Pages Management

10 min read

Updated 2 days ago

Pages Management

Overview

The Pages Management module allows you to create, edit, and manage custom pages for your website. This is a powerful content management tool that enables you to build static pages with full control over content, SEO settings, and visibility options. Pages can be displayed in your site's navigation menu and are accessible via custom URLs based on their slugs.

Use this module to create essential pages like Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, FAQ, or any other custom content pages your website needs.

Accessing Pages Management

Navigation path: Dashboard > Appearance > Pages

Required permission: pages.view

Key Features

Create Custom Pages: Build unlimited custom pages with rich content
SEO Optimization: Full control over meta tags, descriptions, and search engine directives
Template Selection: Choose from available page templates for different layouts
Menu Integration: Optionally display pages in your site's navigation menu
Status Control: Activate or deactivate pages without deleting them
Order Management: Control the display order of pages in menus
Automatic Slug Generation: URLs are automatically generated from page titles

Main Interface

List View

The pages list displays all your custom pages in a table format with the following columns:

Title: The page name/heading
Slug: The URL-friendly identifier (e.g., "privacy-policy")
Template: The layout template used for the page
Status: Shows whether the page is Active (published) or Inactive (draft)
Menu: Indicates if the page appears in the navigation menu (✓ or -)
Order: The sort order for menu display (lower numbers appear first)
Actions: Edit and Delete buttons for each page

The interface includes:

Search and Filtering: Currently displays all pages ordered by their order value
Add New Page Button: Located in the top-right corner to create new pages
Empty State: Displays a helpful message when no pages exist

Actions Available

Create New: Add a new page to your website
Edit: Modify existing page content, settings, and SEO
Delete: Permanently remove a page (requires confirmation)
View: Pages can be viewed on the frontend at /pages/{slug}

Common Tasks

Task 1: Creating a New Page

Navigate to Dashboard > Appearance > Pages
Click the "Add New Page" button in the top-right corner
Fill in the Basic Information section:
- Title (required): Enter the page name (e.g., "Privacy Policy")
- Content (required): Write or paste your page content in the textarea
- Template (required): Select a template:
  - Default Template: Standard full-width layout
  - With Sidebar Template: Layout with a sidebar
- Order: Enter a number to control menu position (default: 0)
- Active: Check to publish the page immediately
- Show in Menu: Check to display the page in navigation menus
Configure SEO Settings (optional but recommended):
- Meta Title: Custom title for search engines (50-60 characters recommended)
- Meta Description: Brief description for search results (150-160 characters)
- Meta Keywords: Comma-separated keywords
- Featured Image Path: Path to page image (e.g., /images/page-image.jpg)
- Open Graph Image Path: Social media sharing image (1200x630px recommended)
- Canonical URL: Specify preferred URL (leave empty to use default)
- Robots Meta Tag: Control search engine indexing:
  - Index, Follow (Default): Allow indexing and link following
  - No Index, Follow: Hide from search but follow links
  - Index, No Follow: Index page but don't follow links
  - No Index, No Follow: Hide completely from search engines
Click "Create Page" to save

Result: The page is created and you're redirected to the pages list with a success message. If "Active" was checked, the page is immediately accessible at /pages/{slug}.

Task 2: Editing an Existing Page

Go to Dashboard > Appearance > Pages
Find the page you want to edit in the list
Click the "Edit" link in the Actions column
Modify any fields in the Basic Information or SEO Settings sections
Click "Update Page" to save changes
Click "Cancel" or "Back to Pages" to discard changes

Result: Changes are saved and the page cache is automatically cleared to reflect updates immediately.

Task 3: Changing Page Status

To publish or unpublish a page:

Navigate to the page edit screen
Check or uncheck the "Active" checkbox in the Basic Information section
Click "Update Page"

Result:

Active: Page is publicly accessible at /pages/{slug}
Inactive: Page is hidden from public view but not deleted

Task 4: Adding a Page to the Navigation Menu

Edit the page you want to add to the menu
Check the "Show in Menu" checkbox
Set the Order field to control where it appears (lower numbers first)
Click "Update Page"

Result: The page appears in your site's navigation menu according to the order specified.

