Owner’s Manual
Owner's Manual
Please refer to this Owner’s Manual to get more in tuned with your site and all that it has to offer.
Table of Contents
Last updated: April 9, 2026
Let’s take a step-by-step tour through your WordPress site and see how the different functions work and how to make your new site your own. During the first part of this tutorial, please don’t change anything within the program unless it is part of the tutorial. After following these steps, you’ll soon be changing everything.
Accessing Your Website
Follow the steps below to access the dashboard of your WordPress website and begin managing your website.
Log Into Your Website
Begin by logging into the “administration area” or the back end of your website. Visit your site’s login page by placing “wp-admin” after your domain name (e.g. https://swfstg.wpengine.com/wp-admin).
If for whatever reason you do not remember your username and password, you can recover this information by clicking Lost your password? in the login prompt screen.
Two-Factor Authentication
Two-factor authentication adds another layer of security to your site that requires not only a password and username when logging in but also a passcode that you can only generate on your smartphone. Using a username and password together with a piece of information that only you can access makes it harder for potential hackers to gain access to your website.
For more information on two-factor authentication, check out the entry in the WordPress Codex.
Enabling Two-Factor Authentication
Navigate to your profile page to enable two-factor authentication, as well as sync their account with the Google Authenticator app. Scroll to the bottom and click Enable.
You’ll then see this screen:
Follow the steps by downloading Google Authenticator for your phone, scanning the barcode, and entering the six digit passcode that the Authenticator app generates.
Click Verify and you’re all done!
Using Two-Factor Authentication
Next time you log into your website after you enter your username and password, you’ll be asked to enter a passcode. Just fire up the Google Authenticator app on your phone and enter the passcode.
Media Library Basics
The Media Library is where you can upload and manage your images and other documents all in one place. PDFs, Word documents, and graphics are all added to the media library for use throughout your entire website.
Uploading + Link to Media
If you would like to upload a graphic, such as adding a picture to your post, then you must first upload the content to the Media Library. Once there, upload your image by clicking Add New, by choosing Select Files, or by dragging and dropping an image into the browser window.
Once the file uploads completely to the list below, select the recently added thumbnail to reveal the image’s full options. For SEO and accessibility purposes, it is highly recommended that you provide a descriptive Alt Text for the image. This text tells search engines and users using screen readers a bit more about the image’s contents.
You can use the URL provided in the top-right corner of the media settings on any other page throughout the site.
Editing Images
This section will describe how to use WordPress’s built-in image editor. If an image is saved in the media library and already in use, do not update this image. This may update it in other sections of the site. Add a duplicate and alter from there.
Go to the Media Library section in the left sidebar. Click on an image in the list to view its settings. Just below the image click the Edit Image button.
From left to right, you have options to crop, rotate to the left, rotate to the right, flip vertically, flip horizontally, undo, and redo changes to your image. If you wish to crop, drag your cursor over the image, to the proportions you would like visible, then click the crop button in the top left. If you do not like the change you have made, click the back or forward arrows.
If you would like to change the size of the image, update the New Dimensions in the right column under Scale Image. This will automatically scale your image proportionally and you cannot scale images up, only down.
For more information, please see the Edit Media page of WordPress’s documentation.
Managing Content
Preview Content and Tagging
Preview content typically includes a featured image, title, excerpt, and possibly some detailed text about the author and publication date. This content is important because it is your visitor’s first impression when they see your content on social channels, search engines, and even feeds within your own website. For more SEO tips and tricks, go to the SEO with Yoast section.
Add An Excerpt
At the very bottom of any piece of content, you should see a field called Excerpt. If you do not, you can find Screen Options in the very top right corner of your editing window. These options enable you to hide or show fields that may or may not be relevant to you. Ensure the Excerpt fields is checked. Excerpts are typically 150 to 160 characters in length to align with SEO (Search Engine Optimization) best practices.
