Customizing Help Center Home - Zoho Desk Knowledgebase

Customizing Help Center Home Page

Customize the way your Help Center content is organized using the simple drag-drop method in Zoho Desk. You can add custom widgets, show or hide tabs and customize their appearance to keep your customers engaged with the right content at the right place.


Permission Required
Users with the Support Channels administrative permission can access this feature.
Check Feature Availability and Limits

Widgets
Widgets are the additional components that are associated with the different pages on your Help Center. You can use the default widgets offered in Zoho Desk or create your own custom widgets. The default widgets that are built into Zoho Desk are as follows:
  • Announcements
  • Community Categories
  • Customer Happiness Ratings
  • KB Categories
  • Modules
  • Most Discussed Topics
  • Participants
  • Popular Articles
  • Popular Topics
  • Recent Articles
  • Recent Topics
  • Related Articles
  • Sticky Posts
  • Top Contributors

To access the default widgets:
  1. Go to Setup (  ) > Channels > Help Center.
  2. Select the Help Center for which you want to customize the HTML.
  3. Click Help Center Customization under the Help Center sub-menu.
    The 
    Themes list page is displayed.
  4. Click Customize corresponding to the published theme.



  5. Click Widgets from the top of the page.
  6. The list of widgets available by default is displayed.


Adding Custom Widgets

You can add custom widgets to the various pages on your Help Center.
To add a custom widget:
  1. Go to Setup (  ) > Channels > Help Center.
  2. Select the Help Center for which you want to customize the HTML.
  3. Click Help Center Customization under the Help Center sub-menu.
    The 
    Themes list page is displayed.
  4. Click Customize corresponding to the published theme.
  5. Click Widgets from the top of the page.
  6. Click Custom Widgets from the left panel.
  7. Click the Plus icon (  ) from the top pane to add a new custom widget.



  8. On the Add Widget window, do the following:
    1. Specify Widget Name.
    2. Toggle Display Widget Name. 
    3. Toggle Display Widget Translation.
      The custom widget to be displayed when the user selects the respective language in the help center. For eg., ABC custom widget will be displayed for French, Spanish, and English languages only if this option is turned on for each of these language preferences. 

    4. Select the Departments in which the widget will be displayed.
      By default,
      All Departments will be selected.
    5. Enter the Content to be displayed in the widget.
    6. Click Save.
  9. The custom widget gets successfully added.
You can click the Edit icon (  ) to make any changes to the widget. When the widget is no longer needed, you can click the Delete icon (  ) to move it to the Trashed widgets section.

Note:
  • You can delete both the default and the custom widgets.
  • You can at any time restore (click the  icon) the deleted widgets from trash.
  • Not all default widgets are available in all themes.
  • Customized themes can be saved as drafts, these drafts can be deleted if required.


Pages

Pages are the primary way to display and organize data on your Help Center. Also, it is the pages where your end users access the default and the custom widgets you created. You can customize the pages by simply dragging contents within it or by dropping new widgets into it.



Zoho Desk supports 7 types of Pages that allow you to create a rich selection of content. Those pages are:
  1. Help Center/Department home page
    This is the first page that end users see when they visit your help center. Typically, it is your help center's root URL.
  2. Knowledge Base home page
    This is the first page that opens when end users click the Knowledge Base tab on the help center.
  3. Article list page
    This is a page that would display a summary list of your knowledge base articles.
  4. Article details page
    This is a page that has reference to the details of a knowledge base article.
  5. Community home page
    This is the first page that opens when end users click the Community tab on the help center.
  6. Topic list page
    This is a page that would display a summary list of your community posts.
  7. Topic details page
    This is a page that has reference to the details of a community topic.

Note that these pages come installed with some of the default widgets. You can control which widgets are available to end users by adding new widgets and deleting widgets from those available. Read on to know how.

Note:
  1. Not all pages are available on all themes. For example, the Help Center Home page is not available on the Materialize team.
  2. The community pages are displayed, only when you've chosen to show the Community tab on your Help Center. See, Customizing Tabs section.

Customizing Pages
When you customize a page, you should start by looking at the activities and requirements of your help center. These activities and requirements should be reflected in the pages that you customize. For example, when you decide to run a customer service event, you can create an event registration form that will allow you to accept registrations from the Help Center. All you need is to create a custom widget with the event details and add it to your Help Center Home page.

