You Have Arrived.
As a Site Content Editor (SCE), mastering more than basic edits is essential. Learn to navigate the WordPress (WP) backend, explore the editor interface, and understand your dashboard and top toolbar in both editing and public views.
Visit our support and training page to schedule a session with the Web Services Specialist.
SCE Exercise
Task:
- Log into your website to follow along.
Forgot how to log in? No problem!
For department websites: https://yoursubdomain.kzoo.edu/wp-admin (i.e your URL followed by /wp-admin)
For kzoo.edu websites: https://www.kzoo.edu/wp-login.php
For blogs.kzoo.edu: https://blogs.kzoo.edu/wp-login.php
Welcome to Your Dashboard!
The Dashboard is the first place you will come to every time you log into your site. It is where you will find all your WordPress tools. Let’s review what your Dashboard Screen presents:
The Dashboard screen presents information in blocks called widgets. By default, WordPress delivers five widgets on this page: At a Glance, Activity, Quick Draft, WordPress Events and News, and Welcome while Web Services provides additional widgets for you as an SCE.
The following widgets provide SCEs the most useful information for their website management:
Are you looking to customize your dashboard? No problem! Each widget can be expanded or contracted by clicking on the widget title bar.
To move a widget, hover the mouse cursor over the widget title bar. When the mouse cursor changes to four arrows, hold the left mouse button down, drag the widget to where you want to place it, and then release the mouse button (this cursor motion is called drag and drop).
Navigation & Toolbar
The left navigation and top toolbar are your main navigation tools in WordPress. Each option contains sub-items, and visibility varies based on your SCE role.
Left-hand navigation menu
The left-hand navigation menu provides links to all of the WordPress SCE screens, with submenu items displayed on hover. You can minimize this menu to a narrow icon strip by clicking on the “Collapse Menu” arrow at the bottom.
Note that depending on the SCE’s role, there may be different links and screens available in the left-hand navigation menu.
Standard menu options for Designers are:
- Posts
- Media
- Forms
- Pages
- Comments
- Appearance
- Users
- Profile
Does your left-navigation menu go away when you start editing a page or post? Learn how to adjust your settings in the Block Editor to keep it present at all time.
Toolbar – Editing View
Links in the Toolbar at the top of the screen connect your dashboard and the front end of your site, and provide access to your profile and other WordPress information.
Available options in the editing view:
- WordPress icon – Provides general WordPress resources. We do not recommend using these “out-of-the-box” resources as they do not align with our customized editing experience.
- My Sites – Lists websites where you have editing access or are a WordPress subscriber. Subscribing (e.g., via form submission) does not grant editing privileges or email notifications for blog updates.
- Your Site Name – This option will show you the public view of your website.
- Comments – Notifies editors of audience comments on blog posts.
- + New – Click to create a new blog post. Hover to access options for new posts, media, pages, or forms.
- Forms – Opens the Gravity Forms screen listing all forms. Hover for quick access to recent forms or to create a new one.
- Howdy, Your Name – Click to access your profile. Hover for links to profile settings and to log out.
Toolbar – Public View
When you are logged into your WordPress website and using the public view, your top toolbar options will change a bit.
Available options in the public view:
- WordPress icon – Provides general WordPress resources. We do not recommend using these “out-of-the-box” resources as they do not align with our customized editing experience.
- My Sites – Lists websites where you have editing access or are a WordPress subscriber. Subscribing (e.g., via form submission) does not grant editing privileges or email notifications for blog updates.
- Your Site Name (Option Change) – Returns you to the Dashboard. Sub-options include Dashboard, Widgets, and Menus.
- Customize (New Option) -Allows SCE Designers to edit the header, menus, and footer widget with a live preview, including mobile and tablet views.
- Comments – Notifies editors of audience comments on blog posts.
- + New – Click to create a new blog post. Hover to access options for new posts, media, pages, or forms.
- Forms – Opens the Gravity Forms screen listing all forms. Hover for quick access to recent forms or to create a new one.
- Howdy, Your Name – Click to access your profile. Hover for links to profile settings and to log out.
- Magnifying Glass icon (New Option) – Opens a search field to search within your website.