The settings for your website are divided into several categories:

• General site settings
• Meta settings
• Site layout options
• Front page options
• Sidebar options
• Logo and background
• Contact info page

The following sections explain each of these sets of settings in detail.

General site settings

The general site settings have to do with how your website visitors see your site. 

Site down for maintenance

Checking Yes for this option prevents visitors from viewing your website. The web site will instead display a message:

If you are an admin of your website you will still be able to log in and manage the website. Check No for this option to allow visitors to view your website again.

User Email Alerts for Favorite Animals and Breeds

Enable this option to allow your website visitors to be able to receive favorite animals and favorite breeds email alerts. Disabling this option prevents your visitors from receiving these alerts.

Meta Settings

Metadata is used to describe pages on a website, allowing search engines to understand what each page portrays.

Website Description

The website description is a meta tag that gives search engines a summary of what the page is about. Meta tags are hidden in the page HTML code, and are not visible to your website visitor, but are instead, visible to search engines. While a page's title may be only a few words or a phrase, a page description might be a sentence or two. For best results, keep meta descriptions between 150 and 160 characters. 

Use Short Cut / Favicon Image

A favicon (pronounced fave icon) is a small image that's used in a website visitor's browser address line or the tab. This can be your organization's logo, for instance. Here is the image you see in the tab of your browser when you go to our RescueGroups.org website. The blue paw print is our favicon.

Use the arrow to the right of the field to select an image from the drop-down list that you would like to use as your short cut (favicon) image.

The images you see in the drop-down list are those you uploaded on the Web Site > Images page. For information on how to upload images to your website, see the article Managing Web images in this guide.

Use Logo Image

Use the arrow to the right of the field to select an image from the drop-down list that you would like to use as your logo image. The image will be added as an Open Graph (og:image) meta tag. Open Graph is a protocol that allows you to control content shown on Facebook. Using a logo image in the metadata will ensure that when someone shares your page on Facebook, your logo will appear.

You can upload images on the Web Site > Images page.  Only the images that are at least 200px by 200px will be shown in the Use Logo Image drop-down list because Facebook requires that the og:image be at least that size, otherwise, it will be ignored.

Site Layout Options

The information in the Site Layout Options is used in some layouts, and in others that information is not used. If that information is used on the layout you've selected then that information will appear.

Layout slogan

A slogan is a short phrase you want visitors to your website to remember about your organization. For instance, "Saving dogs in Reno" or "No kitten left behind." Enter the slogan you would like to use in the Layout slogan field. It will automatically be added to your website. Layout slogans are not supported by all templates and layouts available to you with the Website Service. You can preview your website template to see if your layout slogan is visible. Remember, not all layouts use this information.

Active menu

The Active menu is that menu currently in use on your website. This settings selection is a drop-down list of any custom web menus you have created or the default RescueGroups.org menu. Simply use the arrow to the right of the field to select the custom web menu you would like to use on your website.

To create a custom menu, please see the Changing your website menu article in this guide.

Front Page Options

Front Page Options are those options that have to do with your website's homepage. Each setting in this section will determine what your homepage will automatically display to your visitors.

Custom front page

You can replace your standard RescueGroups.org home page with a custom home page you made under the menu Web Site > Web Pages and Content. Use the arrow on the right to select your custom home page from the drop-down list of available home pages. When visitors go to your home page they will then see your custom web page instead of the RescueGroups.org provided default home page. 

To learn about your home page, read the section in this guide: Getting familiar with your home page. That section explains how the home page is made of several selections and web pages to create the look that your visitors see when reaching your organization's home page.

Display logo on front page

Select Yes if you would like to display your organization's logo on the front page of your web site. This is a separate option because most web sites have the logo incorporated into the front page already, and without this option you would see two logos  To see the logo on the front page you also need to enable the logo under the Logo Background section of the Layout Options page. 

Latest news articles

You can display the latest news items that you have written on your front page (if your organization uses news items).  The News feature must be enabled in Features > News. Click Show to display the news items on the front page, or Don't Show to prevent them from displaying. See the article in this guide: Adding news articles to your website.

Upcoming events

You can display your organization's upcoming events on your front page. To do so, you must enable the Events feature must be enabled in Features > Events and, of course, have some upcoming events to feature. For more information about enabling and using events, see the article About events in this guide.

To show your upcoming events on your homepage, click Show in the Upcoming events settings, or click Don't show to prevent the events from displaying on your front page.

Top highlighted animals

Your highlighted animals can display right on the home page of your website. There are three homepage settings that help you to display your highlighted animals:

• Top highlighted animals
• Number of highlighted animals
• Amount of highlighted animal's description shown

To display your highlighted animals, check Show to display your highlighted animals on your website home page and check Don't show to prevent your highlighted animals from displaying on your home page. 

