Every site within the Content Manager has a set of general "Site Settings" that you can access at any time. Changes made on this page affect your entire site, so caution is advised when making changes.

To access the Site Settings page, expand your Control Panel, if needed, and click the Site icon (circled in the illustration above). You may also choose the Site Settings command from the Admin menu.

The top portion of the page provides the site's basic settings, which include "Site Marketing." The most common options are:

• Title. The title of your website that appears in the Title Bar of your web browser if your individual pages lack titles. We recommend placing your organization name in this field.
• Description. A textual description of your website. Some search engines display this description in their search results next to the link to your site. The description is buried in your site's source code and is not visible anywhere on the pages.
• Keywords. A comma separated list of keywords, in priority order, that describe your site. These keywords should be terms and phrases that your customers would use to search for a site like yours. This list is also buried in your source code and is not visible on the pages.
• Copyright. A copyright notification that usually appears in the footer of your site's pages. The typical format of this is, "Copyright © 20XX Company Name. All rights reserved." It is recommended that you include both the word copyright and the copyright symbol (©) next to the current year (or span of years for which you claim copyright). To get the copyright symbol to appear, follow the example in the ullustration above: type © to make the symbol appear on your pages (note that the weird code is a special HTML code representing the copyright symbol, and you must include the ampersand (&) and semi-colon (;) with the code, as shown). The phrase, All rights reserved, is optional.
• Search Engine. You can select different search engines from the list and click the Submit link to notify the search engine to index your site. Note that this does not guarantee your search engine rankings.
• Site Map URL. This field should be prefilled with an automatically generated page (like the one shown in the illustration above). When you click the Submit link, you will be taken to Google's site where you will need to create a free Webmaster Tools account. Ultimately, this feature provides the search engine with a "table of contents" to your site.
• Verification. When you sign up for a Google Webmaster Tools account, you will be given a Verification Key which you enter into this field.

The tools in the Appearance group let you specify how your site looks. Fandotech probably set up a design for your site before we introduced you to the content manager. However, you can change the design, as well as upload a new design and apply it to your site using these tools. It's important to understand at least two terms used in the Appearance Group:

• Skins are the overall graphical design of the site.
• Containers are the "wrappers" around your individual modules (pieces of page content).

The most common options in the group are:

• Logo. An image file that represents your organization's logo. Typically, this logo appears in the header of the site. It is possible to pick any graphic in your site from this option, as well as to upload a new graphic using the Upload New File option.
• Portal Skin. Your website is a "portal" in the content manager, so this skin applies to all the public pages in your site. You may choose from any skins located in the Host collection, or just your Site (where your site's custom skin is located). You may also preview the choice before applying it using the Preview link. It's a good idea to take note of your old skin before applying a new one, in case you need to switch back in a hurry. If you'd like to upload a new skin, choose the Upload Skin command at the bottom of the group. Note that any individual page in your site can have its own distinct skin that overrides the Portal Skin.
• Portal Container. Every module is, by default, wrapped in the portal container specified here. As with pages, individual modules can override this setting and have their own distinct skins. Again, as with pages, you can choose to browse the module skins in the Host collection or the Site collection, and preview your choice before applying it. To upload a new portal container, click the Upload Container link at the bottom of the group.

The Admin Skin and Admin Container options apply to the private management pages of your website and rarely needs to be changed.

There is only one security setting with four choices. User Registration refers to if and how visitors to your site can access its content. The simplest sites do not require users to register and/or sign in, so the None option applies. If you choose the Private option, then your site requires that you set up accounts for registered users. If you choose Public, then your site will offer a Register link somewhere on the page that site visitors can click to register for an account on your site. Lastly, if you choose the Verified option, then users will receive an email upon registration that contains a link that they must click to confirm and verify their account.

The Page Management group allows you to select which pages on your site serve specific purposes. Each of the choices are:

• Splash page. An introductory page on your site that users must click through to get to your homepage. We typically recommend leaving this at the <None Specified> option.
• Home Page. The main, or first, page of your website.
• Login Page. The page that users go to when they sign in (if your site requires User Registration, see above).
• User Page. The page that users go to when they want to manage their accounts (if your site requires User Registration, see above).

The Other Settngs group lets you choose a few general options; they are:

• Administrator. The overall site administrator. This account can't be deleted.
• Default Language. The language used for your site by default, typically English (United States).
• Portal TimeZone. The timezone, usually where your organization is located.

The SSL Settings group only applies to your site if you have purchased a Secure Server Certificate, which is typical for an ecommerce site, or any site that collects personal information. The options are:

• SSL Enabled? If you have an SSL certificate, this enables the option (so that secure pages will now be preceded by https:// instead of the non-secure http://).
• SSL Enforced? If checked, forces secure pages to use the security certificate.
• SSL URL. The address of your site when it's accessed securely, such as https://www.mysite.com.
• Standard URL. The address of your site when it's not accessed securely, such as http://www.mysite.com.