Changing Your Site Title, Tagline and Icon
Introduction
If you are already familiar with the key aspects of WordPress and want to start personalising your website, changing the appearance of the browser tabs should be at the top of your to do list.
Browser tabs are a key feature of modern browsers, such as Chrome, Edge and Firefox. Sitting at the top of the window, tabs are a great navigational widget which allow you to open multiple web pages and documents in one space.
Each tab will typically contain your site icon, site title, tagline, and your web address, making it easier to switch between panels. This design will be really useful if you are reading our guide about updating your site identity and need to switch backwards and forwards to your own WordPress site.
How to Change your Site Title and Tagline
The first thing we are going to change is the site title and tagline, so open your WordPress site in another tab. Look down the main navigation menu on the left-hand side of the admin screen. You want to hover your cursor over the “Appearance” option and then click “Customize”. This will open the important customizer section.
You should now see the customizer menu on the left and a preview of your theme on the right. When you make changes and edits from the menu options, the results should appear in the preview window.
Some developers utilise this WordPress feature more than others so the range of options will vary with each theme. We are here for the “Site Identity” so go ahead and click on the panel.
Now you can change your Site Title and Tagline in the relevant form fields:
The “Published” button will change to blue. Press it. Open a new tab and check if your website has been updated.
Finally, click the “X” icon to close the customizer interface.
Change Your Site Icon
Below the form fields for Site Title and Tagline, there is an area where you can update your site icon. Setting a unique image into the browser tab will enable users to differentiate between your site and others they may have open in the window.
Press the “Select Image” or “Change Image”. You will now be able to choose an image that is already in your media library, or you can upload a new one from your computer. Stick to the 512px x 512px dimensions and your icon will work fine. Get your design right will increase your chances of grabbing your audience’s attention.
If this is one of the first changes you make to your WordPress site, take your time and become more familiar with the different interfaces used in this process. It can be really disorientating at first, but seeing your domain name and site identity in the tab is certainly worth the effort.
General Settings
A quick way to update your Site Tile and Tagline can be found in the general settings options. You can access this work area by going to “Settings” on the main WordPress menu and selecting “General”.
Just change the text fields to your new title and awesome tagline, and click the “Save Changes” button at the bottom of the screen.
Further Reading
If you are in the middle of organising a new installation of WordPress, you might want to consider updating your navigation menu or sorting your posts into different categories and tags. These aspects are incredibly important because they will improve the user experience and, hopefully, increase their engagement.