Tagging Content
In any content type, you should see several taxonomies including, but not limited to, Categories, Tags, Resource Types, and Featured Areas. These can be found in the right sidebar under publishing options. There are many different reasons to tag content, but typically they are used to narrow down content that is filterable or dynamically generated.
- Categories are typically available for any content type and act as a general bucket for any miscellaneous use-case.
- Topics are specifically used to enable users to filter content based on a particular area of conversation. Example: Education, Healthcare, etc.
- Resource Types are specific to Resources and are used to filter content by the kind of media. Example: Infographics, Videos, Reports, etc.
- Featured Areas are used to featured specific content throughout your site and are not used to enable users to filter your content. Please note that you may need to uncheck previously added features in order to allow the correct content to appear in the featured block. Example: Feature on the homepage, Feature in navigation.
- Tags are the exception to the rule. They are strictly used for SEO purposes and are not used to filter content. Add tags or keywords to a post so search engines can get a better understanding of your content.
Podcasts
Podcasts allows you to manage and edit your podcast episodes. Click Podcasts in the left sidebar of your dashboard and then Add New to create a new podcast.
First, add a title for the podcast. This will be the main title of your post and will be used to generate a link to the content. Then, add your main body content using the WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor. For more information about the WYSIWYG, check out this in-depth breakdown of the WordPress WYSIWYG. Finally, select any categories/taxonomies that apply to the post and upload a featured image. The featured image is the graphic that is used when the post is shared on social channels and in filterable lists throughout the site. The ideal image size is 1024px wide by 1024px tall.
Add the embed code of the podcast in the Podcast Embed field along with any Guests. You can also select Related Content to appear in the corresponding section at the bottom of the podcast detail page. If you select nothing, the three most recent podcasts or news items with the same focus area will appear.
Publishing A Podcast
Once you are ready to review your updates, you can click the Preview button in the top right corner of the screen, under your publishing options. This will allow you to see what the page will look like before publishing.
When you are ready to publish your content, you can click the blue Publish button to post the content immediately or select a date and time to schedule your post. Please note that times are set in military time, so if you would like a blog post to publish at 3pm, you would need to set the time to 1500.
Sessions
Sessions allows you to manage and edit your special event sessions. These events must be built in Elementor and have an agenda page. Click Sessions in the left sidebar of your dashboard and then Add New to create a new session.
First, add a title for the session. This will be the main title of your post and will be used to generate a link to the content. Then, add your main body content using the WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor. For more information about the WYSIWYG, check out this in-depth breakdown of the WordPress WYSIWYG. Select the event this session is for and the day of the event this session is on. This is very important as it will control how the sessions are filtered on the agenda page. Fill out the rest of the fields including date, start and end time, location, and any speakers who may be participating in the session. Featured Images are not used for this post type. Add a detail page URL if you want the session detail page to be accessible from the agenda. This keeps sessions like meals or breaks from having an unnecessary detail page.
Publishing A Session
Once you are ready to review your updates, you can click the Preview button in the top right corner of the screen, under your publishing options. This will allow you to see what the page will look like before publishing.
When you are ready to publish your content, you can click the blue Publish button to post the content immediately or select a date and time to schedule your post. Please note that times are set in military time, so if you would like a session to publish at 3pm, you would need to set the time to 1500.
News Articles
News allows you to manage and edit your in the news and press release content. Click News in the left sidebar of your dashboard and then Add New to create a new news article.
First, add a title for the article. This will be the main title of your post and will be used to generate a link to the content. Then, add your main body content using the WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor. For more information about the WYSIWYG, check out this in-depth breakdown of the WordPress WYSIWYG. Finally, select any categories/taxonomies that apply to the post and upload a featured image. The featured image is the graphic that is used when the post is shared on social channels and in filterable lists throughout the site. The ideal image size is 1200px wide and 630px tall.
Adding A Source
If you do not want to host the content on your site, and instead would prefer that users arrive at the original article, you can add the source article URL to the External Link field. Your custom featured image, excerpt, and title will still appear in filterable lists throughout the site.
