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How To Structure The Content Of Your WordPress Site
Shanta R. Nathwani, Sheridan College
WordCamp Miami 2015
Shanta R. Nathwani - http://shanta.ca - @ShantaDotCa 2
Main Idea
• Posts vs. Pages & Categories vs. Tags. There is so much confusion about what types of things should be put on a page and what should be in a post. Static vs. Dynamic content is the best way to tackle this. When creating a website, you can edit a menu to include not only pages, but also category archives that can create a more complete experience.
Shanta R. Nathwani - http://shanta.ca - @ShantaDotCa 3
Agenda
• About Me
• Introduction
• Pages & Posts
• Categories & Tags
• Q & A’s
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Find Me!
Tweet Me:@ShantaDotCa
My Web Site:http://shanta.ca
Shanta R. Nathwani - http://shanta.ca - @ShantaDotCa 5
About (A boot) Me• Instructor, Sheridan College
• Joint program with University of Toronto at Mississauga: Institute of Culture, Communication, Information and Technology
• Web Design and Capstone Project
• Independent Consultant
• Clients include NPOs, Real Estate, Software Development, Financial and Political Sectors
• Bachelor of Commerce in Info Tech Mgmt., Ryerson University
• Serial WordCamper. Went to 7 last year and crowdsourcing my tour this year.
• Co-organizer, WordCamp Hamilton 2015
Shanta R. Nathwani - http://shanta.ca - @ShantaDotCa 6
1. Write down on post it notes all the main topics that you would like to see on your website.
About Us
Events
ServicesRecipes
Contact Products
PortfolioBlog
Shanta R. Nathwani - http://shanta.ca - @ShantaDotCa 7
Post-It Notes• Used to put down all the pieces of
information that you want to put on your website
• Later on, you may want to colour (yes, I'm Canadian!) code them into categories, pages and other
• During the presentation today, start filling in those post-its with your ideas of what you want on the site. You may not finish it
today, but it will give you a start.
Shanta R. Nathwani - http://shanta.ca - @ShantaDotCa 8
An Example
Categories and Pages Menu Structure
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3-5-7 Principle• 3 Clicks to
where you need to be.
• Few (very few) exceptions
•No more than 5-7 items in a list.
• This includes menus and lists
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Pages vs Posts
Pages• Static information for the
most part
• “About Us” is a great example
• Does not use Categories
• Can have sub-pages
Posts• Dynamic information
• Time sensitive
• Uses Categories & Tags
• “Upcoming Events” or “Events Attended” are good examples
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2. Figure out which ones will be Categories and which ones will be Pages
Pages Categories
About Us
Events
ServicesRecipes
Contact
Products Portfolio
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Pages Categories
3. Change the colour of either one or the other so that you can tell the difference
About Us
Events
ServicesRecipes
Contact
Products Portfolio
Shanta R. Nathwani - http://shanta.ca - @ShantaDotCa 13
Categories vs. Tags
Categories• Major classifications for
information
• “Events” is a great example
• Can have sub-categories (much like pages)
Tags• Describes the content
using keywords
• WordPress recommends 5-7 per post
Shanta R. Nathwani - http://shanta.ca - @ShantaDotCa 14
WordPress Menus
Menus can contain:
• Categories (sometimes called “Category Archives”)
• Pages
• External Links
The number of menus that are supported depend on the theme you choose, so do that first! Since 3.6, you can now choose what menu goes where (main, sidebars). Again, dependent on the theme.
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4. Keeping the 3-5-7 Rule, start to structure your menus according to the topic, not whether or not your
content is a post or a page.
About Us
EventsServices Contact Products
Recipes
Portfolio
Shanta R. Nathwani - http://shanta.ca - @ShantaDotCa 16
5. Create your menu in WordPress using pages and categories!
17
Resources
• How to create your menu: https://learn.wordpress.com/get-published-30/#lecustommenu (Created for .com, but still applicable)
• Information Architecture: Blueprints for the Web: http://www.amazon.com/Information-Architecture-Blueprints-Christina-Wodtke/dp/0735712506 (until last year, used by our course)
• Don’t Make Me Think: http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Think-Revisited-Usability/dp/0321965515 (one of the books that replaced IA)
• Evil By Design: http://evilbydesign.info/book/ (the other new book)
• WordPress.tv: http://shanta.ca/my-wordpress-tv-talk-at-wordcamp-buffalo-2013/ (my earlier talk, including creating the menu)Shanta R. Nathwani - http://shanta.ca - @ShantaDotCa
Shanta R. Nathwani - http://shanta.ca - @ShantaDotCa 18
Questions?
Tweet Me:@ShantaDotCa
Email:[email protected]
My Web Site:http://shanta.ca
