Getting Started with the Site-Checking Tool (Acquia Optimize)

What is Acquia Optimize?

Please note that “Monsido” is now “Acquia Optimize,”  or sometimes just “Optimize.” We are working on changing this nomenclature throughout our systems but wanted to let you know immediately to avoid any confusion.

Acquia Optimize is a powerful site-checking tool that allows you to quickly find and fix quality and accessibility issues on your website(s). This article aims at four primary learning objectives with how-to videos provided (note: chapter markers are included!)

  1. General understanding of the Acquia Optimize dashboard and the modules (13:45).
  2. Working with the accessibility module (15:45).
  3. Working with the quality assurance module (15:00).
  4. How to use the Acquia Optimize Browser Extension (15:35).

The Browser Extension

Before you get started on the Acquia Optimize dashboard, there are a couple of ways to add the Acquia Optimize Browser Extension to your preferred browser:

  1. Log into Acquia Optimize through Palomar’s SSO Portal
    1. Choose the Acquia Optimize tile to visit the dashboard.
    2. If the browser extension is not installed, you should see a prompt to install it.
    3. Install the extension and pin it to the browser bar.
    4. A browser restart is necessary if the extension prompts you to log in again.
  2. Visit this Acquia Optimize Browser Extension article and follow the instructions and links for the browser of your choice.

It Works with WordPress

The browser extension is most useful when you are already logged into WordPress (aka, CMS). Please visit WordPress Central to get logged into WordPress quickly.

Important note: all issues on a given page show on the browser extension.

Additional Reading

Acquia Optimize’s online help documentation is extremely thorough. Please follow the links below to learn more about each item.

The Contact Block

You might have noticed an area in the right sidebar that contains contact information (possibly just an email address!) This is the Contact Block and we included this as part of our 2022 design theme.

You can get to settings for this area by visiting Options from the WordPress dashboard. If you’d rather see a demonstration, here is a short tour of the Contact Block.

How to Disable Commenting in WordPress

If you do not have an active blog for which you want to moderate comments, please do the following for each site you manage:

  • Log into the WordPress dashboard.
  • Visit Settings > Discussion > Default post settings.
    • Uncheck all three checkboxes.

To clear any manual overrides on pages or posts, do the following:

  • Visit Posts (or, Pages) > All Posts (or, Pages) > Published.
    • On each post or page, hover the title and choose “Quick Edit”.
    • Uncheck “Allow Comments” and “Allow Pings”.
    • Chose the “Update” button.

To view the comments that have come in, visit Comments from the WordPress dashboard. Look for the “In response to” column where you will have the ability to view the post or page on which the comment occurs. From this area comments can be deleted or subject to status change.

The WordPress Block Editor

Chris Norcross’ Block Editor workshops are a must-see for any content manager. Divided into two sections, basic and advanced, Chris covers a large amount of helpful material.

Using the WordPress Block Editor (Spring 2023)

Learn how to take full advantage of the new WordPress Block Editor. This workshop will help site admins switch from the Classic Editor to the Block Editor and demonstrate how to use it when crafting pages and posts.

Advanced WordPress: Block Editor Tips and Tricks (Spring 2023)

Please take the time to watch the video, below. Until you do, here are the help articles referenced in the workshop:

Add an Item to the WordPress Menu

Before you begin, please login to the WordPress dashboard for the site you wish to update. After doing so, please follow these steps to add an item to the site menu:

  1. Visit Appearance > Menus > Edit Menus > Select a menu to edit:
  2. Locate the menu from the drop-down list (there might be only one menu.) The menu with “Site Menu” in parentheses is the main menu for the site. Once located, choose the “Select” button to edit the menu.
  3. At left you will see a handful of item types that can be added to the menu, such as posts, pages, categories, custom links, or events (if the calendar plugin is active). Choose the item type by expanding its metabox.
  4. In some cases, items can be checked and added to the menu.
  5. For the custom link item, add the label text (for the user) and the URL (for the browser), then add it to the menu by choosing the “Add to Menu” button.
  6. Locate the new menu item at the bottom of the list at right. Click + drag to position the new item.
  7. Save the menu