Homepage alerts are an effective way to display important notifications to visitors when they first arrive at your school's website. These pop-up notifications appear on your homepage and can include featured photos, custom messaging, and call-to-action buttons.
Understanding Homepage Alert Layouts
The appearance of your homepage alert depends on whether you include a featured photo and its orientation:
Landscape images: Display above the alert content
Portrait and square images: Display side-by-side with the alert content
No image: Shows only the alert text and button
Button colors automatically match your website's design theme.
Creating a Homepage Alert
Step 1: Set Up the Alert
Create your news story as usual
On the next screen, select Homepage Popup Alert
Alternative method: To add a homepage alert to an existing news story, access the Announce page using the action menu on the News landing page.
Step 2: Configure the Featured Photo
Check "Display featured photo" to show the featured image from your news story in the alert
Uncheck this option if you prefer to display the alert without a photo
Step 3: Set Up Your Call-to-Action Button
Edit the button label to create a compelling call-to-action that matches your alert message
Select a button style from the available options
Note: If your button colors don't match your site design, contact Tech Support to have them updated.
Step 4: Optional - Remove the Call-to-Action Button
If you don't want to include a button in your homepage alert:
Uncheck the "Display call to action" box
This will remove all button options, including the label and style settings
Step 5: Schedule Alert Removal
Enter the date and time when you want the alert to automatically disappear from the homepage
Click "Create alert" to publish your homepage alert
Important: Scheduling alert removal only removes the pop-up notification from your homepage. The original news story will remain visible on your homepage and news page.
How Visitors Interact with Homepage Alerts
When visitors see your homepage alert, they have the option to click "Don't show again." Once they do this:
They won't see the current alert again
The alert will reappear if you create a new homepage alert or adjust the expiration date
They can also clear their browser data to see the alert again
Best Practices
Keep messages concise: Homepage alerts should communicate key information quickly
Use strong call-to-action language: Make your button text action-oriented and specific
Choose appropriate images: Consider how landscape vs. portrait images will affect your layout
Your homepage alerts are now ready to effectively communicate important information to your school community!