Getting Started

Let’s Get Started

Web Services here! We’re excited to collaborate with you. This page has everything you need to get started on a new or existing website.

Our goals:

  • Maintain a usable, accessible, and consistent web presence.
  • Support departments across campus through strong collaboration.
  • Empower Site Content Editors (SCEs) with the skills and confidence to edit effectively.

We look forward to working with you!

On this Page:

Requesting a New Website or Blog

If you are looking to start a new website for a department at the College or if you are a Kalamazoo College employee looking to create a blog hosted at blogs.kzoo.edu, contact WebServices@kzoo.edu to request your space today!

Web Services will work with you on your layouts and content strategy. When you are ready to launch, we will conduct tests for quality assurance, brand compliance, and ADA compliance tests during a “soft launch” phase. Hard launch happens when we add it to the search indexes and link to it from global navigation and sitemaps.

The timeline depends on the size of your site and the time you put into building it out. Typically, we have found this takes one to three months.

Adding an Editor to Your Website

To add an editor to your website please contact WebServices@kzoo.edu with the following information:

  • The new editor’s name
  • Whether they are a student, faculty, or staff member of the College
  • A description of the tasks you would like them to carry out on the website

Note: Whether they be a student, faculty, or staff member of the College, if you are looking to add an editor to your website they must follow the new editor onboarding process to ensure ADA compliance among other usability and quality assurance standards.

New Editor Onboarding Process

  1. Review the Kalamazoo College web policies
  2. Sign the agreement form
  3. Complete the Site Content Editor (SCE) and Manager Responsibility section of the WordPress Editor Training on Moodle and score at least a 9/10 on the quiz.
  4. Sign-up for your WordPress 101 training by booking a training with Katrina Frank, the Web Services Specialist.
    • Note: All SCEs must complete a 45 minute – 1 hour WordPress 101 training with Web Services before gaining access to your new website. Additionally, if you are anticipating using features like electronic forms, handbooks, tables, etc. this will require multiple trainings.
  5. For new sites, wait for word from Web Services that it has been set up.
  6. Edit or build your website! See the login help section to get access to your website.

Login Help

Where do I log in?

For kzoo.edu: https://www.kzoo.edu/wp-login.php

For blogs.kzoo.edu: https://blogs.kzoo.edu/wp-login.php

For department sites: https://yoursubdomain.kzoo.edu/wp-admin (i.e your URL followed by /wp-admin)

What’s my password?

Your WordPress account is linked to your K account, so the password is the same as your email password.

If you have trouble logging into your website please contact WebServices@kzoo.edu.

Learning How to Edit

The Gutenberg Block Editor

The Gutenberg Block Editor is what SCEs will be using to edit WordPress pages. As a block-based editor, it replaces the classic WordPress editor (as seen with the www.kzoo.edu site and blogs.kzoo.edu) with lots of individual “blocks.” These blocks then allow you to build more complex designs than those allowed in the classic WordPress editor.

Are you eager to see the editor? Try out the Gutenberg block editor demo.

Note: this demo does not have the same library of blocks or patterns and doesn’t follow the College’s branding requirements. Instead, this demo is meant to give SCE’s a preview of their options and how to add blocks.

SCE Learning Resources

There are multiple ways SCEs can learn how to learn WordPress and the Web Services team is here to help. Our goal is to make all SCEs feel empowered in their editing abilities. We do so through:

  • Training and Support – SCEs can schedule one-on-one or group trainings with the Web Services Specialist.
  • Instruction and Documentation – For SCEs that like to follow video and text instructions, we offer a variety of guides.
  • The WordPress SCE Team – All SCEs are added to the WP SCE Microsoft Team after they have completed their onboarding training. Here, over 100 other SCEs are in community and have a safe space for questions and getting support.
  • WordPress Glossary – This resource might be of use as you are learning WP terminology.

Please note that we want to help SCEs learn in the way that works best for their learning style. With that said, most SCEs use a combination of these resources to gain editing skills.

K Main Website and Blogs Editors

Edit a Page

To edit a page, first log in and then access the page in one of two ways:

  • From your website: Navigate to the webpage you wish to edit. On the black/gray bar at the top of the screen, click EDIT PAGE
  • From the WordPress admin: Click the “Pages” option in your left menu.

From the “Pages” screen, click the linked name of the page you wish to edit.

Create a New Page (or Post)

After logging in, locate the gray/black menu bar at the top of the screen. Hover over the +New o

Working Remotely

Live sites can be edited from home or anywhere you have access to the web. If your site is new and has not been launched yet, see Information on continuing a build remotely page for more details on how to access your WordPress editor off campus.