Customizing a page involves drag/dropping widgets wherever you want them. It’s that simple! Let's see how you can go about it.

To customize a page:
  1. Go to Setup (  ) > Channels > Help Center.
  2. Select the Help Center for which you want to customize the HTML.
  3. Click Help Center Customization under the Help Center sub-menu.
    The 
    Themes list page is displayed.
  4. Click Customize corresponding to the published theme.
  5. Click Widgets from the top of the page and then, click Pages from the left panel.



  6. Select a page that you want to customize from the left panel and do all or either of the following:
    1. Drag and drop default widgets into the page from the Default Widgets section on the right pane.
    2. Drag and drop custom widgets into the page from the Custom Widgets section on the right pane.
    3. Change the order of your widgets with a simple drag and drop.
    4. Click the Delete icon (  ) corresponding to the widget to delete them from the page.
      Note: Some of the widgets, like Header and Footer, cannot be deleted.
  7. Click Preview to review the changes you'd done.
  8. Click Publish.


Customizing Tabs

The home page comprises of tabs that are displayed at the top of the page. You can customize the tabs that appear and the order that they appear in. Here are the standard tabs that are available in your Help Center:

  1. Home
  2. My Area
  3. Knowledge base
  4. Community

You can display only the relevant tabs and hide the unwanted ones. For instance, a small business that is yet to win customers might not require the Community in Zoho Desk. Hence, the tab can be hidden.

To customize the tabs:
  1. Go to Setup (  ) > Channels > Help Center.
  2. Select the Help Center for which you want to customize the HTML.
  3. Click Help Center Customization under the Help Center sub-menu.
    The 
    Themes list page is displayed.
  4. Click Customize corresponding to the published theme.
  5. Click Tabs from the top of the page.



  6. On the Tabs page, do the following:
    1. Hover your mouse pointer over a tab and click the Edit icon (  ) corresponding to it
    2. Enter the Display Name for the tab.
      The display name will take precedence over the default name.
    3. Enable the Set as default option if you want this tab to be the default tab in your Help Center.
      You can set any one of the tabs as default.
    4. Enable the Visibility option, to display the tab in the Help Center.
    5. Click Save within the window.
  7. Click Publish for your changes to take effect.
You can also drag-and-drop the tabs to move them up or down on the list. Remember to click Publish when you complete re-ordering the tabs.

Note:
  1. You must have at least one tab visible in the Help Center.
  2. Tab customization is not available when you have customized the HTML.

Customizing Appearance

Zoho Desk offers a wide range of options to customize the look and feel of your Help Center, with custom fonts, color accents and backgrounds images. This way, you can ensure that your Help Center is in sync with your company's branding. You can customize the appearance of the following elements:
  1. Fonts - Lato (default), Ariel, Georgia, or Helvetica
  2. Colors
    1. Body
    2. Header
    3. Tabs
    4. Navigation
    5. Breadcrumb
    6. Links
    7. Buttons
    8. Footer

To customize the appearance:
  1. Go to Setup (  ) > Channels > Help Center.
  2. Select the Help Center for which you want to customize the HTML.
  3. Click Help Center Customization under the Help Center sub-menu.
    The Themes list page is displayed.
  4. Click Customize corresponding to the published theme.
  5. In the Appearance page, select the required font; colors for the body, header, tabs etc.
    Note: If the color you want isn't available on the palette, you can directly enter the HEX code.
  6. Click Preview to review the changes you'd done.
  7. Click Publish.

    Access your files securely from anywhere

      Zoho CRM Training Programs

      Learn how to use the best tools for sales force automation and better customer engagement from Zoho's implementation specialists.

      Zoho CRM Training
        Redefine the way you work
        with Zoho Workplace

          Zoho DataPrep Personalized Demo

          If you'd like a personalized walk-through of our data preparation tool, please request a demo and we'll be happy to show you how to get the best out of Zoho DataPrep.

          Zoho CRM Training

            Create, share, and deliver

            beautiful slides from anywhere.

            Get Started Now


              Zoho Sign now offers specialized one-on-one training for both administrators and developers.