Review the descriptions of any other fields to enhance your content.
Publishing A News Article
Once you are ready to review your updates, you can click the Preview button in the top right corner of the screen, under your publishing options. This will allow you to see what the page will look like before publishing.
When you are ready to publish your content, you can click the blue Publish button to post the content immediately or select a date and time to schedule your post. Please note that times are set in military time, so if you would like a blog post to publish at 3pm, you would need to set the time to 1500.
People
People allows you to manage and edit your staff and board of director bios as well as event speakers. Click People in the left sidebar of your dashboard and then Add New to create a new bio.
First, add the name of the team member in the title field. If you would like your team members to arrange by the last name, add their name as follows: “Last Name, First Name”. Then, add your main body content using the WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor. For more information about the WYSIWYG, check out this in-depth breakdown of the WordPress WYSIWYG. Finally, select any categories/taxonomies that apply to the post and upload a headshot to the featured image. The ideal image size for these headshots is 856px wide by 1156px tall and meets these conditions:
Vertical (portrait) headshot
Crop from mid-chest to slightly above the top of the head
Keep eyes approximately 1/3 down from the top of the image
Center face with equal space on sides
Avoid excessive space above head
Do not submit full-body or wide landscape photos
Review the descriptions of any other fields to enhance your content.
Publishing A Team Member
Once you are ready to review your updates, you can click the Preview button in the top right corner of the screen, under your publishing options. This will allow you to see what the page will look like before publishing.
When you are ready to publish your content, you can click the blue Publish button to post the content immediately or select a date and time to schedule your post. Please note that times are set in military time, so if you would like a blog post to publish at 3pm, you would need to set the time to 1500.
Events
Events allow you to manage and edit your conferences, webinars, and more. Click Events in the left sidebar of your dashboard and then Add New to create a new event.
First, add an event title. This will be the main title of your event and will be used to generate a link to the content. Then, add your main body content describing the event using the WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor. For more information about the WYSIWYG, check out this in-depth breakdown of the WordPress WYSIWYG. Finally, select any categories/taxonomies that apply to the event and upload a featured image. The featured image is the graphic that is used when the post is shared on social channels and in filterable lists throughout the site. The ideal image size is 1200px wide and 630px tall.
Scheduling Your Event
Scroll down to find the Scheduling Options section that allows you to add a start date, end date, start time, end time, location, and timezone. Using these options allows past events to be removed from any upcoming events feeds on your site automatically. If you would prefer that past events are removed from your site completely after the ever, you can schedule an expiration date under Publishing Options.
Review the descriptions of any other fields to enhance your content.
Publishing An Event
Once you are ready to review your updates, you can click the Preview button in the top right corner of the screen, under your publishing options. This will allow you to see what the page will look like before publishing.
When you are ready to publish your content, you can click the blue Publish button to post the content immediately or select a date and time to schedule your post. Please note that times are set in military time, so if you would like a blog post to publish at 3pm, you would need to set the time to 1500.
Resources
Resources allow you to manage and edit your infographics, reports, and more. Click Resources in the left sidebar of your dashboard and then Add New to create a new resource.
First, add a title. This will be the main title of your resource and will be used to generate a link to the content. Then, add your main body content using the WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor. This can be the full resource content or an abridged version. For more information about the WYSIWYG, check out this in-depth breakdown of the WordPress WYSIWYG. Finally, select any resource types that apply to the resource and upload a featured image. The featured image is the graphic that is used when the resource is shared on social channels and in filterable lists throughout the site. The ideal image size is 1200px wide and 630px tall.
Upload a Downloadable PDF
You can upload a PDF or other media along with custom button text. This is specific to the resource content type and can be managed in the Downloaded File menu. The button will appear toward the top of the resource and will force download when clicked.
Feedback Box
If you like, you can add a heading and text for a feedback box that will appear after the content and before the authors section. Simply fill out the Feedback Heading and Feedback Text fields and the box will appear on the front end.
