General WordPress - SiteOrigin

These guides cover general WordPress tasks that come up on the SiteOrigin support forum, from installing a plugin to fixing a page that shows a 404 error. They work with any theme. Where the steps differ between classic themes and block themes, the guide gives each route: the classic admin screens, the Customizer or the Site Editor.

Themes and Plugins

Installing a Plugin: add a plugin from the WordPress plugin directory or upload a ZIP file.
Updating a Theme Using a ZIP File: replace a theme with a newer version when the automatic update is not available.
Child Themes: change theme files and still update the parent theme.
Adding Code Snippets Safely: add PHP snippets with the Code Snippets plugin or a child theme, and turn one off if it breaks your site.
Block Editor or Classic Editor: choose the editor that opens for posts and pages, and use Page Builder in either one.

Menus

Menus: create a menu, add pages and links, make drop-downs and assign the menu to a location.
Open a Menu Item in a New Page or Tab: send visitors to another site without leaving yours.

Content and Branding

Uploading Your Logo: add your logo to the site header.
Featured Images: set the main image for a post or page and show or hide it in your theme.
Disable Comments: turn off comments on new posts, on existing posts, on one post or page, or across the whole site.
Adding Custom CSS: change part of your design with SiteOrigin CSS or the Additional CSS field.
Image Sizes and Blurry Images: choose the right image size and fix images that look blurry.
Widgets and Widget Areas: add content to your sidebar and footer with any theme.

Backups and Moving

Backing Up and Restoring Your Site: keep copies of your files and database, and restore one when something goes wrong.
Moving Your Site to a New Host or Domain: move your site with a migration plugin or by hand without breaking Page Builder layouts.

Troubleshooting

When something on your site stops working, these guides help you find the cause before you contact support.

Troubleshooting WordPress: where to start when your site shows an error or a feature stops working.
Identifying Plugin Issues: find the plugin or theme that causes a problem by testing them one at a time.
Debugging in WordPress: turn on the debug log and read the errors WordPress records.
Fixing Page Not Found Errors: fix pages and posts that show a 404 error.
Clearing Caches When Changes Don’t Show: find the cache that still shows the old version of a page.
Fixing Saves Blocked by a Firewall: fix “Updating failed” when a security plugin or your host’s firewall blocks a save.

Settings for SiteOrigin Themes and Plugins

For the settings in a SiteOrigin theme, see that theme’s documentation, for example Vantage, Corp or North. Page Builder has its own documentation, and SiteOrigin Premium addons are covered in the Premium documentation. If a guide does not answer your question, ask on the support forum.