Introduction
Replace the sample profile
Change the sample writer name, biography, location, subject areas, and profile details. Replace every instance of you@example.com and update the “Write to Mara” text.
01 — Quick start
Install and prepare Bersua
Bersua uses WordPress blocks for the entire site, including the header, footer, and page templates. You can manage the design without a page-builder plugin.
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Install the theme
In the WordPress dashboard, go to Appearance → Themes → Add New → Upload Theme. Select the Bersua ZIP file, install it, and choose Activate.
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Open the Site Editor
Go to Appearance → Editor. This is where you edit global styles, navigation, templates, and template parts.
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Set your site identity
Replace the default site title and tagline, then configure the Navigation block in the header.
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Personalize the front page
Edit the Front Page template to replace the sample writer profile, contact details, topics, Note, and correspondence link.
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Publish and review
Create posts and pages, assign featured images, and check the site at desktop and mobile widths before launch.
No required plugins: Bersua relies on standard WordPress blocks and features. Newsletter and contact buttons are links; the theme does not process forms or connect to an email service.
02 — Site identity
Make the header and footer yours
The Site Title and Site Tagline blocks are dynamic. Change them once in WordPress and the header and footer will stay in sync.
Change the title and tagline
Use Settings → General, or select the Site Title and Site Tagline blocks in the Site Editor. Save your changes when prompted.
Build the navigation
- Go to Appearance → Editor → Design → Patterns.
- Open Header under Template parts. Depending on your WordPress version, template parts may also appear directly under Design.
- Select the Navigation block. Add pages, custom links, category archives, or a submenu.
- Use List View to reorder links, then choose Save.
Tip: Keep the primary menu concise. Bersua's header is designed for a compact editorial navigation. You may add a Site Logo block in the Site Editor, but one is not included by default.
Edit the footer
Open the Footer template part to change the default colophon, “Independent work, written and edited with care.” The site title and tagline in the footer update dynamically.
03 — Front page
Personalize the editorial homepage
Bersua's front page is a complete editorial layout assembled from theme patterns. It contains a writer introduction, a Note, latest writing, and a correspondence section.
Go to Appearance → Editor → Design → Templates → Front Page. Open List View to navigate the page structure without accidentally selecting nested blocks.
Correspondence
Connect your newsletter
The default button uses a mailto: link. Replace it with your newsletter signup URL, contact page, or preferred email address. An external newsletter service is not included.
Latest writing
Show recent posts
The section automatically displays five recent posts and excludes posts in the notes category. It updates as you publish.
Page anchors
Link to sections
The layout includes #latest-writing, #note, and #correspondence anchors. You can use these in the navigation or other links.
Important: The Front Page template does not display the content entered in a page's normal content editor. Edit the Front Page template in the Site Editor to change what visitors see.
04 — Publishing
Write posts and build pages
Publish a post
Go to Posts → Add New. Add a clear title, an optional excerpt, a featured image, categories, and tags. The single-post design can display:
- Publication date and author details
- Post title and excerpt
- Author avatar and profile information
- A 16:9 featured image
- Tags, previous and next post links, and comments
Complete each author's biographical information in Users → Profile. The author avatar is normally supplied by Gravatar unless an avatar plugin is installed. Comments appear only when comments are enabled for the site and post.
Create the writing archive
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Create a blank page
Add a page named “Writing,” “Journal,” or another title of your choice. Its editor content will not become the post archive.
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Assign it as the Posts page
Go to Settings → Reading, choose a static homepage setup if needed, and select the page under Posts page.
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Add it to navigation
Add the page to the header menu. Assigning a Posts page also enables the “View archive” link in the homepage's Latest writing section.
Create a page
The default Page template displays the page title, featured image, and content. For a landing page or a layout that contains its own heading, choose Page Without Title in the page editor's Template setting.
Heading structure: The Writer Introduction pattern includes its own level-one heading. Use it with Page Without Title, or adjust its heading level, to avoid two level-one headings on the same page.
05 — Notes
Publish short updates
The homepage Note section displays the newest published post assigned to a category whose slug is exactly notes.
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Create the Notes category
Go to Posts → Categories. Enter “Notes” as the name and
notesas the slug. -
Write a normal post
Create a post, keep it as concise as you like, and assign the Notes category. No custom post type is required.
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Publish it
The newest Note appears automatically on the front page. Notes are excluded from the separate Latest writing list.
If there are no published posts in this category, the theme shows an empty-state message instead.
06 — Patterns
Reuse Bersua layouts
Patterns are prearranged groups of blocks. Insert one as a starting point, then replace its sample text, links, and images.
