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University Communications and Marketing
Web Platforms and Documentation

Site Settings

Jan 19, 2026

Smart Search

Smart Search is an evolved and more powerful set of search functionality within the NC State Utility Bar. In addition to searching university websites, it also includes results from the NC State faculty and staff directory, campus map locations and a database of top university resources. If a Google Programmable Search Engine ID is provided,…

Jun 14, 2025

Pages vs Posts: Understanding Content Types in the NC State Theme

WordPress Pages: The Foundation of Your Site Pages are the building blocks of your website’s permanent structure. Think of them as the “rooms” in your digital house that visitors will navigate to find specific types of information. Characteristics of Pages: When to Use Pages: Page Header Options in NC State Theme: The NC State Theme…

Jun 12, 2025

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Best Practices

Built-in Metadata Fields Every page and post in the NC State Theme includes dedicated fields for search engine and social media metadata. These fields appear at the very bottom of the back-end editing page and provide crucial information that helps search engines and social platforms understand and display your content. What is Metadata? Metadata is…

Aug 8, 2024

Compact Masthead Option

The Compact Masthead is a shorter and more streamlined masthead and menu option for sites within the premium tier of the NC State Theme. Multiple color options are available — all white, red/white, and all red. The masthead can be enabled by going to NC State Settings -> Premium Add On -> Navigation and toggling…

Feb 20, 2024

Homepage Configuration

Overview A custom-looking homepage can be easily built through creative configuration of regular theme blocks and special homepage blocks. Changing the Page Template The homepage uses a different page template. To change the template, go to “Document” in the right-hand settings panel. Then go to Page Attributes -> Template and change the template to “Homepage.” Header There…

May 26, 2020

Page and Post Metadata

Search Engine The search engine meta description represents the blurb of text that will appear when search engines return that particular page as a search result. Describe the purpose of the page, including (in natural language) any keywords that might be of interest to a user searching for specific information that might be found in…

May 13, 2020

Adjusting Page and Post Visibility

Page and Post Visibility When building out content in a WordPress site, there will be times when the content does not need to be made public immediately. If a page or post is being worked on over an extended period of time by an individual, the content therein may want to be kept entirely private.…

May 13, 2020

Creating and Editing Menus

Why Use Menus? Menus are useful for keeping a site better organized, and can be beneficial for users as it helps them navigate the site more easily. Many, if not most, sites feature a navigation menu at the top of the homepage that directs users to specific pages across the website. Some examples of menu…