FAQs: Customizing Help Center Home Page | Zoho Desk

FAQs: Customizing Help Center Home Page

Getting Started

What can be customized on the Help Center home page?
The Help Center can be customized through:
  1. Default widgets
  2. Custom widgets
  3. Widget placement and order
  4. Page-specific widget layouts
  5. Tab visibility
  6. Tab display names
  7. Tab order
  8. The default tab shown when customers open the Help Center
The customization experience uses drag-and-drop conrols, allowing administrators to organize content without manually editing the page layout.
Which Help Center themes support home page customization?
All Help Center themes support home page customization except the Materialize theme.

Before planning your home page layout, make sure the selected theme supports the pages and widgets required for the intended customer experience.

Widgets

What are Help Center widgets?
Widgets are reusable content components that can be placed on Help Center pages. They allow administrators to surface relevant information, such as popular articles, announcements, Knowledge Base categories, recent content, or community activity.

For example, a support team can place Popular Articles near the top of the home page to help customers find frequently used troubleshooting content before creating a ticket.
Which default widgets are available?
Zoho Desk provides the following default widgets:
  1. Announcements
  2. Community Categories
  3. Customer Happiness Ratings
  4. KB Categories
  5. Modules
  6. Most Discussed Topics
  7. Participants
  8. Popular Articles
  9. Popular Topics
  10. Recent Articles
  11. Recent Topics
  12. Related Articles
  13. Sticky Posts
  14. Top Contributors
Not all default widgets are available in every theme. Confirm widget availability in the selected theme before building the page layout around a particular component.
How can available default widgets be viewed?
  1. Navigate to Setup > Channels > Help Center.
  2. Select the Help Center to customize.
  3. Click Help Center Customization.
  4. On the Themes page, click Customize next to the published theme.
  5. Click Widgets.
The available default-widget list is displayed.
Can default widgets be deleted?
Yes. Default widgets can be deleted when they are not required. They are moved to the Trashed widgets section and can be restored later.

This makes it possible to simplify the customer experience without permanently losing the configuration. For example, an organization can remove Recent Topics while its Community is not actively maintained, then restore the widget when community engagement becomes a priority.
Can a widget be removed from one page without deleting it entirely?
Yes. Delete the widget from the specific page layout when it should no longer appear on that page.

This does not require deleting the widget from the broader available-widget collection. The same widget can still be used on another supported page.

Custom Widgets

Can custom content be added to the Help Center home page?
Yes. Create a custom widget and place it on the required Help Center page.

A custom widget is useful for content not covered by the standard widgets, such as an event-registration message, service notice, onboarding guidance, or department-specific information.

For example, a company hosting a customer-service event can create a custom widget containing registration details and place it on the Help Center home page.
How is a custom widget created?
  1. Navigate to Setup > Channels > Help Center.
  2. Select the Help Center.
  3. Click Help Center Customization.
  4. Click Customize beside the published theme.
  5. Select Widgets.
  6. In the left panel, click Custom Widgets.
  7. Click the Plus icon.
  8. In the Add Widget window:
    1. Enter a Widget Name.
    2. Choose whether to display the widget name.
    3. Choose whether to display widget translation.
    4. Select the departments where the widget should appear.
    5. Enter the widget content.
  9. Click Save.
By default, a custom widget is configured for All Departments.
Can a custom widget be displayed only for certain departments?
Yes. Select the relevant departments while creating or editing the widget.

This is useful when Help Center departments serve distinct audiences. For example, a Billing department can display payment-policy information while a Technical Support department displays a maintenance or compatibility notice.
Can custom widgets be displayed in selected Help Center languages?
Yes. Enable Display Widget Translation and configure the widget for the required language preferences.

A custom widget is shown when the user selects a language for which the widget has been enabled. For example, an organization can display an “ABC” custom widget in English, French, and Spanish while not displaying it in other available Help Center languages.
Can a custom widget be updated or removed later?
Yes. Select the Edit icon to change a custom widget. If it is no longer needed, select the Delete icon to move it to Trashed widgets.

Deleted widgets can be restored from the trash. This supports temporary campaigns or seasonal notices without requiring administrators to recreate the widget from the beginning.

Pages and Layout

Which Help Center pages can be customized?
Zoho Desk supports seven page types:
  1. Help Center or Department home page
  2. Knowledge Base home page
  3. Article list page
  4. Article details page
  5. Community home page
  6. Topic list page
  7. Topic details page
These pages can contain default and custom widgets, subject to theme availability.
What is the difference between the Help Center home page and Knowledge Base home page?
The Help Center or Department home page is typically the first page visitors see when they open the Help Center’s root URL.

