Advanced Feature Pack Training
Leveraging blocks to building pages that achieve specific goals
You can already build a page. This training teaches you to build pages with a specific goal in mind. That could be helping a user complete a task, inspiring them to explore further or something else entirely.
Watch the videos below in order and complete the practice tasks as you go. When you’re ready, take the quiz at the bottom of this page. Your site administrator chooses which Feature Packs are turned on. Starting with version 4.19, sites that require training will let you add the Advanced blocks after you pass the quiz.
Before you get started on the training, check your site tier. Most Advanced blocks need a Pro or Premium tier site. On the Free tier, you can use Button Spotlight, Contact Us, Fancy Paragraph and Search Box.
To see your site’s tier, look at the NC State Web Platform widget on your WordPress Dashboard. WP Playground includes every tier, so you can practice with all of these blocks.
Estimated time to complete: about 22 minutes of video, plus about 20 minutes of practice.
Before you start: This training assumes you’re comfortable with the basics of WordPress and the block editor. If you haven’t completed the Base training, we recommend starting there.
Two Kinds of Pages
Completion Time: 4 minutes
Before we get into specific blocks, we need to establish the single most important distinction in page design: the difference between a utility page and a marketing page. These aren’t visual categories; they’re purpose categories, and understanding which one you’re building shapes how you build the page.
Not sure which type your page should be? Download the Page Goals Template and fill it out before you start building. If you can’t name your audience, your goal, and the one action you want users to take, the page likely isn’t ready to build yet.
Dig Deeper
Anatomy of a Utility Page
Completion Time: 4 minutes
Utility pages succeed by getting out of the user’s way. This video covers how to organize practical information so users can find what they need quickly and leave satisfied.
Want to go deeper on the blocks mentioned in this video?
- Icon Links Block
- Text Links Block
- Button Block
- Table of Contents Block (Note that this block requires HTML anchor IDs on your headings to function. See Jump Links for setup instructions.)
- Table Block
Anatomy of a Marketing Page
Completion Time: 3 minutes
Marketing pages are designed to hold attention and build interest. This video covers the “coke-bottle” layout, how to use visual rhythm effectively, and how to keep users moving through your site rather than ending their session.
Hands-on Task: Utility or marketing? For each page below, decide whether it’s a utility or a marketing page, and choose two or three blocks you’d use to build it. Write your answers down, then check them against the answer key.
- A page explaining how graduate students apply for a tuition waiver
- A top-level overview of your college’s research initiatives
- A contact page for your department’s advising office
- Utility. Students arrive with a task. Frontload the steps: use a numbered list for the process, a Table if there are deadlines or eligibility criteria to compare, and one Button for the application form.
- Marketing. Visitors arrive curious. Build interest with full-width breaks like a Media Divider or Big Fact, back up your message with a Fact Row, and end with Featured Content that points to individual research areas.
- Utility. Visitors want to reach someone quickly. Use the Contact Us block for the essentials, and Icon Links for the three to six most common requests, such as scheduling an appointment.
Other block choices can work too. What matters is that each one helps the visitor do what they came to do.
Want to see how other NC State sites have approached marketing pages? Browse the Inspiration Gallery for examples across the university.
For reference on specific blocks covered in this video:
Choosing Your Page Header
Completion Time: 3 minutes
Every page starts with a header. It sets the tone and makes a first impression. There are three options to choose from, each suited to different contexts.
For a full comparison of header types, see Page Header Options.
Note: The Floating Box Header is available on Pro and Premium tier sites. If you don’t see it as an option, your site may be on the Free tier. You can check your site’s tier in the NC State Web Platform widget on your WordPress Dashboard.
Showcasing Media
Completion Time: 2 minutes
Images and video are among the most powerful tools on a marketing page. They are also the easiest to overuse. This video covers when to reach for each of the media showcase blocks and how to choose between them.
Check out the links below for more details on each of the blocks covered in this video.
- Video Block
- Vertical Video Block
- Image Grid Block
- Photo Gallery Block
- Thumbnail Gallery Block
- Media Divider Block
- Parallax Divider Block
Emphasizing Content
Completion Time: 4 minutes
The Advanced feature pack gives you powerful tools for creating emphasis on a page. This video covers how to use them effectively and when to hold back and use simpler blocks.
Hands-on Task: Resolving pages with too much emphasis. Review the Emphasis Example page. Its short research section uses five emphasis blocks. Decide which ones you’d remove or consolidate, and why. The answer key is at the bottom of that page.
For reference on the blocks covered in this video:
- Quote Block
- Big Fact Block
- Fact Row Block
- Fancy Paragraph Block
- Spotlight Block
- Button Spotlight Block
The Advanced Feature Pack includes additional blocks that aren’t covered in videos:
Governance: Keeping Pages Alive
Completion Time: 2 minutes
Building a page is the beginning, not the end. This short video covers how to use the NC State Web Platform’s built-in content audit tools to keep your pages current, and why doing so matters.
The Content Audit tools are built into every page’s editor sidebar. For a walkthrough of how to set audit frequencies and track overdue pages, see Content Auditing.
Hands-on Task: Build a marketing page. In WP Playground, create a new page for this scenario:
Your college wants a new top-level landing page for prospective graduate students. It should communicate research strengths, feature faculty, and direct visitors toward program pages and an inquiry form.
- Choose a page header, and note why it fits this page.
- Add four or five Advanced blocks, alternating sections of text with full-width visual breaks. For each block, note the job it’s doing.
- End with a Featured Content or Spotlight block that sends visitors deeper into the site.
- Open the Content Audit sidebar and choose an Audit Frequency for the page.
- Preview your page. Would a prospective student know what to do next?
Ready for the Quiz?
You’ve covered a lot of ground — from understanding the difference between utility and marketing pages, to choosing the right header, to making sure your pages stay current after they’re published.
When you’re confident in the material, take the quiz below. You’ll need a score of 80% or higher to pass.
What’s next? If you’re interested in publishing news content, working with posts, or using forms and feeds on your site, explore our other trainings:
- Storytelling: Creating News Content and Telling NC State’s Story
- Engagement and Events: Lead Generation, Events and RSVP Management
- Dynamic Content: Content That Updates on Its Own, So Your Site Works While You Sleep