Getting Started with Websites

In this guide we're going to show you how to quickly and painlessly set up a new website in your Brightpearl account. It assumes the Website module is enabled in your system, and the Ecommerce module if necessary.

1. Add the Website and/or Ecommerce module

Hover over the Setup tab and click on the "Configuration and billing" item in the drop down menu to check which modules you have switched on, and turn on the Website and Ecommerce (if required) modules, then click to save. If you're in your free trial then you won't have to pay for any changes. Don't forget to refresh your Brightpearl window afterwards.

Once you’ve refreshed the window you should have the ‘Website’ tab available – roll over and choose ‘Add a website’ from the menu. Click the large button "Add a website to my account" to get a development website added - the domain will be http://youraccount.brightpearl.com. Once you’re happy with how the site appears and works, you can bring your actual domain over (http://www.yourdomain.com) - but we’ll cover that later on.

2. Add a theme

A Brightpearl website is made of just two things: Content and a Theme. It's really that simple. The Theme defines the overall look and feel of the site - think of it as a template, with a space in the middle where the Content goes. The Theme contains various Widgets that pull in information dynamically from your database - things like the main menu, shopping cart and login links.

It’s quick and easy to load a pre-made theme onto your website. A theme is made up of a collection of HTML template files, images and javascript. Themes are free of charge, removing the need to hire a professional designer. They are a great way to get started with a website in no time at all.

To browse and load a theme, hover over the Design & Layout item in the green website ribbon and click on Theme browser from the drop down menu. From the list below choose an appropriate theme and press ‘Load This Theme’. Your freshly themed site will appear in a new tab/window for you to preview.

3. Create some pages

In Brightpearl, pages are actually called categories. This is because they can – in the case of an ecommerce site – contain products.

A category can present itself as:

1. A "parent" category with a listing of all subcategories
2. A single category with a listing of products
3. A single category with no products but with a chunk of text or images (that is, just a normal web page), or
4. A combination of any/all of the above.

To start out and define your top-level categories, simply click Edit web pages in the blue Website ribbon, and then click the "Create new top-level category" button in the middle of the screen. From the next screen, you can enter a page title and then use the embedded WYSIWYG editor to insert text, pictures or other assets into the description.

Create a category called "about us", and make sure it's set as "active". Click "Save changes", then click the Preview link to see your trial website in another tab. You can see that the new category (page) has appeared in the main menu. This is because the theme contains a widget that automatically updates using data directly from your system, so there's no need to edit each page separately.

Repeat this step as many times as you need to create your top-level categories and then any subcategories. Note that system-generated pages – such as the shopping cart or a contact form – are handled slightly differently and you do not need to create individual categories for them.

4. Link to your contact form from the menu

Contact pages are called "SmartForms" in Brightpearl, and can be embedded anywhere, even on other websites. Let's create a link to your contact form from your main menu.

1. Create a new top-level category and name it "Contact us"
2. Set it to be active
3. In the "Go to URL" field (under the main content edit box), type in "/?p=contact"
4. Click "Save changes".

Preview your website and see the menu item - click it to be taken to your contact form. Now we're going to submit a message and see the contact appear in your CRM.

1. Ensure that you are not logged into your website. If you are, please logout using the link at the top right of the page.
2. Fill out your contact form - make sure you use an email address that is not already in your Brightpearl account. "test@email.com" or similar is fine.
3. Click submit
4. Back in your Brightpearl admin, hover over "contacts" and click "recently added contacts".
5. You'll see your new contact at the top of the list. Click the orange icon next to the company name, on the left of the screen to open the "Click for actions"menu.
6. Click the "View timeline" link. You can see that they arrived in your database from the contact form, for you to pick up the lead without any need to enter data again. Simple!
7. The contact form can also send you a message so you know when new contacts are made, and you set that address in the SmartForms menu of the blue Website ribbon.

5. Add a subcategory

The main menu of most themes will include all the active top-level category names. You can set a category as active or inactive on the "Edit web pages" screen by editing the page and clicking the Active Yes/No radio buttons and clicking Save changes. On the Categories & pages screen, you can set a category to active by clicking on the green tick icon.

Any subcategories also set to active will appear in a drop-down or fly out underneath or beside the main menu items. This does depend on the theme you’ve chosen, because some use drop-downs, and some don’t. Check the notes on the theme loader to make sure a particular theme has this option if it is one you specifically require.

1. Open the website editor screen
2. Hover over one of your top-level categories
3. Click the yellow "new subcategory" icon. This opens a new category on the right hand side.
4. Give it a name, and set it active.
5. Save, and preview your site - you can see the subcategory appearing in the menu.

6. Add some products (ecommerce only)

You need to be running at least Standard stock control to use products with a website, so add this module to your pay plan if required.

1. Click the Products top-level menu and then click the "Create new " item in the pink Products ribbon.
2. On the Edit/Create product screen under the Product Info tab, enter a name into the Item name field and click on an item in the Categories list to show the product on that category (page) of the website.
3. Set "Web enabled" to yes (the green tick).
4. Set the "Allow checkout when no stock" to Yes (the green tick)
5. Choose the "Prices" tab and set a retail price under the "List A" tab (not the Cost tab)
6. In the "Website description" tab to enter any information you want to offer about the product.
7. Click "Save and stay here"
8. Upload an image on the "Images/Website" tab.
9. Go back to your website tab and either browse to your selected category, or if you've chosen a theme with a search box, you can search for your item.

7. Run a test sale.

Brightpearl already includes out-of-the-box functionality for full ecommerce that's fully integrated with your product and stock database. Sales are created directly in your main Brightpearl sales list ready for you to get straight on with processing : no more data entry! The sale then progresses all the way through into Accounts with no need to re-key anything.

1. Ensure you've set up a product as above.
2. Visit your website and add the item to your shopping basket.
3. Click "checkout".
4. Click to register as a new user. Make sure that you use an email address that's not already in your Brightpearl CRM (it can be a test email address like "test@test.com")
5. Fill out the details and submit - you'll be taken straight to our fast 1-page checkout.
6. Select a shipping method.
7. Choose a payment method (only "cheque" is set up by default). We support many payment providers already, such as PayPal, SecureTrading, Worldpay etc.
8. Click to confirm your order. Simple!
9. Leave the website tab open and go back to your Brightpearl admin in another tab.
10. Hover over the Sales top tab and click the List Sales item in the drop down menu, and you should see the new sale at the top of the list. The sale will have been created on the status defined by the "cheque/BACS" settings. (You can change settings for various payment methods by clicking the Setup top tab and then clicking Payments in the grey ribbon.)

The easiest way to get trading for real is to just set up a PayPal account and enter the details into the setup screens.

8. Changing the design or tweaking a theme

Careful - this is advanced stuff. You can change any part of the theme you like using HTML and CSS, and even add more themes to use on different sections of the same website. A word of warning - if you're not a web designer, don't start now! If your main goal is to get a website up and running with minimum cost and hassle, then use one of our standard themes or engage a designer.

Explore the "Design and Layout" menu options and have a look at the documentation on our website.

9. Going live

Once you’ve chosen a theme, added some categories and products, and are happy with the content of your site, you’ll need to point your main domain name to our servers. We don't host email, so we suggest that you use your existing provider, or else switch to Google Apps.

Read the website go-live checklist to make sure you've got everything covered.