The Knowledge Base home page opens when a customer selects the Knowledge Base tab. It is intended specifically for
Knowledge Base content rather than the full Help Center landing experience.

This distinction matters when organizing widgets. A broad service announcement may belong on the Help Center home page, while KB Categories and Popular Articles may be most useful on the Knowledge Base home page.
Are Community pages always displayed?
No, Community pages are displayed only when the Community tab is enabled in the Help Center.
If Community is hidden, customers will not access Community home, topic-list, or topic-detail pages through the Help Center navigation.
How is a Help Center page layout customized?
  1. Navigate to Setup > Channels > Help Center.
  2. Select the relevant Help Center.
  3. Click Help Center Customization.
  4. Click Customize next to the published theme.
  5. Click Widgets, then select Pages from the left panel.
  6. Select the page to customize.
  7. Configure the layout as needed:
    1. Drag default widgets from the Default Widgets area into the page.
    2. Drag custom widgets from the Custom Widgets area into the page.
    3. Drag widgets to change their order.
    4. Select a widget’s Delete icon to remove it from that page.
  8. Click Preview.
  9. Click Publish.

Can the header or footer be removed from a page?
No, Widgets such as the header and footer cannot be deleted.
They remain part of the Help Center page structure even when other widgets are removed or rearranged.
Should a layout be previewed before it is published?
Yes. Use Preview to review the changes before selecting Publish.

Previewing is especially important after rearranging widgets because the value of a home page depends on customers finding the most relevant content quickly. Confirm that critical elements—such as announcements, Knowledge Base categories, or popular articles—appear in an appropriate order.
Can customized themes be saved without publishing immediately?
Yes. Customized themes can be saved as drafts. Drafts can also be deleted when they are no longer required.

This allows teams to prepare a revised Help Center layout before making it visible to customers.

Tabs and Navigation

Which standard Help Center tabs can be configured?
The standard tabs are:
  1. Home
  2. My Area
  3. Knowledge Base
  4. Community
At least one tab must remain visible in the Help Center.
Can a Help Center tab be renamed?
Yes. Enter a Display Name while editing the tab. The custom display name takes precedence over the default tab name.
For example, an organization can rename Knowledge Base to “Help Articles” if that wording is more familiar to its customers.
Can a tab be hidden without removing its related configuration?
Yes. Turn off the tab’s Visibility setting.

This is useful when a feature should not be available to customers yet. For example, an organization can keep the Community configuration in place but hide the Community tab until moderators and content are ready.
Can the order of Help Center tabs be changed?
Yes. Drag and drop tabs to reorder them in the configuration list, then click Publish.

Place the most important destination early in the navigation order. For example, an organization focused on self-service can position Knowledge Base before other tabs, while one that expects customers to monitor active requests can prioritize My Area.
Can a tab be set as the default Help Center landing tab?
Yes. Enable Set as default while editing the tab. Only one tab can be the default.

This setting controls the initial tab customers see when they open the Help Center. Select it intentionally based on the organization’s primary customer-support goal.
How are Help Center tabs customized?
  1. Navigate to Setup > Channels > Help Center.
  2. Select the Help Center.
  3. Click Help Center Customization.
  4. Click Customize beside the published theme.
  5. Click Tabs.
  6. Hover over a tab and click the Edit icon.
  7. Configure the required settings:
    1. Enter a display name.
    2. Enable Set as default, if appropriate.
    3. Enable or disable Visibility.
  8. Click Save.
  9. Drag and drop tabs to reorder them, if needed.
  10. Click Publish.

Practical Design Decisions

How should widgets be prioritized on the Help Center home page?
Start with the activities customers most often need to complete. A self-service-focused Help Center may prioritize KB Categories, Popular Articles, and Announcements. A community-driven Help Center may also emphasize Recent Topics, Most Discussed Topics, and Top Contributors.

For example, during a service change, place an announcement where customers can see it before navigating to articles or creating tickets. After the change, remove or reposition the announcement to keep the home page focused on evergreen support content.
Does adding a widget automatically make it visible to customers?
No, A widget must be placed on the applicable page, then the customized theme must be published before customers see the change.

Creating a custom widget makes it available for use; it does not independently determine where it appears in the Help Center.