A Quick Guide for Department Website Editors
On this page are tips for creating content on the Amherst College website, including creating pages, formatting text, inserting images, and more.
- If you would like a website training, contact Michael Reid.
- If you are starting a large web project, or if you need help, fill out the Communications Request Form.
Getting Started
Log into the website via the “tools” menu at the top of any Amherst webpage.
To edit a page: Go to the page that you would like to edit; if you have permission to edit, you will see “Edit” buttons above the articles and other components on the page.
To create a new page: Go to the section where you wish to add the page, click the “Settings” tab at the top of the page, and “Add sub-page.” Give your page a brief but informative name. This same name will appear in the navigation menu.
If you don’t see the Settings tab, you either aren’t logged in or don’t have a high enough level of permission. Contact Communications for assistance.
Add content: Under the “Contents” tab, click “Add” to see a list of components available for that page. You can select an “Article” or other component, such as a “Flexible Article” or “Slideshow.” Most of the long-form content on Amherst webpages is displayed in articles, which allow you to format your content as you wish.
Working with Articles
Formatting
The toolbar above an article’s text field contains formatting options, such as bulleted lists, bold, italics, and headings:
Inserting Images
Photos add visual interest to a page. Browse Amherst and stock photos to find suitable images for your webpages.
- Upload your photos ahead of time to a hidden subpage. Most department sites already have a “files” or “images” page set up. On that page, click “Add” and “File Upload” to add images, which will then be available to insert in articles on any page you wish.
- Go to your article, click “Edit,” and click the “Insert Media” icon in the toolbar. Browse to your files page and select an image.
- You will be prompted to enter “alt” text. Briefly describe the image for anyone who can’t see it. (Learn more about making your content accessible.)
- Once you have inserted the image, click on it to see the image toolbar.
- Choose a size and alignment.
- Click the “eye” icon if you wish to edit the alt text.
- If you need to link the image to a page, click the link icon and enter the URL or permalink.
Links and Permalinks
Every page on the Amherst site has both a URL and a permalink. For example:
- The regular URL for the Amherst’s Academics page is https://www.amherst.edu/academiclife
- But if you scroll to the bottom of that page, you’ll see a permalink: https://www.amherst.edu/mm/12644
Use the permalink when linking to a page. The URL will change if the page gets moved or renamed, but the permalink will never change.
Don’t Say “Click Here”
Use descriptive link names to make your links clearer, more prominent, and more accessible.
Register now to reserve a space in our workshop.
Reordering Contents on a Page
If you have several components and/or articles on a page, you can arrange what order they appear in by clicking “Reorder” under the “Contents” tab.
Make a Page Public (or Nonpublic)
To set whether your page is public or not, go to the “Settings” tab and check or uncheck “Read” for “All users.”
You can also make other permissions changes under the Settings tab, as well as move pages and various other things, but please don’t do so until you’ve had a web training with Michael Reid.
Do’s and Don’ts
Do use headings and bullets to draw attention to important points.
Do use images. Photographs add life to pages. See our Image Resources.
Do contact Communications for help! Use our Communications Request Form.
