Salesforce Experience Cloud: How to Get Started

Experience Cloud (formerly known as Community Cloud) is an ultimate platform that empowers businesses that use Salesforce CRM to create customized, memorable digital experiences for their customers or partners without the need for coding! It’s an ideal option if you’re looking for a flexible, easily configurable, and no-code solution.

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In this beginner's guide, we will explore what Salesforce Experience Cloud is, what it can do, and how you can get started using it.

Let’s dive in!

What is Salesforce Experience Cloud?

Salesforce Experience Cloud is a cutting-edge DXP platform packed with a powerful suite of tools to create exceptional sites and portals. With Experience Cloud, you can easily build and customize engaging digital interfaces, mobile apps, and websites that are tailored to meet the unique needs of your organization and your customers. 

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What makes Experience Cloud truly special is its user-friendly interface and drag-and-drop functionality, which make it easy for non-technical users to design and publish professional-grade sites without the need for extensive coding expertise.

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Salesforce Experience Cloud is a flexible solution that can be customized to suit the requirements of any kind of organization across various industries, whether it's a nonprofit, healthcare provider, B2B or B2C, educational, financial or governmental institution. 

Experience Cloud Platform Features & Capabilities

One of the key advantages of Experience Cloud is its seamless integration with Salesforce CRM. 

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This integration enables companies to leverage the data collected through their CRM to create personalized, contextual experiences for each individual customer. 

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By doing so, businesses can establish strong relationships with their customers, enhance their brand reputation, and drive long-term growth.

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Some of the features that make Experience Cloud a must-have for businesses include:

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• Flexible branding option; 
• Ready-made templates;
• Personalization;
• AppExchange integrations;
• Powerful content management system (CMS);
• Robust analytics. 

Setting Up the Experience Cloud: Your First Steps 

Experience Cloud enables companies to create and configure various types of Salesforce experiences to meet their specific requirements. 

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This includes building a partner portal, an online shop, a help forum, a support site, a microsite, a volunteer or student portal, or a customer community. 

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Assume you’re ready to start your Experience Cloud journey. What’s your starting point? 

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How to set up an online community with Salesforce Experience Cloud?

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1. Enable Salesforce Experience Cloud sites. To activate digital experiences in your organization, navigate to Setup, type "Digital Experiences" in the Quick Find box, click on Settings, and select the option to "Enable Digital Experiences”.

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2. To create an Experience Cloud site, go to the All Sites page, which should have automatically opened after enabling digital experiences. If not, type "Digital Experiences" in the Quick Find box and select All Sites. Next, click on the "New" button to create a new Experience Cloud site. 

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3. If you want your site URLs to reflect your company brand, configure a custom domain for your experience. To do this, from Setup, enter “Domains” in the Quick Find box, then select Domains. Click “Add a Domain” and follow the instructions.

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4. Select a pre-built customizable template and begin your digital experience. Each template includes tailored page layouts and components for specific use cases, allowing you to choose the one that best aligns with your needs.

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5. Enter a name and URL for your site, and press “Create”. The system will direct you to the My Workspaces page. From there, you can customize and manage your site.

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6. Set up access to your site. Go to the Members page to establish access to your SFDC experience. Utilize profiles and permission sets to secure your data and provide the right access to the right users. 

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7. Publish your site from the Builder section of the Workspaces. 

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8. Change the default login page. You can modify default pages for login, self-registration, change password, forgot password, and your homepage according to your requirements at any point in time by accessing the Login & Registration page in the Administration workspace.

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9. To begin customizing your site's pages, select "Builder" to utilize a Salesforce website builder. Enhance the appearance of your site by applying one of the pre-built themes. Personalize your site by modifying the colors, fonts, and styles, uploading logos and images, and adjusting the page structure and content.

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10. Implement third-party components to extend the functionality of your community site. For instance, if you’re a membership organization and looking for a comprehensive solution for effective membership management in Salesforce, then AC MemberSmart (Salesforce member management tool) is your best choice!

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11. Activate your Salesforce community. 

Need Help with Experience Cloud Integration and Customization?

If you find yourself in need of help, don't hesitate to reach out to us at Advanced Communities. We have a team of experienced and certified Salesforce Experience Cloud consultants who can assist you in implementing and configuring your community to achieve its full potential. 

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​​In addition to our expertise in implementing and setting up Experience Cloud, Advanced Communities is also a leading AppExchange provider, delivering top-quality Salesforce native apps. 

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Contact us today for more information or a demo request.

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