Version 1.8 of our content management system Ballyhoo Refresh has now been released. In this version we have a large scope of new features and modules to help you keep your website up to date and provide the best possible experience for your customers. There’s quite a lot to get on with in this version so let’s jump right in…
Separate Page Headings & Titles
A meta ‘page title’ is the title used by search engines when they list a website in their results pages. A well worded page title lets searchers know exactly what a page is about and therefore entices them to pay a visit.
Previously Ballyhoo Refresh would display your page heading as the page title, while this was a perfectly acceptable practice we wanted to offer that little extra bit of flexibility.
With Ballyhoo Refresh 1.8 you now have the possibility to specify a separate page heading and page title. This allows for more adaptability meaning that pages can be titled exactly as you want them to be.
Drag & Drop Sub-Page Ordering
Ballyhoo Refresh now gives you the ability to reorder the sub-pages within your site. Simply click and drag on a thumbnail to reposition it – the sub-page will automatically snap to a grid so there is no need to worry about being too accurate.
Authorship for Pages
Authorship can now be added to pages (old and new) to display a head-shot or avatar and a little bit of information about the author. This is shown at the bottom of every page belonging to a particular author and you also have the option to select ‘none’ should you not want the your profile to be displayed.
You may have noticed that Google have fairly recently started to show pictures of authors next to entries on a results page. In order for this to appear a special link needs to be included in your website to point Google to the author’s Google+ profile. Ballyhoo’s authorship feature includes this link for you on every page where an author has been specified, thus enhancing your appearance in Google’s results pages.
Configuration of this feature must be carried out by a developer, contact us for more information.
Positional Enquiry Forms
Ballyhoo Refresh now allows you to position a contact form anywhere within a contact page – simply pop {enquiry form} into the HTML where you want the form to appear. This means you can now add a call to action in the most optimal place to encourage your customers to get in touch.
If you’re not familiar with HTML just let us know where you’d like your forms to appear and we can do this for you.
New Anti-Spam Techniques
New anti-spam measures have been put in place to reduce the amount of unwanted messages that are sent through your contact forms, product enquiry forms and testimonial forms. We hope that the new techniques that we are using will bring us closer to stopping these spammers altogether but in the meantime you should see a significant reduction in time-consuming spam.
Product Demonstration Module
Our new Product Demonstration Module allows you to show off your products in all their glory. This fantastic module allows you to include a product description alongside multiple images and also includes the ability to include an enquiry form so customers can easily get in touch.
The main product image is displayed in a large size, with thumbnails positioned either above, below or to the side. The thumbnail images can be rearranged in the admin area by dragging and dropping them into the desired position. When a user clicks on the thumbnail it takes the place of the main image and the main image can also be clicked to view an even larger, zoomed version.
Back to Top
Last, but by no means least, we’ve added the possibility to include a ‘back to top’ button at the bottom of a web-page. Once a visitor reaches the bottom of a page they will be presented with a button which will whiz them straight back up to the top when clicked. This adds extra functionality to your website, making it even easier to navigate thus engaging your visitors that little bit longer.
