Calaméo Magazine #7: The Renewal issue

For many businesses, showcasing digital publications on their own website is a great business solution. Clients can enjoy the convenient presentation and interactive features of catalogs, magazines and more all while browsing the brand’s site.

To help you take advantage of this powerful tool, we’ve created a complete guide to embedding your publications!

In part two of this series, we will explain how to customize your publication’s appearance in your website.

As you’re collecting the code for embedding your publication, you’ll see a preview of its look. You can use the default appearance or click “Customize options” to make changes. Since there are a lot of possibilities, we’ll break down the results for each category.

MODE

“Mini” and “Publication” offer very different choices for displaying your publication on your site. In “Mini” mode, readers can page through the document but must click to open the Calaméo viewer and access links, personalized elements and more included in your publication.

When “Mini” is selected, you can also define how the publication opens when clicked. “Open viewer directly” launches the publication in a new window, while “Open description page” launches the overview. “Open publication in full screen directly” launches the viewer in full screen, bypassing its Calaméo URL, once the embed is clicked.

In “Publication” mode, the viewer is inserted on your site page so that your audience can read your publication there in full.

VIEW

The View parameters let you choose a Reading mode for your embedded publication: Slide, Scroll or Book. Experiment to find the appearance that works best with the design of your site as well as any custom Skins or UX elements you’ve added to the viewer.

PAGE

Want to highlight a special page of your publication or ensure your audience sees particular content? Use this parameter to embed your publication starting at a certain page in either “Mini” or “Publication” mode.

SIZE

Although several pre-set sizes are available for your embedded publication, “Custom” allows you to define the height and width right down to the pixel. It’s important to allot enough space on your website page to accommodate the size that you select, otherwise your publication may not display correctly.

With our Platinum plan’s white labelled viewer, you can insert a full-sized publication on a dedicated page of your website and share it using your own URL. Include the “shareurl” parameter in the embed code so the share button broadcasts your URL on social media, too.

💡TIP: We love full-screen reading for great user experiences. If you’re planning to enable full-screen for an embedded publication, remember to check that the “allowfullscreen” parameter is present where you place the code.

With these examples in mind, you should now be able to choose the appearance of your embedded publications so that they look just right on your website!

In the final article of this series, learn more about statistics for embedded publications and mobile responsiveness.

Have you embedded a Calaméo publication on your blog or website? We’d love to see your best work! Tag us @calameo on Facebook and Twitter or on Instagram @calameo_publishing.

Calaméo is a flexible tool, so you can personalize your content as much as possible! Tailoring your account to your brand and adding information about your organization can increase search results and reader engagement, as well as ensuring that your Calaméo account has a professional appearance. Follow these handy tips to optimize your account for professional use.

To get started, head to your Account info page to update your details.

💡TIP: On the “Account info” tab, you can also choose a custom account URL.

How to optimize your account:

Your company name

Make sure your Calaméo account name is your company name, and not the name of the person who manages the account or the email address used to create the account. This makes it easier for readers find your content on search engines and lets them know it is your official account. The same applies to your publications—make sure the title corresponds to the cover and is concise (with no typos!).

Your avatar

Add your company logo as your Calaméo profile photo. For the same reasons mentioned above—but this time a visual tool for letting readers know this is your company’s professional profile. These tips will help signal the legitimacy of your account.

Your website

Fill out your account info with your website (we even have a designated box for this in your account settings). Readers can then easily navigate to your website from Calaméo. But be sure to include the “https://” protocol so that the link opens correctly!

Account description

Consider adding an account description if you don’t have one. This helps with search engine optimization and provides a context for your publications. A little introduction may encourage people to follow your work! In addition, you can tailor this information to the audience you are aiming to connect with.

Your logo in the viewer

Add your logo to the viewer to put your own mark on your publications. People love interactive elements, so link it to your website so readers can refer to your website at any time.

Customize the Theme

Creating your own viewer Theme means giving your publications your brand identity. In turn, this allows for a seamless integration in your website and a sophisticated viewing experience for your readers.

And finally…

Share share share

Increase your readership by making the most of our sharing features for a maximum number of views: embed your publication in a webpage, create a virtual library to display multiple publications, and share across social networks.

💡TIP: Want more info on how to get the most out of publishing on Calaméo? Check out our Tutorials for free, in-depth guides to browse and download.