First Login & Initial Setup

First administrator login

After installation, sign in to the Admin area using the administrator account created during setup. The Admin area controls the installation; it is separate from the normal user's customizable start page.

Recommended setup order

1. Site Settings — Confirm the site name, branding, logo and general settings. For example, a buyer could brand the installation as My Start Page rather than displaying the software developer name.
2. SEO — Review the public page title and description so search engines see information about your own service.
3. Registration — Decide whether visitors may create accounts and whether email verification or other account rules should be enabled.
4. Widget Management — Review all available widgets and disable any you do not want users to add.
5. Advertising Manager — If you plan to monetize the service, configure owner-controlled ad code, banners or promoted/affiliate links and test their placement with a normal user account.
6. Features — Review optional site functionality and decide what should be available.
7. SMTP Settings — Configure outgoing email and send a real test message to an address you can access.
8. Email Templates — Read the messages users receive and customize wording where appropriate.
9. Static Pages — Complete About, Terms, Privacy and other public information.
10. Navigation — Confirm that header and footer links lead to the correct pages.
11. Security & Logs — Review the available security controls and recent activity.
12. Maintenance & Backup — Create a backup before major changes or before opening the site to users.

Test as a normal user

Do not test only while logged in as Administrator. Create a separate normal user account and check registration, login, adding widgets, saving the layout and account pages.

For example, if email verification is enabled, register with an email address you can access and confirm the verification email arrives and its link works.