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WordPress: Customizing a Site
WordPress, version 5.7. The instructions in this guide apply to sites built with the PLU Digital Humanities Lab version of WordPress and may not translate to sites built with WordPress.com or other versions.
Overall site design is determined by the Theme, which can be customized. Be aware that different Themes will offer different customization options and it may take a few tries to find an ideal Theme and customization combination. See WordPress: Applying Themes for more details about changing Themes.
To customize a site:
- Navigate to Appearance > Customize. The site Customizer will open.
- Select options from the customization panel to the left. Most options will affect the entire site, whereas some may affect only the selected page. Options include:
- Site Identity: change the name and tagline of the site.
- Widgets: add content such as an image, calendar, and search bar to a page.
- Text fonts, size, and colors.
- After adjusting an option, click the left arrow to the top-left of the menu to navigate back to the customization options.
- When done, click Publish to save the changes. Alternatively, click the X button to the top-left to exit the Customizer without saving.
Some widgets and customizable content on the page can be directly edited with the blue pencil icon. If the icon doesnt appear, the item cant be adjusted in this way.
Setting the Homepage and Blog Page
By default, the homepage of WordPress sites is set to your latest blog posts. We recommend creating a static page, such as an About or Welcome page, instead of keeping the default homepage. If the site will include a blog as well, we recommend creating an empty page titled "Blog" and setting this as your posts page.
To set the homepage and blog page:
- Navigate to Appearance > Customize. The site Customizer will open.
- Select "Homepage Settings" from the panel to the left.
- Under "Your homepage displays," select the "A static page" option.
- In the "Hompage" drop-down, select the desired homepage.
- If a page hasn't been created for this yet, click "Add New Page" to quickly create one.
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