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Theme Configuration

Detailed configuration options for the Bizstrap Jekyll theme

Theme Configuration

This guide covers all the configuration options available in the Bizstrap Jekyll theme. Most settings are controlled through the _config.yml file and various data files in the _data directory.

Site Settings

Basic Site Information

Configure your site’s basic information in _config.yml:

# Site settings
title: "Bizstrap - Business Bootstrap Theme"
description: "A modern, responsive Jekyll theme for businesses and agencies"
url: "https://yourdomain.com"
baseurl: "" # Leave empty for root domain
lang: "en"
timezone: "America/New_York"

# Build settings
markdown: kramdown
highlighter: rouge
permalink: /:categories/:year/:month/:day/:title/

Collections Configuration

The theme uses Jekyll collections for organized content:

# Collections
collections:
  authors:
    output: true
    permalink: /author/:name/
  services:
    output: true
    permalink: /services/:name/
  portfolio:
    output: true
    permalink: /portfolio/:name/
  testimonials:
    output: false

Plugin Configuration

Essential plugins for the theme:

plugins:
  - jekyll-feed
  - jekyll-sitemap
  - jekyll-seo-tag
  - jekyll-paginate
  - jekyll-archives

# Pagination
paginate: 6
paginate_path: "/blog/page:num/"

# Archives
jekyll-archives:
  enabled:
    - categories
    - tags
  layout: archive
  permalinks:
    category: '/category/:name/'
    tag: '/tag/:name/'

Author Configuration

Default Author Settings

Set up the default site author in _config.yml:

# Author information
author:
  name: "John Doe"
  email: "john@example.com"
  bio: "Experienced web developer and designer passionate about creating beautiful, functional websites."
  avatar: "/assets/images/authors/john-doe.jpg"
  location: "New York, NY"
  website: "https://johndoe.com"

Multiple Authors

Create individual author files in _authors/ directory:

# _authors/jane-smith.md
---
title: "Jane Smith"
name: "Jane Smith"
email: "jane@example.com"
bio: "Senior UX Designer with 8+ years of experience in creating user-centered digital experiences."
avatar: "/assets/images/authors/jane-smith.jpg"
location: "San Francisco, CA"
website: "https://janesmith.design"
social:
  twitter: "janesmith"
  linkedin: "jane-smith-ux"
  dribbble: "janesmith"
---

Configure social media links for authors:

social:
  twitter: "username"
  linkedin: "username"
  github: "username"
  dribbble: "username"
  behance: "username"
  instagram: "username"
  facebook: "username"
  youtube: "channel-id"

Configure your main navigation in _data/navigation.yml:

main:
  - name: "Home"
    url: "/"
  - name: "About"
    url: "/about/"
  - name: "Services"
    url: "/services/"
    dropdown:
      - name: "Web Design"
        url: "/services/web-design/"
      - name: "Development"
        url: "/services/development/"
      - name: "SEO"
        url: "/services/seo/"
  - name: "Portfolio"
    url: "/portfolio/"
  - name: "Blog"
    url: "/blog/"
  - name: "Contact"
    url: "/contact/"

Configure footer links:

footer:
  - name: "Privacy Policy"
    url: "/privacy/"
  - name: "Terms of Service"
    url: "/terms/"
  - name: "Sitemap"
    url: "/sitemap.xml"

For blog sidebars and documentation:

sidebar:
  - name: "Recent Posts"
    type: "recent_posts"
    limit: 5
  - name: "Categories"
    type: "categories"
  - name: "Tags"
    type: "tags"
    limit: 20

Social Media

Configure your organization’s social media in _config.yml:

social:
  twitter: "yourbusiness"
  facebook: "yourbusiness"
  linkedin: "company/yourbusiness"
  instagram: "yourbusiness"
  youtube: "c/yourbusiness"
  github: "yourbusiness"

Social Sharing

Enable social sharing on blog posts:

# Social sharing
social_sharing:
  enabled: true
  platforms:
    - twitter
    - facebook
    - linkedin
    - pinterest
    - email

Open Graph Settings

Configure Open Graph meta tags:

# Open Graph
og:
  image: "/assets/images/og-image.jpg"
  image_width: 1200
  image_height: 630
  type: "website"

SEO Settings

Basic SEO Configuration

# SEO settings
seo:
  title_separator: "|"
  description_length: 160
  keywords: "business, bootstrap, jekyll, theme, responsive"
  
# Google Analytics
google_analytics: "GA_TRACKING_ID"

# Google Search Console
google_site_verification: "VERIFICATION_CODE"

Structured Data

Enable structured data markup:

# Structured data
structured_data:
  organization:
    name: "Your Business Name"
    logo: "/assets/images/logo.png"
    url: "https://yourdomain.com"
    social_profiles:
      - "https://twitter.com/yourbusiness"
      - "https://facebook.com/yourbusiness"
      - "https://linkedin.com/company/yourbusiness"

XML Sitemap

Configure sitemap generation:

# Sitemap
sitemap:
  exclude:
    - "/admin/"
    - "/private/"
  include_posts: true
  include_pages: true
  include_collections: true

Advanced Configuration

Custom CSS and JS

Add custom assets:

# Custom assets
custom:
  css:
    - "/assets/css/custom.css"
  js:
    - "/assets/js/custom.js"

Environment-specific Settings

Use different settings for development and production:

# Development settings
development:
  show_drafts: true
  incremental: true
  
# Production settings
production:
  compress_html:
    clippings: all
    comments: all
    endings: all

Performance Settings

Optimize for performance:

# Performance
compress_html:
  clippings: all
  comments: ["<!-- ", " -->"]
  endings: all
  ignore:
    envs: [development]

# Asset optimization
sass:
  style: compressed
  
# Exclude from build
exclude:
  - "node_modules/"
  - "src/"
  - "gulpfile.js"
  - "package.json"

Troubleshooting

Common Configuration Issues

  1. Site not loading: Check url and baseurl settings
  2. Navigation not working: Verify _data/navigation.yml syntax
  3. Authors not displaying: Ensure _authors collection is configured
  4. Styles not loading: Check asset paths and build process

Validation

Validate your configuration:

# Check Jekyll configuration
bundle exec jekyll doctor

# Test site build
bundle exec jekyll build --verbose

# Serve with drafts and future posts
bundle exec jekyll serve --drafts --future

Next, learn about Content Management to start adding pages, posts, and media to your site.

Last updated: January 24, 2025