              BOOK A SESSION






                          Quick Links Workflow Automation Data Collection
                          Web Forms Enterprise Begin Data Collection
                          Interactive Forms Workplace Data Collection App
                          Encrypted Forms Customer Service Accessible Forms
                          Digital Forms Marketing Forms for Small Business
                          HTML Forms Education Forms for Enterprise
                          Contact Forms E-commerce Forms for any business
                          Lead Generation Forms Healthcare Forms for Startups
                          Wordpress Forms Customer onboarding Order Forms for Small Business
                          No Code Forms Construction RSVP tool for holidays
                          Free Forms Travel
                          Prefill Forms Non-Profit

                          Intake Forms Legal
                          Mobile App
                          Form Designer HR
                          Mobile Forms
                          Card Forms Food Offline Forms
                          Assign Forms Photography
                          Mobile Forms Features
                          Translate Forms Real EstateKiosk in Mobile Forms
                          Electronic Forms

                          Notification Emails for Forms Alternatives
                          Holiday Forms Google Forms alternative 
                          Form to PDF Jotform alternative





                                            You are currently viewing the help pages of Qntrl’s earlier version. Click here to view our latest version—Qntrl 3.0's help articles.




                                                Manage your brands on social media

                                                  Zoho Desk Resources

                                                  • Desk Community Learning Series


                                                  • Digest


                                                  • Functions


                                                  • Meetups


                                                  • Kbase


                                                  • Resources


                                                  • Glossary


                                                  • Desk Marketplace


                                                  • MVP Corner


                                                  • Word of the Day


                                                    Zoho Marketing Automation

                                                      Zoho Sheet Resources

                                                       

                                                          Zoho Forms Resources


                                                            Secure your business
                                                            communication with Zoho Mail


                                                            Mail on the move with
                                                            Zoho Mail mobile application

                                                              Stay on top of your schedule
                                                              at all times


                                                              Carry your calendar with you
                                                              Anytime, anywhere




                                                                    Zoho Sign Resources

                                                                      Sign, Paperless!

                                                                      Sign and send business documents on the go!

                                                                      Get Started Now




                                                                              Zoho TeamInbox Resources



                                                                                      Zoho DataPrep Resources



                                                                                        Zoho DataPrep Demo

                                                                                        Get a personalized demo or POC

                                                                                        REGISTER NOW


                                                                                          Design. Discuss. Deliver.

                                                                                          Create visually engaging stories with Zoho Show.

                                                                                          Get Started Now









                                                                                                              • Related Articles

                                                                                                              • FAQs: Help Center Customization

                                                                                                                How can I customize the help center according to my business preference? Help center is an online resource where you can host a wide variety of resources, such as FAQs, troubleshooting guide, help documents, videos, and eBooks to let customers find ...
                                                                                                              • FAQs: Help Center

                                                                                                                What is help center in Desk? Help Center is a customer portal that allows users to learn about the product and understand its processes by accessing knowledge base articles. It provides a platform for self-help and learning, where users can find ...
                                                                                                              • Advanced Help Center Customization Using HTML and CSS

                                                                                                                You can customize the appearance of the Help Center using the basic color themes. However, it has its limitations, as it doesn't allow you to rebuild the header and the footer completely as you like it to be. Here comes the advanced customization ...
                                                                                                              • Modifying CSS to Customize your Help Center

                                                                                                                Many times you'll want to customize specific elements like an article details page, add ticket form, topic lists, or anything else visible on the help center theme. You might also want to edit it globally (on the entire help center) or only for ...
                                                                                                              • Search Engine Optimization for Help Center

                                                                                                                Your Help Center content, viz. articles and community posts, should be made accessible for both your customers and search engines to understand. You simply can’t stop with having a perfect Help Center with great content. Search engines such as Google ...
                                                                                                                Wherever you are is as good as
                                                                                                                your workplace

                                                                                                                  Resources

                                                                                                                  Videos

                                                                                                                  Watch comprehensive videos on features and other important topics that will help you master Zoho CRM.



                                                                                                                  eBooks

                                                                                                                  Download free eBooks and access a range of topics to get deeper insight on successfully using Zoho CRM.



                                                                                                                  Webinars

                                                                                                                  Sign up for our webinars and learn the Zoho CRM basics, from customization to sales force automation and more.



                                                                                                                  CRM Tips

                                                                                                                  Make the most of Zoho CRM with these useful tips.



                                                                                                                    Zoho Show Resources