Site Identity
Site Identity: After you have customized your theme, there are still a few things you will want to do to make this “your” website. Changing your Site Identity will remove the placeholder name and tagline and allow you to replace it with your own unique branding. You can also add your site logo and site icon. Make sure all your changes in the full site editor have been saved. Then click the WordPress logo in the top left corner to return to the dashboard. (You may need to press the logo twice—once to get back to the main menu for the full site editor, and once to leave the FSE and return to the dashboard.)
When you’re back at the dashboard you can add your logo and site icon. Your logo should incorporate the colors you are using in the color palette you set in the full site editor. The logo should also be a creative way to display the name of your site or give clues to what your site is about.
To upload a logo you’ve created, click on the Media Library. The Media Library stores all the media for the website. As you build pages and posts, your photos and videos will all be stored there.
Click on Media > Library. There may be placeholder images or files installed by your theme, or your media library may be empty like in the example below. To add a file, press Add New Media File.
You can then either drag and drop your logo file into the media library, or press Select Files to choose your logo file.
When uploading your file, be sure to consider the size and type of file you are uploading. The goal is to use the smallest file size that still looks good to help your site load faster. A PNG file is the best option, since you can have a transparent background, which will look more professional once you add it to your header (covered in a later unit).
Once your file is in the media library, you can click on it to bring up additional options. Here you can change the title of the image and add alt text. Alt text is used by screen readers for people with visual impairments. When alt text is added, someone who is visually impaired can still get a description of the image with a screen reader, which reads aloud the text of paragraphs and the alt text for images. Alt text is also used by web crawlers to help SEO. SEO stands for search engine optimization and is related to ranking higher in a web search. The goal of most website owners is to show up as high as possible (page 1) in a Google search and using alt text to describe an image helps engine crawlers understand the content on the site and recommend it to others. Alt text should be a short description, like TurnKey Tech Ed logo or Labrador retriever walking on a leash in a park. Be concise, yet descriptive. Once you have added your alt text, press the X icon in the top left corner.
Now that you have a logo in the media library, you should also upload a site icon, or favicon. A site icon/favicon is a small icon that is displayed in browser tabs and next to the name of your site when someone bookmarks it. This is typically very similar to the logo, but without any text, as it will be too small to read.
In the example below, the site icon is very close to the logo, but without the text.
With your site logo and site icon loaded in the media library, it’s time to change the site name and tagline. To do this, go to Settings > General.
Replace any placeholder text for the Site Title. This should be the name of your website (not your name). You should also replace the Tagline. This should be a catchy phrase or slogan for your site. To add your Site Icon, click Choose a Site Icon. This will bring up the media library for you to select the site icon you just uploaded.
Once you’ve added the site title, tagline, and site icon, scroll to the bottom of the page and press Save Changes.
The settings area allows you to make changes to how your site is setup. There are several options within this menu that you should not change. A good rule of thumb is to avoid making any changes in the settings menu unless directed by your teacher. Changing elements that you do not fully understand could result in permanent damage to your site. A common error is to change the WordPress Address and Site Address. If you change either of these elements, you will be permanently locked out of your site and may lose all your work. Be sure to only change your site title, tagline, and site icon.
You have now learned the basic ways to customize a theme and change the site identity to match your site content. Remember that the best way to customize your theme is to take time to go through all the global options within the full site editor. Since every theme will have different options, spend some time looking in all the menus and options to customize your site’s look.