WordPress training and professional development

Introduction to WordPress at Boise State

Participants will learn how to use Boise State’s WordPress theme, including creating pages and content, using the block editor, creating and managing local and section navigation, and understanding web standards and best practices.

Recorded session

This class is available online via a recorded Zoom session. Contact the Help Desk to request access to the video recording.

Gravity Forms basics

Gravity Forms is the supported method used for WordPress forms development and management at Boise State. By ensuring web form data is transmitted and stored in a secure, reliable manner, Gravity Forms is an effective and reliable form solution. Learn when to use a Gravity Form, how to design forms, and how to manage form data.

It is strongly recommended that individuals who are new to Boise State’s WordPress theme attend the “Introduction to WordPress” session (or view a session recording) before registering for this learning opportunity.

Web accessibility at Boise State University

Boise State values inclusiveness and access for all students, faculty and staff. The Americans with Disabilities Act prevents individuals with disabilities from being denied the benefits of services, programs or activities at Boise State, which including content on our WordPress public-facing websites. This session will address how accessibility standards impact current web content, how you can help bring your content into compliance, and best practices for creating future content that both minimizes legal risk to the University and ensures access for everyone.

Create accessible documents for the web

Learn how to create accessible PDF and Microsoft 365 documents for the web. Participants will also learn techniques for repairing existing documents to comply with federal law and university policy.

Localist: Create and manage campus events

In this class, you’ll learn everything you need to effectively use Localist from the ground up. Discover how to request access and log in, create and manage engaging events, and utilize tags to improve discoverability.

We’ll also cover how to request and customize widgets to seamlessly integrate events into your website.

Whether you’re a beginner or looking to enhance your Localist skills, this session will give you the confidence to navigate the platform and make the most of its powerful tools.

Optimizing Boise State websites for search and AI

Search has changed markedly, and our university websites need to do more than just rank well. In this two-hour session, participants will learn how to create clearer, more useful, and more trustworthy content for users, search engines, and AI-powered search tools.

This session explores how to move from traditional SEO thinking to search satisfaction: helping our audiences find, understand, trust, and act on the answers and solutions we provide. Participants will learn how to use analytics data as a form of audience research to recognize user intent, improve page titles and headings, strengthen source-of-truth practices, and reduce outdated or duplicate content.

Understanding visitor behavior with Microsoft Clarity

Our web content works best when it is shaped by how people actually use it. In this one-hour workshop, we’ll explore how Microsoft Clarity can help WordPress site administrators and content editors better understand what visitors actually do on our university web pages.

Participants will learn how to interpret Clarity report data, including clicks, scroll depth, heatmaps, and session recordings, and how to use those insights to make practical content improvements. We’ll discuss what the data can tell us and how to turn user behavior patterns into better page structure, clearer calls to action, and more useful content.

PDF accessibility lab: Practical skills for university and federal compliance

In this intensive, one-day online session, participants will practice the skills needed to identify accessibility issues, repair PDF documents, and validate their work to meet accessibility requirements. This workshop is especially helpful for faculty and staff who create, edit, post, or manage PDF documents for Boise State websites, programs, departments, or services.

Similar professional workshops cost up to $1,200, but this opportunity is provided free to Boise State faculty and staff. Because the workshop is designed to provide personalized, hands-on support, each session is limited to five participants.

Web content accessibility micro-certification badge

The Web Content Accessibility Micro-Certification Badge is a free professional development opportunity for all eligible Boise State employees. The course is available in a flexible online format and designed to meet the needs of WordPress site administrators and web content editors to draft, edit, publish, and remediate accessible web content.

Google Analytics 4 tutorials and self-paced training

Boise State uses Google Analytics to track how people interact with our website content, helping us make improvements for a better user experience and clearer communication.

Access training and dashboards to learn more about your website performance

Search engine optimization (SEO) overview

Boise State uses a WordPress plugin called Yoast SEO Premium to help optimize web pages for search.

Start with the SEO overview to learn about focus keywords, title tags, meta descriptions and more
Next learn how to use the features of the Yoast plugin with the Yoast WordPress SEO Tutorial