Getting Started

1. Choose A Plan And Start Your Free Trial

WP SiteLauncher is a WordPress plugin that integrates collaboration and project management features directly into your website, plus access to additional tools through a connected web app. Designed with freelancers and agencies in mind, this tool is perfect for anyone building or maintaining sites for others.

To get started, select a plan that best fits your needs—whether you’re a business owner, freelancer, or agency. On our Pricing page, you’ll find three options: Individual, Freelancer, and Agency. Each plan includes the full suite of features, with differences only in the number of sites, users, and storage available. Our commitment is that every plan offers complete functionality to support your work.

If you’re unsure which plan to choose, no worries—you can switch between plans or billing frequency at any time! Just head to the Plans tab in your Customer Dashboard to update your plan or billing frequency. Any payment changes will be prorated accordingly.

After selecting your plan, click the Start 15-Day Free Trial button to proceed to checkout. Here, you’ll enter your name, company, email address, and billing information. 

Important:

• Company: The company name is needed to automatically create your associated company within the app.
• Email Address: This email address will be used to log into your account on the website, as well as for accessing the WP SiteLauncher app and plugin.
• Password: The password you create in the checkout at purchase will be used to log into your account on the website, as well as for accessing the WP SiteLauncher app and plugin. Please choose a secure password and make sure to save it somewhere safe. It will be synced across all platforms, so you can access everything with a single login.

Thank You Page

Once you complete the purchase, you’ll be directed to a thank-you page with information on how to get started, and you will be directed to this Getting Started Guide!

Emails

Once you complete the purchase, you will receive three emails:

• Thank you for your order of WP SiteLauncher: This is the e-commerce system’s standard confirmation email. We are using SureCart to sell and manage subscriptions.
• Download The WP SiteLauncher Plugin: This email is also a standard email sent by SureCart for digital downloadable products, and it contains a link to download the plugin and copy the license key.
• Welcome to WP SiteLauncher: This email is the most important. It is sent by our own app and gives general instructions about how to get started and log into the app.

2. Download The Plugin From Your Customer Dashboard

Once your purchase is complete, you’re ready to download the WP SiteLauncher plugin:

Log into Your Customer Dashboard

From the WP SiteLauncher website, navigate to or log into your Customer Dashboard.

Go to the Downloads Tab

Once inside the dashboard, click on the “Downloads” tab to view available files.

Download the Plugin File

Click the “Download” button next to the WP SiteLauncher .zip file, and save it to a location on your computer where you can easily find it.

3. Log In And Get Familiar With the App

Before installing the plugin on your website, we recommend taking a moment to explore the WP SiteLauncher app. This step is optional, but logging in to the app now can help you get familiar with the settings and configure a few preferences before adding it to your first website.

Log into the App

Use the email and password created during purchase to log into your WP SiteLauncher account on the app.

After logging in, you will see the Dashboard screen. Here you will see info about your connected sites, users, and storage. Below the greeting, a series of onboarding steps help guide you in setting up your account. Below that are some resources with links to our release notes, feature requests, support, and our community.

Verify Your User and Company Details

In the top header, click the User icon. You’ll see your user information under the Team Members tab, along with your company listed in the Companies tab. Take a moment to ensure all information is accurate.

Add Team Members or Clients

If you have team members or clients who will need access or will collaborate on the websites, now is a good time to add them. Navigate to the Team Members section to invite users by entering their emails and assigning roles.

Set Up Your Site Template

One of the most important features of the app is the Site Template feature. This feature allows you to set default settings, users, and templates, which will automatically apply to each new site when you connect the plugin. Configuring these details upfront saves time and ensures consistency across your projects. To start, click the Sites icon in the header, then click Manage Site Template. 

Explore the Template Library

While you are getting familiar with the app, you may want to check the Template Library, where you can store reusable templates like tasks, checklists, project phases, and much more. A few default items are provided to help you get started, and you can add more templates as you work on new sites. For example, if you create a new task on a site and want to use it across multiple projects, you can save the task from the site to the template library and then load that saved template on a different site.

4. Install And Activate The WP SiteLauncher Plugin On Your WordPress Website

After familiarizing yourself with the app, it’s time to install the WP SiteLauncher plugin on your first website. If you’ve installed a WordPress plugin before, this process will be similar. Otherwise, just follow these simple steps:

1. Log in to your WordPress Admin Dashboard
   This is typically accessed by adding “/wp-admin” to the end of your website’s URL (e.g., www.example.com/wp-admin).
2. Navigate to Plugins > Add New
   Once logged in, hover over the Plugins menu on the left and click Add New Plugin.
3. Upload the Plugin
4. At the top of the screen, click the Upload Plugin button.
5. Click Choose File and locate the>.zip plugin file you downloaded from the Customer Dashboard.
6. Select the file and click Install Now. After the installation is completed, you’ll see a success message.
7. Activate the Plugin
   Click Activate Plugin to enable WP SiteLauncher on your website.

