Menu bar is the way visitors navigate your website. It usually lives at the top of the screen but might be on the left or right depending on your design. It houses the main pages of your site, and can also be nested for better organization.

Editing The Main Menu


In the charcoal sidebar menu, hover over Appearance and click on Menus.


In the Select a menu to edit dropdown, select Main and click Select


The gray tiles are the page links that are in your menu. You can drag and drop them to the position you want. When you’re done, click Save Menu near the bottom of the page.


🛈 You can also “nest” your page within another menu item. While dragging, move the tile slightly to the right. It will snap into place and nest under the tile above it

Adding A New Page To The Main Menu


In the charcoal sidebar menu, hover over Appearance and click on Menus.


In the Select a menu to edit dropdown, select Main and click Select


Find and select the page you want to add to the Main Menu. Then click Add To Menu.
🛈 You can view all pages or search by selecting the tabs near the top


Your selection will be at the bottom of the list of pages. Drag and drop the gray tile to the position you want. When you’re done, click Save Menu near the bottom of the page.

Deleting A Page From The Main Menu


In the charcoal sidebar menu, hover over Appearance and click on Menus.


In the Select a menu to edit dropdown, select Main and click Select


Find the gray tile with the page you want to delete

🛈 This only deletes the page from the menu. The page will still live under the Pages section


Click the black arrow to swivel open more settings. Here, you can click the Remove button. When you’re done, click Save Menu near the bottom of the page.

READY TO GET STARTED?
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