How Do I Start To Build My Website? A Step By Step Guide

How Do I Start To Build My Website? A Step By Step Guide

This Article Is For:

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

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, including How Do I Build A Page For My Website? 

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. 
  • 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



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






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. For a list of possible elements you can use, visit here
  • 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)



Please visit the following articles for more information on Side Bars:

  1. How Do I Change The Side Bar Text Color?
  2. How Do I Change The Side Bar Link Color?
  3. How Do I Change The Side Bar Background Color?
  4. How Do I Change The Side Bar Width?

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:

  1. How Do I Create A Blog?
  2. 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


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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