This week we have been working on helping you get Cluster Maps onto your blog and/or site. Now it is time to works with websites and Cluster Maps.  Look back over the last several days for details. Here are some of the posts you may find helpful: For an overview of Cluster Maps read my post from a few days ago. Another post starts the process of signing up for Cluster Maps and shares how to install a Cluster map on Blogger. Then we worked with putting Cluster Maps in WordPress widgets. This last post we worked with WordPress for those who do not use widgets.  Today is putting Cluster Maps into websites.

You may have noticed that Blogger and the WordPress widgets functioned very much alike – you don’t need to touch the code very much at all! On the other hand, not using widgets in WordPress makes it much more similar to adding a Cluster Map to a website – which we will do right now.

You will probably be glad to know that this will be the end to this Cluster Maps series of tutorials. When we work with other statistics tools – exciting little toys – in the future, I will be referring you back to these technical details so we won’t have to go through them again!! Did I just hear a sigh of relief?

When Was It Due?, Digital © Diane Clancy

Now on to putting Cluster Maps into a website. You will want to have signed up for Cluster Maps and have the code ready to be pasted in. Look at this post again if you need help with this part.

I am making the assumption that you are used to working with your website code – to at least some degree … whether using a web design program or an html program. The biggest challenge is to make sure that the code goes in a place where it does no damage.

Basically, you can put the code wherever you want to! You need the code on each page that you want the Cluster Map to track. That is, if someone stops by your site to visit a favorite picture and you have your Cluster Map only on the front page, it will miss that person’s visit. I have used a little “component” (GoLive) to add code to each page. I personally add it to my navigation links at the bottom so that it is easy to keep track of and easy to put on each page. There are many ways to do it and that is what I have chosen.

After you have inserted the code, save any files you have changed and get ready to upload the newly revised files. Whether you use a web ftp or a standalone ftp, the process is similar. Log into your site so you have access to upload a file. Make sure you upload the files in the correct places. Remember they overwrite the old files so – of course – be careful as you do this.

No matter how you have changed you site, I encourage you to go and check it out – see how it looks. If there is a mistake, just go through the process again … noticing where the problem is. One trick I use is to put several blank lines before and after the code so I can find it easily again …

As always, I would be delighted to hear how you are doing! Thank you for traveling this path of Cluster Maps with me! I know I am so grateful for each reader and commenter!

~ Diane Clancy

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