Insert a pattern
- Edit a page, post, or compatible template.
- Select the block inserter + and open the Patterns tab.
- Browse Bersua Patterns or search by pattern title.
- Select the pattern, edit its content, and save your work.
| Inserter pattern | Use it for |
|---|---|
| Writer Introduction | An editorial profile with biography, subject areas, location, and contact details. |
| List of posts, 3-column grid | A three-column query layout with featured images, titles, dates, and pagination. |
Other Bersua patterns are internal building blocks used by the theme's templates. They intentionally do not appear in the inserter.
07 — Templates
Control site-wide layouts
A template controls the structure shared by a type of content. Editing one may affect every post or page that uses it.
| Template | Controls |
|---|---|
| Front Page | The site's editorial homepage. |
| Home / Index | The main posts archive. |
| Archive | Category, tag, date, and other archive views. |
| Author | Author biography and published posts. |
| Search | Search results and the refinement form. |
| Single Posts | Individual blog posts. |
| Pages | Standard pages with title and featured image. |
| Page Without Title | Pages whose title should not be rendered. |
| 404 | The not-found message and search form. |
Edit safely
- Open Appearance → Editor → Design → Templates.
- Use List View before moving or deleting nested blocks.
- Preview at desktop, tablet, and mobile widths.
- Save only the templates and styles you intended to change; WordPress lists each pending save.
Theme updates and customizations: Changes saved in the Site Editor are stored in the WordPress database and can override the template files supplied by a later theme update. If an update appears not to affect a template, use that template's Actions menu to clear customizations and return to the theme version. Export or back up important changes first.
08 — Styles
Work with the design system
Use Appearance → Editor → Styles to adjust site-wide typography, colors, spacing, and individual block styles.
Theme palette
Base (Paper)#f6f1e8
Contrast (Ink)#292622
Primary#292622
Secondary#68615a
Accent#984047
Surface#ebe2d5
Typography and layout
Source Serif 4
The main reading and heading typeface. Bersua bundles local roman and italic variable-font files.
Source Sans 3
Used for navigation, buttons, metadata, labels, and other interface details.
Content width
The default reading column is 640px wide for comfortable long-form reading.
Wide width
Wide-aligned blocks can expand to 1140px for images, grids, and broader compositions.
Bersua includes six font-size presets, four with fluid scaling, plus six spacing presets, border-radius options, and a 4:5 portrait image ratio. Prefer these named options in the editor so new content remains consistent and responsive.
Accessibility: Check text contrast after changing colors, preserve visible focus styles, use descriptive link text and image alt text, and keep heading levels in a logical order.
09 — Troubleshooting
Common questions
I edited my homepage page, but the front page did not change.
This is expected. Bersua's Front Page template renders a theme-owned editorial layout rather than the selected page's editor content. Edit Appearance → Editor → Design → Templates → Front Page.
My Note does not appear.
Confirm that the category slug is exactly notes, the item is a regular post, the Notes category is assigned, and the post is published. The newest qualifying post is shown.
The “View archive” link is missing.
Create a page and assign it as the Posts page under Settings → Reading. The link is intentionally hidden until a Posts page exists.
A featured image area is blank.
Assign a featured image in the post or page settings. Bersua does not provide a fallback image, so empty featured-image blocks remain empty.
I cannot find a theme pattern in the inserter.
Only Writer Introduction and List of posts, 3-column grid are intended for direct insertion. Other patterns are internal components already used by templates.
A theme update did not change my template.
A Site Editor customization may be overriding the updated theme file. Back up your work, open the template's Actions menu, and clear its customization to restore the current theme version. Menu wording can vary by WordPress version.
The newsletter button does not submit a signup form.
The default action is an email link, not a form integration. Edit the button and link it to the signup page supplied by your newsletter provider.
Need more help? Contact the theme author directly for assistance with Bersua.
10 — Launch checklist
Review before publishing
- Install and activate Bersua on WordPress 6.9 or later.
- Set the site title, tagline, language, timezone, and permalink structure.
- Build and test the header navigation.
- Replace all sample front-page names, biography text, topics, and email addresses.
- Replace the correspondence button's default email link.
- Create the
notescategory and publish a Note, if desired. - Assign a Posts page so the writing archive link can appear.
- Add featured images and meaningful alternative text where appropriate.
- Complete author profiles and decide whether comments should be enabled.
- Review the 404 page, search results, archives, posts, and pages.
- Test keyboard navigation, contrast, links, and responsive layouts.
- Back up the site before theme or WordPress updates.