How To Add Links To the Header and Footer

SoftSlate Cloud Platform provides several flexible methods for adding navigation links to your site's global header and footer areas. Whether you want to link to internal content pages, external websites, or create custom navigation elements, the system offers user-friendly tools to help you create the exact navigation experience your customers need.

Adding Links To Content Pages or Categories

Simple Built-in Linking The easiest way to add links to your global header or footer is using the built-in linking options available for content pages and categories. This method requires no technical knowledge and can be implemented with simple checkbox selections.

How to Enable Page Links For any content page or category page, simply use the "Is Linked in Header" and "Is Linked in Footer" checkbox options:

Automatic Link Display When you enable these options, the system automatically displays links in your customer interface header and footer, using the page or category name as the link text:

This approach is perfect for important pages like "About Us," "Contact," "Privacy Policy," or key product categories that you want easily accessible from anywhere on your site.

Adding Links to Other Common Pages

Centralized Navigation Control For broader navigation management, you can control the display of common navigation links through the "Header and Side Panel Settings" screen. This centralized approach allows you to quickly enable or disable various standard navigation elements:

Available Navigation Controls You can customize the following navigation areas:

• Header Top Links: Links that appear at the very top of your site

• Nav Bar Links Before Content and Category Pages: Links that appear before your content/category navigation

• Nav Bar Links After Content and Category Pages: Links that appear after your content/category navigation

• Footer Links: Links that appear in your site footer

This system allows you to precisely control the order and placement of your navigation elements.

Adding Any Other Link to the Header or Footer

Custom Link Creation For maximum flexibility, you can create custom links that point to any URL (internal or external) with any text you choose. This advanced method involves three simple steps but provides complete control over your navigation.

Step 1: Choose a Keyword Start by selecting a unique keyword to identify your new link. The keyword should:

• Contain no spaces or special characters

• Be descriptive of the link's purpose

• Be unique within your system

Example: If you want to link to an external company website, you might use "externalHome" as your keyword.

Step 2: Add the Keyword to Navigation Settings Navigate to the Advanced System Settings screen and locate the "Customer Navigation Options" section. Add your keyword to the appropriate setting based on where you want the link to appear:

Choose from:

• "Header Top Links Options"

• "Nav Bar Links Before Content and Category Pages Options"

• "Nav Bar Links After Content and Category Pages Options"

• "Footer Links Options"

Step 3: Enable the Link After adding your keyword to the options, it will automatically appear as a selectable option in the Header and Side Panel Settings screen. Simply check the box to enable your new link:

Step 4: Set the Link Text Create an Application Message to control what text appears for your link:

1. Navigate to Site Content → Application Messages

2. Click the plus icon to add a new message

For the "Message Key" field, enter "page." followed by your keyword (e.g., "page.externalHome"). In the "Content" field, enter the exact text you want visitors to see in the header or footer.

Step 5: Set the Link Destination Create a redirect to specify where the link should take visitors:

1. Go to Site Content → Redirects

2. Click the plus icon to add a new redirect

   

Configure the Redirect:

• Incoming Path: Enter a slash ("/") followed by your keyword (e.g., "/externalHome")

• Destination: Enter the complete URL where you want to send visitors

• Is Forward and Is Temporary: Leave these fields disabled for standard links

Flexible Destination Options The destination doesn't have to be an external URL! You can use relative URLs for internal links. A common example is adding a link to your site's contact form in the header or footer. In this case, the destination would be something like "/form/contact" where "contact" is your contact form's code field.

See Your Results Your new custom link should appear in the customer interface within a few minutes:

Important Timing Note: After adding or editing redirects or application messages, allow up to 5 minutes for changes to appear in the customer interface due to system caching optimizations.

Best Practices for Header and Footer Links

Navigation Strategy

• Keep header links focused on primary navigation and essential pages

• Use footer links for secondary information like legal pages, contact info, and company details

• Limit the number of header links to avoid cluttering the navigation

• Group related links logically

Link Text Guidelines

• Use clear, descriptive text that tells users exactly where they're going

• Keep link text concise but informative

• Maintain consistency in tone and terminology across all navigation

Testing Your Links

• Always test new links in both desktop and mobile views

• Verify that external links open correctly and point to the intended destinations

• Ensure internal links work properly and maintain your site's user experience