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SoCast Account Admins, Content Editors, Promotions Staff
This is applicable to: All Themes

Redesigning Your Station's Website? Here's 4 Things To Consider

With your theme chosen, you’re ready to start creating content. Let’s quickly run through some of the basics:

Step # 1: Select Theme Settings:

You have full control over the design of your radio station website, select theme colors, logos, header images, font sizes, sidebar customizations and social links

Please visit our articles on Website Theme settings:

Navigation Theme Settings

Header Theme Settings

Background Theme Settings

Body Theme Settings

Step # 2: Add Your Homepage To The Navigation:

Build web pages without a team of web developers. Our drag-and-drop interface makes page creation and maintenance easy. For users who want the flexibility of using HTML, quickly switch to the HTML editor and gain access to full customization options. Pages and page navigation are the framework for your website. We suggest creating your Homepage first.

Please visit our Pages section for additional information.

Step # 3: Create Your Feature Rotator:

Feature rotators (or sliders) rotate images in a single grid. These can be added to any page, blog or contest within the website, and are perfect for running a series of images linking to: Internal or external events (concerts, live to air), Features (ex. sponsor pages, sports teams) and Station promotions and contests. (Artist takeovers).

Please visit our Feature Rotator section for additional information.

Best Practices:

Make sure your Feature Rotator images are sized properly. We recommend a size of:
Make sure they are visually appealing (especially for the homepage, since this is where most visitors get introduced to your site)
Add them to the top of contests and pages to help keep the content fresh

SoCast Knowledge Base > How To Build Your Website: A Step By Step Guide > image2016-10-25 16:57:26.png

Step # 4: Create A Homepage Activity Stream:

Activity Streams are a powerful tool that brings content and conversation together, enables instant social media sharing, and boosts user engagement while maximizing your content strategy. Activity Streams encourage users to share more of your content through an improved social media sharing experience.

Please visit our article on All Activity Streams for additional information.

Best Practices:

Include Member Comments, Facebook Comments, Twitter Mentions, and Hashtags
Drive traffic to in-house contests and events via our “Promo Posts” feature
Create an Activity Stream for a sponsor, or special event
Choose an Activity Stream Header color to match your branding

SoCast Knowledge Base > How To Build Your Website: A Step By Step Guide > image2016-10-25 16:58:23.png

Step # 5: Create A Sidebar:

Sidebars are a great place to put information that doesn’t belong in your website's navigation. You can then use this sidebar as the default for your entire website or just for your homepage.

Please visit our article on How Do I Create A Sidebar? for additional information.

Best Practices:

Add various widgets to your sidebar: put information or links you believe the user might want access to at any second such as weather, social icons, polls etc
Add different sidebars to different pages: Create specific sidebars for specific pages. (Ex. A restaurant reviews page might have local restaurant logos in the side bar)

SoCast Knowledge Base > How To Build Your Website: A Step By Step Guide > sidebar.JPG

Step # 6: Add A Blog Widget To A Local News Page

Blogging is a great way to share Breaking News stories, and extra content from your on-air segments. Our Blog Grid widget allows you to display your content in a visually appealing way.

Please visit our articles:

How Do I Create A Blog?

How Do I Add A Blog Category To A Page?

Best Practices:

Make sure to always add keywords/SEO to blog titles and posts
Add calls to action (download, ask, sign up, request)
Use Images
Make sure your post is mobile friendly
Write your own unique content

SoCast Knowledge Base > How To Build Your Website: A Step By Step Guide > image2016-10-26 15:20:39.png

Step # 7: Add An Event Page:

Event pages allow you to display multiple events and concert listings, with the added ability of being able to syndicate events with other company accounts. You have 3 different options for how your events are displayed, Grid, List and Table.

Please visit our articles:

How Do I Create An Event Calendar?

Best Practices:

Schedule when you would like the event to appear on your website.
Add in depth details about your event such as: venue, age restrictions, ticket price, external links to direct users where to buy tickets, to sponsor sites etc
Add an event description
Add an event image
Create separate event calendars for concerts, local events, garage sales etc

Step # 8: Add Contests

You can create various different kinds of contests in the SoCast platform such as: photo, video, music, story, trivia and sweepstakes. Contests are a critical part of engaging users and advertisers, as well as building a website membership. A targeted promotion with the right offer can lead to a viral event, substantial traffic increases, and next-level sponsorship opportunities

Please visit our article on contests:

How Do I Create A Contest?

Best Practices:

Add your contests to the 'promotion list' once created
Create a variety of contest types
Easily add your own designs (such as a captivating image)
Select the contest stages, details and entry requirements
Add your legal or choose from our templates

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