If checked, this option will allow highlighted animals to be displayed on your front page.

For more information about the highlighted animals feature, see the article in this guide: Using the animal highlight feature.

Number of highlighted animals

Use the arrow to the right of the field to select from the drop-down list how many highlighted animals will be displayed. This option requires the Show the top highlighted animals option to be checked.

Amount of highlighted animal’s description shown

Enter the number of characters from the animal’s description that you would like to appear in the highlighted animals section.  The default is 100 characters. This option requires the Show the top highlighted animals option to be checked.

Sidebar Options

The sidebar on the side of your website home page gives you additional places to display pertinent information.

Powered by RescueGroups.org

We would love it if you would want to show your website visitors the technology that allows your website to be as awesome as it is. However, we always want you to have the option not to advertise for other organizations on your own website. You can select Show to display the text or Don't Show to prevent it from being displayed. If you select Show, the Powered by RescueGroups.org logo will display on your sidebar. Not all layouts automatically include the ability to include this logo.

Username on Menu Next to Logout link

Click Show if you want the currently logged-in username to appear on the sidebar menu next to the logout link. If you are using a custom menu, you add the menu item, Login/Logout to your custom menu. Click Don't Show to prevent the username from displaying.

Date/time the site was last updated

Click Show to display on the side bar to your site visitors the date and time of the last update you made to the website. The date and time is automatically updated when almost any change is made to the website. Not all layouts automatically include this feature. Click Don't Show to prevent the update date and time from displaying.

Animal picture mode

You can select to display a picture of one of your adoptable animals on every web page. The animal's name and breed will display as well. Should you select to enable this option, the animal can be one chosen randomly, or a "featured" animal -- one animal you select -- that will appear on every web page. Use the arrow to the right of the field to select either Random, Featured, or Disabled. 

Not all layouts automatically include this feature. For layouts that do not, you can use the snippet feature, and add the built-in snippet: Featured Animal to your web page to display the featured animal of your choice.  You can find out more about snippets in the section of this guide, Using code snippets.

Featured Animal

If you select Featured for the Animal Picture Mode option, you can then select the animal to feature on every web page. The animal must have a picture to use this option.

This setting is also used with the Built In Snippet - Random animal Picture. You can find out more about snippets in the section of this guide, Using code snippets.

Animal search box

You can select to highlight a search of your available animals on your website sidebar. Clicking Show for this option displays an Animal Search box in the sidebar. Visitors can search your available animal list by breed, color or name. You can also use the search box to find an adopted or deleted animal or to search the online help.

Not all layouts automatically include this feature. For layouts that do not, you can use the built-in snippet for search. You can find out more about snippets in the section of this guide, Using code snippets.

To provide you with better and more detailed information, you may want to sign up for an add the Google Analytics code for your website. You can then add the Google Analytics code to your page. For information about adding affiliates, see the section, Adding PayPal, Facebook, and other affiliate vendors to your website.

Select Don't Show to prevent a search box from displaying.

Mailing address

You can display your organization's mailing address in the sidebar. You can also block your email address and street address from showing. You can change your address on the Organization Contact Information page. Click Show to display your organization's mailing address and Don't Show to prevent the mailing address from displaying.

"Email Page to a Friend" Link

This option allows visitors to your site to email a link from your website to a friend of theirs. This is great when a visitor wants to show a friend an animal or article that interests them.

Not all layouts support this option.

Click Show to display the message Email page to a Friend and Don't Show to prevent it from displaying. 

Bookmark/Link Sharing Button

Click Show to display the button with website sharing options such as Facebook and Don't Show to prevent it from displaying. Not all layouts support this option.

Sidebar width

Enter the width (in pixels) for the desired width of the sidebar.

Not all layouts support this option. If your layout does not support this option, you can adjust the width of the sidebar using CSS or you can open a support ticket and we can assist you.

Logo and Background

You have two options for the logo and background.

Use your Logo

Click Yes this option to display your organization's logo in the sidebar in layouts that support a logo. You can upload a logo from Website > Logo. Click No if you do not want to display your logo.

Use Background Image

Use the arrow on the right side of the field to select one of your available images from the drop-down list to use as a background for your website. You can upload images on the Website > Images page.

Not all layouts support a background image. If your layout does not support this option, you can add one using CSS or you can open a support ticket and we can assist you.

Contact Info Page

Contact Us form

Enable this option if you want your website visitors to be able to submit a Call from your website by using a Contact Us form. To learn about using the Calls feature, read the article in this guide: About calls.