Introduction to the Platinum Service

This is the basic page you will see after you log into HomeGauge and click on the My Website link.

This page is quite similar to the page that regular visitors to your site will see.

The difference is an additional menu titled “Site Management” and a edit button for each page on your site.

If you used the first version of Platinum with HomeGauge, you are familiar with the process of having three ways to manage your site. With Version Two, there is one centralized method to manage your content.

Through this document we will show you how to manage your new Platinum HomeGauge site!

Main Menu

The Main Menu on your page is the menu that allows visitors of your site to navigate through your content. This menu is available for all visitors to your site.

Site Management Menu

The Site Management Menu is available only to you, as the logged in administrator of your site.

The Site Management Menu has links on it that take you to pages that allow you to manage your content, logo, company information, design of the site, as well as the Main Menu.

We will go through those links one at a time, but for now just be aware that the Site Management Menu is there.

Edit Content Button

In order to edit content on your site, there is a special mode for each page that you access by clicking on the Edit Button, highlighted in the example to the left.

Edit Content Page Information

Once you click on the Edit Button, you will be taken to the Edit Content page.

On this page you can change the content of a page by typing in the WYSIWYG editor box. Think of that page as a word processor, with the same tools available online as with a desktop application.

When you are finished editing your content, click the Save button in the upper right of the page to save your content. If you are not satisfied with your changes, you can click the red X (Cancel button) to cancel your changes.

You can insert tables, pictures, paste content from other applications, and format all the text however you like with the Edit Content page.

Feel free to change as much as you want, just click Cancel to revert to a previously saved version!

Page Manager Help

The Page Title Editor is reached by clicking on the Page Management link in the Site Management Menu.

The page is broken into two sections: The top section is used to manage already created pages, while the bottom part can be used to create a new page.

The top section has the following parts: Name, Published, Delete, and a “Apply Changes” button that applies the changes you make.

To change the name of the Page, just type in a new value in the Name field.

To publish (or unpublish) a page, check (or uncheck) the Published button for that page.

To delete a page and all of its contents completely check the Delete button and click Apply Changes. Be aware, however, that one a page is Deleted you cannot recover the contents. It is a permanent action!

To create a new page, just put in the Name that you want for the page in the Page Name field at the bottom of the screen and click Create.

After that a new page will be created that will be at the bottom of the menu with filler content that you should edit as soon as possible.

Menu Manager Help

The Menu Manager page is where you can edit the Main Menu on your site.

There are four parts to each Menu Item, the Name, Reorder List, Publish, and then the Apply Changes button that you click when you want to complete the changes you’ve made for each Menu Item.

The Name field will allow you to change the Name that appears in the Menu for each Item.

The Move Up and Move Down links allow you to reorder the items in your menu. By clicking the Move Up link, you will move the item up on level in the menu, the same with the Move Down link.

To publish (or unpublish) a menu item, click the Publish checkbox and then click the Apply Changes button.

One special note about the Menu Manager: whatever item’s page is at the top of the list will be the “home” page for the site. Thus, if you move the “Contact Us” menu item to the top of the menu the Contact Us page will be the page a visitor sees when they first visit your website. It is important, therefore, to keep the top item one such as Welcome.

Design Manager Help

The Design Manager provides you a method to control the design of your site.

Clicking the “Make Default” button next to a design will change your site’s design to match the thumbnail.

Any logo that you have chosen will remain the same, as well your menu and content.

You may change your design as often as you like, but remember that changing it too often can confuse visitors who are used to seeing a particular design when they visit your site.

Document Manager Help, Part One

The Document Manager page allows you to upload different types of files such as Word documents, PDF’s, PowerPoint presentations, or anything else that you want to have on your website for others to download.

There are two sections to the Document Manager page. The first section, highlighted to the left, allows you to publish (or unpublish) Menu Items that are created when you upload a document. You can publish/unpublish a document as often as you like.

You can also choose to delete a document that you previously uploaded by clicking the Delete checkbox and clicking the Edit Document button. Please remember that this a permanent action and cannot be undone.

Document Manager Help, Part Two

To upload a new document, click the Browse button and choose a document to upload from your computer.

The Document Title field will be the Menu Item for the new Document after you upload it.

Please be aware that after uploading a new document, there will be a new menu item and you may want to change the order of the menu by clicking on the Menu Manager link after uploading a new document.

Company Information Help

The Information Manager page, also called the Company Info page, allows you to change information about your company, as well as insert additional information that is used by search engines to find your site.

The information you put in the fields are used to help customers contact you, and the Company Name field is also the Title of your website.

The company description and company keywords text fields are to be filled with information that you want search engines to use to identify you and your site.

To save the changes you made after visiting the site, click the Edit Information button.

Logo Manager Help, Part One

The Logo Manager page allows you to upload a logo for your site, or you can also use a pre-created logo with your site.

To upload a new logo, click the Browse button and choose a JPG file from your computer to use as a logo. Once you select a logo, click the Upload a New Logo button to complete the upload and change your logo.

Logo Manager Help, Part Two

To use a pre-loaded logo for your site, just click the Select button next to a logo thumbnail and that logo will become your new logo.

Please remember that you can only have one logo at a time, and if you choose a new logo the previous logo will be overwritten.