5. Sign In To Your WP SiteLauncher Account Through The Plugin Interface

Once activated, the plugin will redirect you to WP SiteLauncher login screen to connect the website with your account. NOTE: The plugin features will not work until you connect the site with your account by logging in or manually adding the API key in the settings.

Enter Your Login Credentials

Use the same email address and password created when you purchased the plugin.

Connect Your Site Automatically

Logging in here links your site to your account, so there’s no need to manually enter any API key. Once connected, the plugin’s features will be active.

Access the Launchpad

After logging in, you’ll be directed to the Launchpad. The Launchpad is the main interface of WP SiteLauncher on the frontend, providing an overview of all tasks, content, and updates that need your attention.

6. Personalize Your Launchpad

Each time you log in to work on your site, you can open the Launchpad window by clicking the Home icon in the toolbar. The Launchpad is designed to be your customizable workspace hub for streamlining workflows and enhancing productivity. Functioning like a client portal, the Launchpad helps you stay organized and efficient. Located in the top right corner of your site’s admin bar, the Launchpad gives you a snapshot of everything important happening on your site. It allows each user to personalize their workspace by adding, removing, and rearranging widgets to fit their specific needs.

Some of the first steps you may want to take in the Launchpad are setting up your preferred widgets. Widgets in the Launchpad include:

• Onboarding Checklist: A list of preconfigured tasks to help you get started with WP SiteLauncher. This checklist assists all users in familiarizing themselves with the system and includes tasks like verifying WordPress user details, exploring toolbar features, customizing your personal Launchpad, and adjusting user preferences.

• Shortcuts: Add quick access to the tools and features you use most frequently. In edit mode, you can easily add new shortcuts or remove existing ones, so the Launchpad remains streamlined for your daily needs.

• Project Status: This widget tracks project phases and deadlines, showing the current project phase, due dates, and the number of days remaining until the next phase. To see all project phases, click the “View All Phases” button.

• My Assignments: Collaboration is key with WP SiteLauncher, and this widget helps you stay organized and prioritize what needs to be done by displaying upcoming assignments. You can customize it to show which assignments are overdue, such as tasks due today and assignments due in the next 7, 30, or more days. This allows you to customize which assignments appear in your Launchpad based on their due dates, helping you prioritize what needs to be done. You can click the button to view all your assignments in the Assignments window.

7. Get Your WordPress Site Ready with Startup Actions

As the admin user, you have access to Startup Actions, a time-saving feature that automates essential setup steps for new WordPress sites. Startup Actions in WP SiteLauncher help you efficiently prepare your website by handling repetitive tasks with a single click, such as:

• Removing unwanted default posts, pages, or sample content
• Deleting unused plugins and themes pre-installed by WordPress or the hosting provider
• Setting the permalink structure to post name
• Creating and assigning a homepage
• Disabling comments by default
• Importing a preconfigured list of plugins for automatic installation

This feature ensures that your website is set up correctly right from the start, saving you time and reducing setup errors.

8. Review The Site Settings

The Site Settings feature in WP SiteLauncher allows you to configure essential settings and default values for all the tools and features on your site. Here, you’ll find options to manage users, define phases, customize your branding, and more.

User Management:

WP SiteLauncher is designed for collaboration, so one of the most critical settings involves users and their roles and permissions. You can add new team members, clients, or collaborators from scratch or from your saved users in the app. Remember, all users in WP SiteLauncher must also be WordPress users. When adding a user in WP SiteLauncher, they’ll automatically be added as a WordPress user. If you have a WordPress user you’d like to include, navigate to the WordPress backend, go to the User menu under Settings, and check the box to enable WP SiteLauncher for that user.

Project Phases:

Set up your project phases to keep everyone aligned on progress. Phases an integrated part of other tools, allowing you to associate any item with a phase or even set the due date of an assignment to a phase end date.

• Other Project Settings: You can adjust the status options for tasks, comments, requests, and phases, ensuring you have the categories you need to track your work accurately. Additional configurations include setting priority levels for assignments. For more general settings, you can go to the app and set up SMTP integration, customize email templates, and configure white-label branding for your company.

Note: You can access all the same Site Settings from the app under the Sites page, allowing you to make adjustments from the app instead of the site if needed.

9. Learn How To Access Tools In WP SiteLauncher

Once the WP SiteLauncher plugin is installed, activated, and connected, you’ll see our toolbar seamlessly integrated into the top admin bar of your WordPress website. This toolbar provides a convenient way to access all WP SiteLauncher’s collaborative tools and features at any time. Here’s an overview of each icon in the toolbar, moving from left to right:

Current Page:

The first icon, Current Page, opens a window specifically for the page you’re viewing. This is central to WP SiteLauncher, as many interactions, like tasks, discussions, feedback, and approvals, are associated with individual pages. This core icon allows you to open or close the page-specific window with ease, making it a quick way to track and manage page-related activities.

