The Interface

The most important thing to remember when using the Update Panel is:

Look up at the Display Bar, in the top left-hand corner, for step-by-step instructions.

When you mouse over a button, it's purpose will display in the Display Bar (try it now... mouse over the buttons in the top right-hand corner).

Editing a Site Page

The Update Panel has both a LIVE SITE panel displaying the Live Version of your site and the EDITOR panel where you do the editing. These two panels navigate independently of one another, so each panel can display a different page, this can be used for easy copying and pasting between different pages on your site.

To begin editing a page: From the LIVE SITE panel, navigate to the page you would like to edit and click on Open in Editor. Once in the EDITOR panel you can begin editing or navigate to any other site page to edit.

Editable Areas

Pages on your site have Editable Areas. The amount of Editable Areas that appear on any given page will vary depending on the page and your access permissions. If you mouse over your page, you will see the Editable Areas available. You can also click on SHOW ALL to display all the Editable Areas on a page.

If you click inside an Editable Area it will become highlighted and the EDITOR Tool Bar, at the top of the page, will become active. Using the EDITOR Tool Bar is much like using a word processor, such as Microsoft Word.

Using Containers

Some Editable Areas on your site may use Containers. Containers are used when it is important to maintain a strict code structure (often to ensure the page renders properly across all devices and screen sizes). A container will automatically insert the correct structure.

When you click inside an Editable Area that uses Containers a grouping of buttons will appear at the top left of the Update Panel. Use these buttons to perform the various functions within the Container. The buttons that appear will vary from Container to Container depending on the requirements of each Container. When using Containers, follow the instructions that appear in the top left corner of the Update Panel.

Using the Preview Function

At any time while editing, you can use the Preview button to see exactly how your page will look when it is published to the Live Version. As any links you have created will not work in an Editable Area, the Preview feature can be used to test links before publishing to the Live Version.

Setting Links

You can link to other web pages and documents on your website. You can also link to external web pages and documents.

To set a link, use your mouse to highlight the text (as you would using Microsoft Word to make your text bold), and click on the insert/edit link button on the EDITOR Tool Bar. The Link Panel will open.

In the Link Panel choose the type of link you would like to set. If you are setting a link to a web page on your site choose Site Page. The available pages on your site will be listed. Click on the page you want to link to: The Link Panel will close and your link will be set.

To set a link to a document on your website (documents must first be uploaded to your site) choose Documents and follow the same procedure as a site page.

To set a link to a web page or document on someone else's website choose External Site and paste or type the URL into the appropriate window and click Set Link.

Editing Links

To edit a link, highlight or click on the text containing the link. Click on the insert/edit link button on the EDITOR Tool Bar. The Link Panel will open. Follow the same procedure as setting a link.

Removing Links

To remove a link, highlight or click on the text containing the link. Click on the Remove link button on the EDITOR Tool Bar. The text will remain but will no longer contain a link.

Using Info Links

Info Links are used when you need to add additional details to the copy you are writing, but the details are too long or not appropriate for the space you are writing in. In this case, instead of including the additional details within your copy, you can use an Info Link to link to the additional details.

When a a visitor to your website clicks on an Info Link it opens a pop-up window displaying the content you added to the Info Link. Info Links open instantly, as the content loads with the page.

Info Links are set in the Link Panel and the option is available when you go to set your link in the usual manner.

Info Links can be edited by highlighting or clicking inside the link text and returning to the Link Panel, by clicking on the insert/edit link button on the EDITOR Tool Bar.

Uploading Files

Before you can link to a document on your site (such as a PDF file), you must first upload the file.

To upload a file to your website click on the UPLOAD button (top right menu of the Update Panel). Choose the section of your site you would like to file to go in, and follow the instructions for uploading. Once uploaded, your file will appear in the Link Panel.

Making Your Edits Live

When using the EDITOR, nothing will appear on the Live Version of your site until you click the Publish button.

