Using Banners and Subtitles Effectively #
Banners and subtitles are simple but powerful tools for communicating with visitors. A well-crafted message can drive urgency, set expectations, and increase adoption conversions.
Subtitles for Context #
The subtitle appears below the search page title. Use it to set expectations or reinforce your brand:
[pmp-search type="adopt" subtitle="All animals are spayed/neutered and microchipped"]Good subtitle examples:
- “All adoption fees include spay/neuter, vaccines, and microchip”
- “Meet your new best friend today”
- “Showing animals at our Main Street location”
Banners for Urgency #
Banners display on individual result cards. Use them for time-sensitive or high-priority messaging:
[pmp-search type="adopt" banner="Adoption fees waived this weekend!"]As of 8.23.24 the same banner parameter works on [pmp-details], where it renders as a strip above the main photo. Set it on both shortcodes when you want a visitor to see the same message on the card they clicked and on the profile they land on:
[pmp-details banner="Adoption fees waived this weekend!"]Watch for drift here. The two shortcodes hold separate copies of the string, so a campaign message you update on the search page will keep showing the old text on the detail page until you update it there too. For anything driven by the animal’s own data – hold status, foster program, urgency flags – use Dynamic Banners instead and configure it once for both surfaces.
Effective banner uses:
- Fee-waived events: “Free Adoptions This Saturday!”
- Seasonal campaigns: “Clear the Shelters Event – Reduced Fees”
- Capacity alerts: “Shelter at capacity – please consider fostering”
- New arrivals: “Just arrived – meet our newest friends”
Dynamic Banners (Junior+). When you want the banner to change per animal instead of saying the same thing on every card, use Dynamic Banners. You map an animal field value to a banner label and optional color – for example a red “On Hold” on held animals and a green “Adopt Me” on everything else – so each card communicates that animal’s real status automatically. One configuration drives both the search card and the detail strip, and a static banner= on either shortcode overrides it for that surface.
Combining Both #
Subtitle for permanent context, banner for timely messaging:
[pmp-search type="adopt" subtitle="All pets come vaccinated and microchipped" banner="Holiday Special - 50% off adoption fees through Dec 31"]Font Size Control #
Adjust banner and subtitle prominence with size parameters:
[pmp-search type="adopt" subtitle="Find Your New Best Friend" subtitle_size="large" banner="Fee-Free Weekend!" banner_size="xl"]banner_size works on [pmp-details] too, and scales static and dynamic banners alike:
[pmp-details banner="Fee-Free Weekend!" banner_size="xl"]Or configure default sizes site-wide in the Fonts tab.
Tips #
- Keep banners short – they appear on every result card and long text wraps poorly
- Update banners for events, then remove them after – stale urgency erodes trust
- Subtitles are better for permanent information (fees, policies, hours)
- Banner and subtitle colors can be customized in the Colors tab
Next Steps #
- Font Size Customization — Control banner and subtitle sizes
- Color Customization — Customize banner and subtitle colors
- Common Shortcode Recipes — More shortcode examples