Toolbox:

The Toolbox dropdown houses all primary tools and features. Inside, you’ll find access to features such as Comments, Tasks, Checklists, Files, Content Requests, Feedback Requests, Approval Requests, Change Requests, Notes, Assignments, Phases, and more. This evolving menu makes it easy to open and explore the various WP SiteLauncher functions without navigating away from your current page.

Owner’s Manual:

Here, clients and site owners have quick access to resources for essential maintenance tasks and updates. Inside the Owner’s Manual, you’ll find Tutorials, a Maintenance mode (such as a “coming soon” mode), Support Requests, and other tools as they become available. This section helps clients keep their sites running smoothly.

Notifications:

The Notifications icon opens a window displaying updates related to your assignments, mentions, and other interactions in the WP SiteLauncher system. Functioning similarly to notifications in social media platforms, this feature keeps you informed about everything relevant to you on the website.

My Profile (And User Preferences):

Finally, the My Profile icon allows you to customize your experience with WP SiteLauncher. Under the Interface tab, you can adjust settings for how windows and child windows appear, either as docked or floating. While the default settings are a great starting point, you can customize these to suit your preferences. In the Notifications tab, you can customize your notification preferences for plugin alerts and emails. In the Details tab, you can adjust your user details like name, email, photo, timezone, etc.

10. Learn How To Add New Items In WP SiteLauncher

Collaboration in WP SiteLauncher Happens in Three Main Locations

In WP SiteLauncher, all tools and tasks are linked to one of three primary areas: the entire site, a specific page, or an individual element on a page. This unique structure creates a powerful framework for efficient collaboration, ensuring that each task, request, and discussion is precisely targeted to its relevant area.

Examples:

• Tasks: A task can be general to the site, tied to a specific page, or directed at an image or section within a page.
• Feedback Requests: Feedback may apply to the entire site, a single page, or a specific page section.
• Discussions: Conversations can happen at the site level, on a particular page, or within a comment thread on a page element.
• Content Requests: Content requests might cover all site content, materials for a specific page, or even a particular element like the hero section text.
• Approvals: You may need approval for a specific section, an individual page, or the entire site, such as when preparing for launch.

Adding Items At Different Levels

• General Site
  For items related to the overall site or project, use the toolbar in the website’s admin bar. Click the “+Add” button to add a new task, comment, file, or any other item.
• Specific Page
  To add items related to a particular page, go to the Pages feature. Here, clicking the “+Add” button within any page’s discussion allows you to add tasks, discussions, requests, files, and more.
• Specific Element on a Page
  For items tied to a specific section or element within a page, such as feedback, assignments, or file uploads, use the Comment feature. By clicking the “+Add” button within the discussion of a comment, you can attach relevant items directly to that element or section.

11. Explore The User Interface

WP SiteLauncher provides two window types to navigate the tools: docked windows and floating windows. By default, docked windows open as a convenient fly-out on the right side of each page, keeping your tools in reach without obstructing your workspace. Alternatively, you can switch to floating windows, which can be moved, resized, and repositioned anywhere on the screen to suit your needs.
Each tool window has two main tabs:

• Discussion Tab: Collaborate in context by chatting, sharing links, mentioning teammates, and viewing activity history within each tool.
• Details Tab: View or edit essential information like the title, status, priority, due date, assigned users, and other metadata, providing a quick overview of any task.

Additional features common to all tools in WP SiteLauncher include:

• Filters: Refine what you see by filtering by status, priority, tag, due date, assigned user, and more.
• Search: Find any item instantly by typing keywords in the tool’s search bar.
• Priority: Set priority levels to clarify task urgency and ensure focus on critical assignments.
• Tags: Organize items site-wide with tags, allowing easy categorization and quick reference.
• Status: Update assignment status to keep everyone informed on progress.
• Assigned Users: Delegate tasks or create your to-do list by assigning users.
• Due Dates: Stay on schedule by setting deadlines for timely reminders and accountability.
• Followers: Follow assignments to receive updates on activity, status changes, and progress.
• Attachments: Upload files with comments or replies to ensure everyone has the resources needed.
• Mentions: Notify specific users by mentioning them in discussions for prompt input or action.
• Rich Text Formatting: Utilize rich text options to make your communications clear and effective.

Next Steps

Now that you’re familiar with WP SiteLauncher’s key tools and features, you’re ready to start managing and collaborating on your website projects. Take some time to explore each feature in-depth, experiment with customization options, and start adding tasks, feedback requests, and other project essentials.

For further guidance on each feature, visit the individual feature pages, and don’t hesitate to reach out for support if needed.

Happy launching!