Watch a video
Where to start
Under Website > Site settings > Basic you can configure the fundamental settings of your website. From this area you can configure the default settings, edit your footer, add header and background images, and set up a custom domain.
(Please note, site settings are the settings for a specific website within your Nation. If you'd like to change settings for your Nation overall, navigate to the Settings tab in the control panel. For more information, you can also visit the Settings section of our HOWTOs.)
Site-wide settings
Under Website > Site settings > Basic you can configure the fundamental settings of your website. Take a moment to learn about what settings can affect your website and how this changes the experience of your users.
Your website will default to have the Organization name you entered in install. Change your website name by entering a name in the “Name” text box. You may also enter a longer version of the name in the “Long name” text box.
The name will appear in header of your site, unless you have a logo image uploaded. Note that if your “Long name” is different than “Name”, the “Long name” will display on the front facing site.
Enter the title of your site that will appear in search engine results.
Enter a headline and subheadline for your site. These can be pulled into pages or email blasts using Smart fields.
Decide on the default language of your site. Select an option from the dropdown menu.
Limit who can see your website based on access level. A person can see all pages that are less restrictive than their own. So, anyone who is at an “admin” level will be able to see the site if it is limited to members-only. You may also edit visibility on a page by page basis.
Uncheck "Allow search engines" if you do not want your site to be viewable to search engines. This will keep your site hidden until you want it to go live.
📌 Note: If your site was accessible to search engines and you uncheck this box, it will take a few days for search engines to notice the change and remove the site from their listings.
When "Show parent nav in dropdown" is checked, the parent page will appear in the top navigation dropdown.
When this is checked, the parent page will appear in the top navigation dropdown.
When the parent is included:
When the parent is not included:
If you are using a theme with a dark background, check the “Use the dark Facebook like button.” This will cause the Facebook button that appears at the bottom of all themes to appear with greater contrast in order to increase visibility for your users.
Select a default broadcaster for your website. This broadcaster will send all autoresponse emails from your nation. Facebook or Twitter icons at the bottom of every website page will link to this broadcaster’s associated social media accounts.
A number of settings are affected by a series of checkboxes available under Site settings > Basic. Most of these can also be configured on a page-by-page basis.
Ask for mobiles: Adds a field to forms for mobile numbers to make all action pages ask for a mobile phone number.
Ask for volunteers: Check this box if you want to ask for volunteers on every action page in your nation. A checkbox will be available on every form in your nation asking a supporter if they want to volunteer.
Email & text message opt-in checkbox defaults to checked: Any page that asks for an email address or mobile number will also have an opt-in checkbox below the field on the form. You can decide if that checkbox defaults to checked or unchecked.
Show stream: Every action page has a built in stream that shows the activity of the page. The stream will show the name, profile picture, and action taken of every person who took an action on that page. Uncheck this box to disable the stream site-wide. Note that an individual can opt-out of having their profile display on any action page.
Ask to publish actions to stream: When you use the social and activity streams on your pages, your user will have the option to opt out of publishing their action to the page. Uncheck this box if you want to disable the option to publish the action to the stream.
Show social slider: Check the “Show social slider” checkbox if you want to have a slider displaying profiles from your nation. The profiles shown will be those who took an action on a specific page. Each supporter will have the option to not publish their action to the site. This setting only applies to action pages.
Allow comments: Uncheck this box to disable comments site-wide. Please note that allowing comments automatically shows the stream. When someone comments on a page, all followers of that page get an email notification. Followers of the page include anyone who has previously commented on the page. Uncheck this box to disable the email notifications.
Email new comments and feedback to page followers: When someone comments on a page, all followers of that page get an email notification. Followers of the page include anyone who has previously commented on the page. Uncheck this box to disable the email notifications.
Show public profiles: Check this box to take advantage of public profiles. A public profile is created for every person in your nation who has an account. You can disable profiles site-wide by unchecking this box. Learn more about public profiles in your nation.
Use wide public profile template: The sidebar of your site only appears when you are logged in to the site. It includes links to page you’ve authored. If you are a control panel user of the nation, it will offer the option to edit the page and access to the control panel. You can select to hide the sidebar on public profiles by selecting this checkbox.
Remember to click Save site.
Favicon, logo, header and background image
You have the option to add several types of images to customize your NationBuilder website. These images will appear on every page of your site.
Upload the images you select under Favicon, Logo, Header image and Background image.
Upload the image by clicking Choose file and then Upload image.
Footer
To add content or information to the footer of your site use the content editor at Site settings > Footer.
Once you’ve added the appropriate content and images, click Save footer.
Analytics setup and custom domain
Under site settings you are able to set up your site’s analytics tracking and connect a subdomain using the CNAME method. Please refer to our documentation on analytics and attaching a custom domain for further information.
Clear your cache
When you are making a site-wide change or modifying your theme remember to clear you cache often. Clearing your cache will often cleans out your theme so any recent changes are represented. Any time you notice something odd with your theme consider clearing your cache. This will often resolve the problem.