Draft Files

While editing you can save a Draft File your edits by clicking the Save Draft button. A Draft File will allow you to come back later to continue editing and will also protect your work from unforeseen glitches.

Once a draft has been saved you can choose to open, for editing, either the current LIVE FILE or DRAFT FILE using the drop-down menu.

Publish to Live

Once you are finished editing you can click the Publish button to make your edited copy the Live Version on your site. The Update Panel will automatically switch to the LIVE SITE panel and the Live Version of your page will be displayed.

Using REVERT

If something goes wrong, or you realize you made an error in your editing, you can revert back to the previous version of the Live Page by clicking the REVERT button. Your Live Page will revert back to the previous version and the copy of your edited work will remain in the EDITOR panel for further editing if you choose.

Using the Manage Panel

The Manage panel displays all the site pages and documents on your website, as well as any custom features your website may have (such as a newsletter creator).

You can use the Manage panel to open site pages in either the LIVE SITE panel or the EDITOR panel of the Update Panel. You also use the Manage panel to delete documents you have uploaded to your site.

Understanding Keywords

Important for Search Engine Results

Keywords are words that someone searching the web for information is likely to type into a Search Engine. A Search Engine will then search it's records for web pages containing those Keywords and list (rank) those pages accordingly.

It is imperative, when writing web content, to use Keywords that are relevant to the page (topic) you are writing. To this end, it is a good practise to consider relevant Keywords prior to writing your content and be sure to use them as often as possible in your copy.

• Consider relevant Keywords prior to writing content.
• Be sure to include those Keywords in the content of your page.

Page Titles

Page Titles Play a Key Role in Search Engine Results

When viewing a web page you may not see or notice a Page Title, though it does appear in most Browser Tabs and Bookmark Lists, however for Search Engines it is one of the most important aspects of your web page.

A Page Title is like the title of a chapter in a book, it informs both humans and machines (Search Engines) what your page is about. It is also what appears, in bold print, in Search Engine results. In other words, it plays a big part in whether someone viewing Search Engine results clicks on your link or someone else's.

Most importantly, Page Titles are used by Search Engines to rank your page. They look for Keywords in the Page Title to let them know what a page is about and they check to see if those same Keywords appear in the content of the page. If they do not, It will diminish your results, or a Search Engine may even decide you are spamming and send you to the bottom of the ranking or decide not to list you at all.

Keep in mind: In Browser Tabs, Bookmark Lists, and Search Engine results, your Page Titles are likely to be truncated (shortened) as the whole Page Title will not fit where many machines place it. For this reason, and also for better Search Engine results, it is important to put the most important Keywords / phrases at the beginning of the Page Title.

• Page Titles should be a maximum of 70 characters.
• Your most important Keywords / phrases need to be first in your Page Title, with your least important words being last in the Page Title.
• Use pipes | to separate important Keywords / phrases (no commas, underscores, dashes or any other punctuation).
• Keep your Page Titles short and simple. Leave out words that would make it read like a sentence. (e.g., and, if, but, then, etc.).
• Page Titles must be written to be descriptive of the content of the page.
• Give every page on your site a unique Page Title.
• Keywords used in the Page Title must also appear in the page content.

Page Descriptions

The Page Description Appears in Search Engine Results

Page Descriptions do not appear when viewing a web page, but are used by Search Engines and other data readers to describe your page content.

These short paragraphs are your opportunity to advertise content to searchers and let them know exactly what the given page has with regard to what they're looking for.

The Page Description should employ Keywords intelligently, but also create a compelling description that a searcher will want to click. Direct relevance to the page is key. That is, Keywords that appear in the Page Description must also appear in the page content.

• Keep the Page Description short and easy to read.
• Use a maximum of 160 characters.
• Keep punctuation simple.
• Do not use quotation marks.
• Give every page on your site a unique Page Description.
• Keywords used in the Page Description must also appear in the page content.