Overview
This QRG (quick reference guide) provides straightforward steps for setting up a new page in WordPress. Since the focus is on adding pages quickly, we skip detailed explanations, but you can follow the links included below for more in-depth guidance.
Creating a page
Quick guide
- In the left menu, select Pages and then select Add Page.
- Fill in the Add title field.
- Review the Slug, which is automatically generated based on the title, and update it if needed.
- Review the Template:
- We recommend leaving this set to "Default template."
- If you need a specific page type, such as Chaptered Page or News Listing, you can switch to that template. Then, click Save in the upper right and reload the page.
Detailed guide (with screenshots)
- In the left menu, select Pages and then select Add Page.
- Fill in the Add title field.
- Review the Slug, which is automatically generated based on the title, and update it if needed.
- Review the Template:
- We recommend leaving this set to "Default template."
- If you need a specific page type, such as Chaptered Page or News Listing, you can switch to that template. Then, click Save in the upper right and reload the page.
Adding content and saving
If you need more detailed instructions than the steps below, refer to Using the WordPress editor or to our collection of guides on adding website content.
Default and Content Detail template
Quick guide
- Add a component (click + button in the center or upper left). If you're not sure which to select, Rich Text is a great all-purpose component.
- After you add the component, you can start typing text or uploading images to it.
- Repeat steps 1–2 to continue adding more components and content.
- (Optional) You can add a featured image (full-width banner image that appears near the top of the page).
- Your progress is automatically saved every 15 seconds. You can also manually click Save draft at the top.
- To preview the page, click the View
icon in the upper right, and select Preview in new tab.
Detailed guide (with screenshots)
- Add a component (click + button in the center or upper left). If you're not sure which to select, Rich Text is a great all-purpose component.
- After you add the component, you can start typing text or uploading images to it.
- Repeat steps 1–2 to continue adding more components and content.
- (Optional) You can add a featured image (full-width banner image that appears near the top of the page).
- Your progress is automatically saved every 15 seconds. You can also manually click Save draft at the top.
- To preview the page, click the View icon in the upper right, and select Preview in new tab.
All other templates
Your component and content options are limited depending on the template. For more information, refer to the template-specific guide.
- To save: These templates do not have an autosave feature. Instead, click Save Draft in the right panel.
- To preview: Click Preview in the right panel.
Reviewing and publishing
It doesn't hurt to review your page before publishing it: once it's published, anyone can visit it and find it via search engines such as Google. In this section, we offer some sample checklists that you can use to double-check that your page is ready to publish.
A reminder for new websites: If you recently created a new Dornsife site, you can share published webpages via direct link, but a new website is not discoverable by Google or other search engines until you contact webproject@dornsife.usc.edu and request for your site to be made public.
Text checklist
- Proofread the text one more time
- Check that the heading order is being followed
- Check that the links are working and are accessible
- If the link goes to another page on your website, it should open in the same tab
- If the link goes to a non-Dornsife website, it should open in a new tab
Image checklist
- Check that images are clear and don't appear blurry
- If the image looks cut off or different than intended, you may need to resize it to meet the size guidelines
- Make sure images are accessible: for example, each image should have descriptive alt text
Ready to publish?
Click Publish. This button may be located in the top toolbar or in the right panel depending on your page template:
Adding a page to the website menu
To give the page higher visibility, you can add it to your website menu. If you need more detailed instructions than the steps below, refer to our guide, Editing the website menu in WordPress.
Quick guide
- Before you add the page to your menu, make sure to publish the page. Unpublished pages do not appear as a menu option.
- In the left menu, select Appearance and then select Menus.
- Under "Add menu items" in the left panel, select the checkbox for the page. Then, click Add to Menu.
- If you do not see it and you are sure the page is published, use the View All or Search tab.
- The page is added to the bottom of the menu structure on the right. You can change its menu location or rename it if needed.
- Click Save Menu.
Detailed guide (with screenshots)
- Before you add the page to your menu, make sure to publish the page. Unpublished pages do not appear as a menu option.
- In the left menu, select Appearance and then select Menus.
- Under "Add menu items" in the left panel, select the checkbox for the page. Then, click Add to Menu.
- If you do not see it and you are sure the page is published, use the View All or Search tab.
- The page is added to the bottom of the menu structure on the right. You can change its menu location or rename it if needed.
- Click Save Menu.
