Knowledgebase

Adding a New Page

Navigate to Media → Pages in the Site Manager to view all your website pages in a hierarchical tree structure. You can expand or collapse page branches to see the full organization of your site.

Click the "Create page" button to open the page properties form. Pages are created in two steps:

1. Configure page properties (this guide) - settings and appearance
2. Add content (separate process) - actual page content using sections

Page Properties Overview

Basic Information Section

This section defines your page's identity and how it appears in URLs:

• Title: The main heading that appears in navigation and at the top of the page
• Page Name: The URL-friendly name (e.g., "about-us" becomes "yoursite.com/about-us.html")
• Optional Redirect: Send visitors to a different page or external website instead of showing content

Tip: Leave the page name blank when creating a new page, and the system will automatically generate it from your title.

Menus Section

Control where your page appears in your site's navigation. You can show a page in multiple navigation areas or hide it entirely:

• Main Menu: Your primary site navigation bar
• Dropdown Menu: Secondary navigation that appears under parent pages
• Subpage Menu: Navigation that appears within the page's content area
• Mega Menu: Large dropdown with rich content (useful for sites with many pages)

Each menu type lets you customize the text that appears, which can differ from the page title if needed.

Common scenarios:

• Most pages appear in the Main Menu
• Hide pages from navigation when they're linked from content but shouldn't be in menus
• Use Mega Menus for complex sites with many subsections

Panels Section

Panels are reusable content blocks that appear in specific locations. This section lets you choose which panels display on this page in various positions throughout your site's template:

• Sidebar positions (Side 1-2): For navigation, quick links, or supplementary content
• Middle positions (Middle 1-4): Content areas within the main page body
• Lower positions (Lower 1-4): Content areas below the main content
• Bottom positions (Bottom 1-2): Footer-like areas at the page bottom

Each position can be set to:

• Default: Use whatever the template defines
• None: Show nothing in this location
• Custom Panel: Select a specific panel you've created

Tip: Panels are powerful for showing different sidebars or content blocks on different pages while keeping your main content separate.

Page Title Block Section

This section controls the header area at the top of your page - that prominent banner area that typically shows your page title and breadcrumb navigation.

Show Page Title Block determines whether you use the template default, customize it for this page, or hide it completely.

When customizing, you control:

Layout & Content:

• How the title and breadcrumbs align (left, center, right; top, middle, bottom)
• Whether to show the title, breadcrumbs, both, or neither
• Width (standard or full-width) and height for desktop and mobile

Appearance:

• Theme (light or dark styles, with optional shadows/glows)
• Background color
• Background images (use template defaults or select specific images for this page)

Background Behavior (for images):

• Whether the background scrolls with the page or stays fixed
• Image positioning and how it repeats or covers the area

Common uses:

• Large banner images for important pages
• Consistent colored headers for section pages
• Hidden title blocks for special landing pages

Images Section

Select up to 5 images to use in your page title block when "Random Image" background type is selected. The system will randomly choose one of your selected images each time the page loads, creating visual variety.

Security Section

Control who can access this page. Most pages are public, but you can add protection when needed:

Use Page Protection enables security features, which offers several access types:

• Username and password: One set of credentials for all authorized users
• Passcode: A simple code anyone can enter
• Any account login: Any registered customer can access
• Specific accounts: Only selected customer accounts have access

You can also choose to apply protection to all subpages beneath this page.

Common uses:

• Member-only content
• Private ministry pages
• Internal documents or schedules
• Registration-required resources

Meta Tags Section

Information for search engines and social media. These don't appear on your page but help with:

• Description: What appears in search results (keep under 160 characters)
• Keywords: Relevant search terms for your content
• Author, Email, Copyright: Ownership and contact information
• Robots settings: Control how search engines index your page
• Google verification codes: For Google Search Console setup

Tip: Write unique, compelling descriptions for important pages. Generic descriptions don't help visitors find your content.

After Creating a Page

Adding Content

Creating a page through page properties only sets up the structure and settings. To add actual content:

1. Return to the Pages list
2. Click "Edit" (not "Page Properties") next to your page
3. Add sections using the content editor (text, images, galleries, calendars, etc.)
4. Save your content

Testing Your Page

Before making a page public:

• View it on your live site using the "View" button
• Check that navigation links work correctly
• Test on mobile devices
• Verify any security settings work as expected

Common Next Steps

• Create subpages for detailed content under main sections
• Set up panels for reusable content that appears on multiple pages
• Configure redirects for old pages or short URLs
• Add protection for members-only content

Working with Panels

Panels function similarly to pages but serve a different purpose. Instead of being standalone pages with their own URLs, panels are content blocks you can place in various positions across your site.

To manage panels:

1. Navigate to Design → Panels
2. Create panels with reusable content
3. Assign panels to specific positions when editing page properties

Common panel uses:

• Site-wide navigation menus
• Contact information blocks
• Upcoming events listings
• Social media feeds
• Donation forms

Best Practices

Planning Your Structure

• Think hierarchically: Group related pages under logical parent pages
• Keep navigation simple: Too many top-level pages overwhelm visitors
• Use descriptive names: Clear page names help with SEO and usability

Page Titles and URLs

• Be specific: "Sunday Divine Liturgy Schedule" is better than "Schedule"
• Keep URLs short: Shorter page names are easier to share and remember
• Stay consistent: Use similar naming conventions across your site

Navigation Strategy

• Main menu: 5-7 top-level items is ideal
• Hide when appropriate: Not every page needs to be in navigation
• Use subpages: Deep hierarchy keeps main navigation clean
• Test mobile: Ensure navigation works on small screens

Security Considerations

• Only protect when necessary: Public content is easier to maintain
• Document passwords: Keep credentials secure but accessible to authorized staff
• Review permissions regularly: Remove access for accounts that no longer need it
• Test protection: Verify security works before making pages live

SEO Optimization

• Unique descriptions: Every important page should have its own meta description
• Relevant keywords: Focus on what people actually search for
• Keep updated: Review and update meta information as content changes
• Monitor results: Use Google Search Console to track performance

Troubleshooting

Page doesn't appear in navigation

• Check that the appropriate menu toggle is enabled (Main Menu, Dropdown, etc.)
• Verify menu text is filled in
• Ensure the page is saved properly

Can't reorder pages

• Make sure you're dragging from the move button (arrows icon)
• Some pages may be read-only and can't be moved
• Try collapsing and expanding the page tree

Page protection not working

• Verify "Use Page Protection" is enabled
• Check credentials are entered correctly
• Clear browser cache and cookies
• Test in a private browsing window

Background images not showing

• Confirm images are selected in the Images section
• Verify "Random Image" is chosen under Background Type
• Check image file sizes (very large images may not load)
• Test in different browsers

Changes not appearing on live site

• Ensure you clicked "Save Changes"
• Clear your browser cache
• Check if you're viewing the correct URL
• Verify you're not viewing a cached version