Setting Up Static Contact, Privacy, and About Pages
Creating Static Pages
First, a little background information to help you understand the difference between Pages and Posts. You put your basic information on a Page (upper case P). For instance your About Page would be similar to your Artists Statement, maybe not as detailed, but it can be, if you wish. Pages are considered “Static” because they stay readily accessible and rarely change, unlike Posts, which move down the page (lower case p) as you add newer Posts and they eventually move off of the front page and into your Archives.
Create an About page
The first Page I’ll need is an About page so that everyone can get to know me. Click on Pages and you’ll see that it already exists. WordPress installs a generic About page along with the basic software.
Rather than delete this one and make a new one with the same name, I’ll just edit the existing Page. I am going to replace the type with a bit of my history and add a picture. When you move your pointer underneath the title About, you’ll see a second line appear.
I’m going to click on Edit so I can make changes to the existing Page.
Adding an Image
This is an important step to learn because it is the same for both Pages and Posts. Since you will be showing off your beautiful jewelry, you’ll want lots of pictures. In the previous screenshot, notice the two tabs that say Visual and HTML. For most of your posting, you’ll want to use Visual. On the Upload/Insert line, the first icon is for adding an image. Clicking on it brings up another screen.
Click Select Files, find the image you want to use on your hard drive and click Upload. When the file has uploaded, you’ll get this screen where you can specify a Title, Caption, and Description if you wish, then click Insert Into Post.
When I click Insert Into Page, this is the result:
The picture is too big, plus it is sitting there in the middle of everything, by itself. To make it smaller, I click on the picture and two small icons appear in the upper left corner. Click on the one that looks like a landscape.
Formatting the Text around a photo
I changed the size to 80% and it looks better. Next, click “Left” and watch the type flow around the picture. When you leave it on the default, None, your type will start at the bottom of the picture. You can also put the picture in the Middle or Right by clicking those buttons. Click the Update button to see how it looks on your Page.
See how the type is right up against the picture? I don’t like that and I want to move it out some. (Did I mention that I spent 14 years in the printing industry? I have a “thing” about how my pages look.) So I go back to edit the setting again by first clicking the picture, then the little landscape button. This time, I’ll click Advanced Settings. It opens up lots more options, but the only one I’m concerned about right now is the space around the picture. Scroll down until you see Image Properties and put 15 in both Vertical Space and Horizontal Space. You can play around with these numbers and decide how wide or narrow you want that space, but you do need something so the type isn’t right up against the picture. Go down to the bottom and click Update when you get it the way you want it.
I’m happy with the size of my picture and the way the type flows around it, so I’ll click Publish to let the whole world see. Actually, because this Page has already been Published, the blue button says Update, but normally, when you create a Page or a Post, it will say Publish.
I’m going to open my website in another tab so I can see how the new About Page looks.
Setting up your Contact page
I also want to add a Contact page so people can get in touch with me. There are a couple of things you need to think about before you post your contact information on the Internet: Security and Spam. Security first: My original web site had my home address and phone number. More than enough information for someone to track me down if they really wanted to. Whether someone wants to rob you, or just sit and talk, don’t get too cozy with people you meet online. Don’t give them more information than necessary until you’ve had a chance to check them out, too. And even after a few conversations online, do not invite strangers to your house – meet at a coffeehouse, gallery or library. Always think of safety first. On my web site now, I use a post office box and a cell phone number, along with email. Plenty of options for people to contact me without knowing exactly where I live.
Spam – everybody hates it. Don’t voluntarily post your email address for all the nasty little internet spiders to grab and re-sell. There are several Contact-type plugins available that will mask your email list, plus make people prove that they are humans before they can send a message. Earlier, we installed the Contact Form 7 and Really Simple CAPTCHA plugins just for this purpose so lets go to the Plugins page and activate both of these by clicking the word Activate under each one.
You’ll notice that you now have a new tab on the left that says Contact. When you click on it, it opens up the screen where you can change the defaults on your email address or the subject line, if you wish, but I’ve always just left them alone.
The only thing that I change here is to add the CAPTCHA code just before the Submit button. You’ve seen the web sites where they give you some words or letters and numbers and you have to type them in the box – that is a CAPTCHA code. Officially, CATPCHA stands for “Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Human Apart”. Unofficially, it is how you keep the spammers from sending automated emails using your web site.
To add the code, click Generate Tag and select CAPTCHA from the dropdown list.
You’ll get this screen:
Highlight and copy the type in the first brown box and paste it in above the line that says
[submit “Send”]
then copy and paste the code from the second brown box below that.
Add a line of instructions telling people what to do, then click the Save button.
Near the top of the page you’ll see this line:
This is the code that actually makes this plugin work.
Highlight and copy it, click Pages and Add New. Give this page the title Contact and paste the text you just copied into the text box. Click the Publish button.
Now let’s look at the page we’ve just created. Very plain, but it gives people a way to contact you by email.
Polishing up the Contact form
I’m going to add some words before the form, then list my cell phone number and post office box as additional methods of contact. I click Update Page when I’m finished and go check it out.
Much better.
Adding a Privacy Policy
When you are doing business online, you need to have a privacy policy to reassure visitors to your website that you aren’t going to steal their information and sell it. When we were installing plugins earlier, we installed one called Easy Privacy Policy. I’ll go back to the plugin page to activate it now.
Now, the button underneath says Settings, instead of Activate. Click Settings and we’ll set up our privacy policy with just a couple of clicks. You’ll want to check to make sure that your @blogname and email address are correct, but I have never changed any of the other settings on this page. Click the Create Privacy Page button and the plugin does the work for you.
Here’s how the finished page looks:
Now you’ve completed the main Static Pages you’ll need. As your site grows, you may find that you need others. A couple of Pages you may consider adding later are ones explaining the different types of materials you use in your jewelry or maybe one about how to care for handmade jewelry. If you sell a lot of birthstone jewelry, you may want a special page listing the different birthstones. In our next session, we’ll talk more about creating Posts and the different options for pictures, including adding captions.
If you’ve already set up a website, but have questions, send me an email or leave a comment – I’ll be happy to help.
Talk to you soon,
goldie
The rest of the series:
1 – Announcing Jewelers Website Assistant
2 – Pointing Your New Domain To Your Hosting Account
3 – Two Methods To Install WordPress
4 – How To Select And Install A Theme
5 – Basic Plugins You’ll Need And How To Install Them