Getting Started
This guide walks you through the first decisions on a new Dirigible site: run the setup wizard, open the Customizer, and know where to go next.
Run Theme Setup first (recommended)
On a fresh install, WordPress may send you to Appearance → Theme Setup automatically. You can also open it anytime from the admin sidebar.
The wizard helps you:
- Activate licenses and install core plugins (Blocks, Fonts, SEO, and others).
- Set site title, tagline, and tone.
- Pick a starting palette and fonts.
- Upload or generate a logo.
- Optionally create starter pages (Home, About, Contact, and more).
Work through the steps with Next, Back, or Skip when you want to finish later. When you reach Ready, jump into the dashboard or Customizer.
For a full step-by-step breakdown, see Guided Theme Setup.
Open the Customizer
Most site-wide choices live in one place:
- Go to Appearance → Customize.
- Browse the Dirigible panels on the left — Styles, Site Settings, Header & Menus, Footer & Contact, and more.
- Click a setting; the preview on the right updates live.
- Click Publish when you are happy with the changes.
Global Styles and Live Preview explains how palette, typography, and spacing flow from the Customizer to every page.
Suggested order for a new site
You do not have to follow this exactly, but it matches how most sites come together:
| Step | What to do | Learn more |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finish Theme Setup or skip to hand-setup | Guided Theme Setup |
| 2 | Lock in colors and fonts | Palette and Typography |
| 3 | Set content widths and spacing | Widths and Layout |
| 4 | Build the header and menus | Header Setup |
| 5 | Add footer contact info and logos | Footer and Contact |
| 6 | Tune blog cards and single posts | Blog Cards and Single Posts |
| 7 | Build pages in the block editor | True-to-Site Block Editor |
Site Settings worth checking early
Under Customize → Site Settings:
- General — site-wide toggles such as breadcrumb behavior.
- Social Media — profile links used by social blocks and structured data.
- Animations — scroll and entrance effects (see also Magic Classes and Scroll Animations).
- Search Results Page — which page visitors land on after a site search.
Build your first page
- Go to Pages → Add New.
- Give the page a title.
- Click + and insert Dirigible blocks (Hero, Section, Columns, and others).
- Use the block sidebar to adjust layout, colors, and content.
- Click Publish.
The editor canvas should look close to the live site because it loads your theme styles. For tips on media and focal points, see Smarter Media Library and Image Focal Points.
Back up or move settings
Before a big redesign, export your configuration from Dirigible → Import/Export. You can restore styles and settings on the same site or copy them to another environment.
Details: Import and Export Theme Settings.
Related guides
- Palette and Typography
- Widths and Layout
- Header Setup
- Tools and Maintenance — cache, updates, and housekeeping screens