Review the descriptions of any other fields to enhance your content. Publication Year and Authors are both available to add.
Publishing A Resource
Once you are ready to review your updates, you can click the Preview button in the top right corner of the screen, under your publishing options. This will allow you to see what the page will look like before publishing.
When you are ready to publish your content, you can click the blue Publish button to post the content immediately or select a date and time to schedule your post. Please note that times are set in military time, so if you would like a blog post to publish at 3pm, you would need to set the time to 1500.
Network Partners
Resources allow you to manage and edit your partners that will appear in the feed on your Network page. Click Network Partners in the left sidebar of your dashboard and then Add New to create a new partner.
First, add a title. This will be the main title of your network partner and will be used to generate a heading in the feed. Add your partner’s site URL, city, state, and then a featured image if desired. Although there are no current uses for a featured image at this time, there could be a use for one later.
Publishing A Network Partner
When you are ready to publish your content, you can click the blue Publish button to post the content immediately or select a date and time to schedule your post. Please note that times are set in military time, so if you would like a blog post to publish at 3pm, you would need to set the time to 1500.
SEO with Yoast
SEO is an extremely important aspect of your site and something to consider whenever you update or add any new site content. We’ve installed a tool called “Yoast SEO” which will help guide you towards matching your site content with important keywords. 
Using Yoast SEO
Content (Tab that looks like a traffic light)
- The Snippet Editor previews what your page looks like in a Google search result. Click “Edit Snippet” to update the SEO title, slug (also known as the URL), and the meta description.
- Focus keyword: chose the main keyword or phrase that matches the content on the page.
- Meta keywords: additional keywords that pertain to the page content
- Content analysis: Based on your focus keyword, the content analysis will analyze the page content based on a benchmark of checks to ensure the focus keyword makes sense. This includes an appearance in the URL, meta description, title length, etc.
Social (Tab that looks like sideways “v”)
This section enables you to personalize the social media title, description and image representation for Facebook and Twitter should you choose. For images, be sure to pay attention to the recommended sizes listed in the descriptions.
On-page Optimization
Title Tag
- Avoid duplicate title tags
- Keep title tags at 55 characters or less in length, including spaces.
- Your title tag should be written like this: Primary Keyword – Secondary Keyword | Brand Name
- Use a dash in between your keyword phrases and a pipe at the end before your brand name
Meta Description
- Write compelling meta descriptions (for CTR)
- 150 to 160 characters is the recommended length
- Avoid duplicate meta descriptions
- Do not use quotes or any non-alpha characters
- Use target keywords in the description
H1, H2, H3
- Use H1 Tag for Page title
- Use your keyword phrase once in your H1 tag
- Use H2, H3 tags for subheadings if there are multiple sections
Anchor Text
- When linking to another page on the same site from within content, select good anchor text (keywords) to use in the actual link and do this often. For example: “We offer *target keywords* services,” rather than “Click here.”
Image ALT tags and filenames
- Include your keyword phrase in the name of your image. Name all of your images in a way that describes what they are.
- Do not use non-alpha characters in your image or file names (no %, &, $, etc)
Footer Menu
You can update the footer menu by navigating to here. Once you have made the necessary updates, click Save.
Elementor Page Builder
For more information about Elementor components and how to use them, subscribe to Elementor’s YouTube channel. There are a lot of resources there, to help you get started, watch this introductory video that will go over building pages, using editing tools, using page templates, and creating your first section. We have also included some helpful tips to get you rolling below the video.
Saved templates can be found in your site’s Asset Board.
To Access the Elementor Page Builder
Select the ‘Pages’ menu on the left hand side in the WordPress dashboard. In the ‘Pages’ menu, find the page that you wish to make edits to and then click ‘Edit with Elementor’. This will open the page in the Elementor builder dashboard.
To Add an Elementor Template
While in the Elementor page builder, click the “folder” icon. This will open a pop-up to select pre-made Elementor assets. Click on the Templates tab, select a template from the list, and click Insert to add it to the page. You can also use the “Search” field to narrow down the list of pre-made templates. Your selected template will appear on the page, and a nested list of all of its elements will appear in the “Structure” pane.
To expand the “Structure” list, click the arrow to the left of a given section. If the “Structure” pane is not showing, there are two ways to get it to display. One way is the right-click on any element in the page builder, and select “Structure” from the dropdown. The second way is to click the “Structure” icon in the upper-left of the screen.
To Edit Text on the Page
Click on the piece of text that you would like to edit on the page. You will notice the menu on the left change. The widget is similar for headings or paragraph text. Once it is open, click into the body of text in the field on the left as seen below. You can edit the content here and then when finished, make sure to hit update which is also seen in the image below. You will need to hit update every time you finish a session of updates.
To Replace an Image
There are multiple ways to replace images in Elementor depending on how they are being used. We will discuss two of the most popular which is with the Image widget and then replacing a background image.
Elementor Image Widget
To replace an image built with the widget, click on the image in the page builder or in the “Structure” pane. This will open the Image sidebar menu on the left. You will see your image in that menu. To replace it, click on the image under “Choose Image” option in the sidebar. This will open a media menu that looks similar to the menu used to upload media to your library as discussed here. You can choose to upload a new image or select one from the existing images already. Once you have it, click ‘Insert Media’ in the bottom left and you will be good to go.
Replacing a Background Image
Some images are not inserted on a page with the Image widget. The vast majority of images that are not using the widget are background images. They could be a section, container, or column background. Each is replaced the same way:
Find the section, container, or column where the image is located using the Elementor navigator seen circled below. A section is the outermost box that contains all the elements in a component. A column is a subsection within those sections that divides content further. A container can be either of these things, it’s just labeled differently in newer versions of Elementor. Once you know which of these you want to change the background on, click the item in the navigator. You will see the menu change on the left in the builder. Click the middle tab labeled “Style” which is also shown below.
In the “Style” tab you will see a picture of the current background image (if there is one). Click on the image and you will be able to swap the asset out for another. This part is the same as swapping out in the image widget as documented above. You can either upload a new image or select an existing one from the library. There are also several settings in the menu that allow you to control the position, size, and repeat of the background image. To find out more about these and other tips on background images, check out this article.
To Hide a Section
To hide a section, first select the section in the “Structure” pane, then select the “Advanced” tab, then click the “Responsive” options label to expand it. Next, select each screen size option to switch them to “Hide.” The section will no longer display to visitors, but it will still be viewable in the page builder. Additionally, while hidden, the section cannot be edited.
Banner Bar
The content of the banner bar is controlled in an Elementor template. It can be edited here. Click on the grey box in the middle of the Elementor window. On the left, you can edit the general text in the Announcement field. To edit the text of the call to action button, click on CTA button. Make sure to publish your changes when you are finished.
Other Admin Capabilities
WordPress Users
Click Users in your dashboard to add and manage all users that have access to your website. In the Add New User section, create a username, enter their email and assign them a role. Learn more about the different roles in WordPress.
Navigation Menus
Navigate to the menu section of your dashboard. In the right column, there is a list of the current menu structure. If you would like to alter the current order of items listed, drag and then drop in the correct location. The left sidebar has a list of all the pages currently added on the site. Check the page you would like to add to the menu then click Add to Menu.
Click the drop-down arrow next to the name of the page to change how it will appear in the menu. Always have Main Menu and Mobile Menu checked in the “Menu Settings” section. You must click “Save Menu” for these changes to pull through on the live site. View WordPress’s Codex for Menus for more information.
301 Redirects
Anytime you change a permalink, you should add a redirect in order to ensure visitors that have the old link saved, will still arrive at the page they are expecting. To access this, go to your 301 Redirects settings which can be found under Settings in your dashboard. You will also find easy-to-use import/export features to add and manage new and existing redirects.