Task 5: Deleting a Page

Go to Dashboard > Appearance > Pages
Find the page you want to delete
Click the "Delete" button in the Actions column
Confirm the deletion in the popup dialog

Result: The page is permanently removed from the database and is no longer accessible.

Settings and Options

Basic Information Fields

Title

Type: Text
Required: Yes
Max Length: 255 characters
Description: The main heading and identifier for your page
Example: "Privacy Policy", "About Us", "Terms of Service"
Note: Must be unique across all pages

Content

Type: Textarea
Required: Yes
Description: The main body content of your page
Example: Full text content, HTML is supported
Note: Consider using a rich text editor for complex formatting

Template

Type: Select dropdown
Required: Yes
Options:
- default: Default Template (full-width layout)
- with-sidebar: With Sidebar Template (content with sidebar)
Description: Controls the page layout and structure
Default: default

Order

Type: Number
Required: No
Min Value: 0
Description: Controls the display order in navigation menus (ascending)
Example: 0, 10, 20
Default: 0

Active (is_active)

Type: Checkbox
Required: No
Description: Controls whether the page is publicly accessible
Default: Checked (true)
Note: Inactive pages return 404 errors when accessed

Show in Menu (show_in_menu)

Type: Checkbox
Required: No
Description: Controls whether the page appears in navigation menus
Default: Checked (true)
Note: Menu display also depends on navigation settings

SEO Settings Fields

Meta Title

Type: Text
Required: No
Max Length: 255 characters
Description: Custom title tag for search engines
Recommendation: 50-60 characters for optimal display
Default: Uses page title if empty

Meta Description

Type: Textarea
Required: No
Max Length: 500 characters
Description: Brief description shown in search results
Recommendation: 150-160 characters for optimal display
Example: "Learn about our privacy practices and how we protect your data."

Meta Keywords

Type: Text
Required: No
Max Length: 255 characters
Description: Comma-separated keywords for SEO
Example: "privacy, data protection, security, GDPR"
Note: Less important for modern SEO but still useful

Featured Image Path

Type: Text
Required: No
Max Length: 255 characters
Description: Path to the page's featured image
Example: /images/privacy-policy.jpg
Note: Relative path from public directory

Open Graph Image Path

Type: Text
Required: No
Max Length: 255 characters
Description: Image used when page is shared on social media
Recommendation: 1200x630px for optimal display
Default: Uses featured image if empty
Example: /images/og-privacy.jpg

Canonical URL

Type: URL
Required: No
Max Length: 255 characters
Description: Preferred URL for search engines (prevents duplicate content issues)
Default: Uses current page URL if empty
Example: https://example.com/pages/privacy-policy

Robots Meta Tag

Type: Select dropdown
Required: No
Options:
- index,follow: Allow indexing and link following (default)
- noindex,follow: Hide from search but follow links
- index,nofollow: Index page but don't follow links
- noindex,nofollow: Hide completely from search engines
Description: Controls how search engines interact with the page
Default: index,follow

Automatic Fields

Slug

Generated automatically from the page title
URL-friendly format (lowercase, hyphens instead of spaces)
Example: "Privacy Policy" becomes "privacy-policy"
Used in the page URL: /pages/privacy-policy
Cannot be manually edited (generated on save)

Permissions

The Pages module uses the following permissions to control access:

pages.view: Can view the pages list and access the pages module
pages.create: Can create new pages
pages.edit: Can edit existing pages
pages.delete: Can delete pages

Note: Users need the appropriate permission to perform each action. The view permission is required to access the module at all.

Tips and Best Practices

Use Descriptive Titles: Choose clear, descriptive titles that accurately represent the page content
Optimize for SEO: Always fill in meta title and description for better search engine visibility
Keep URLs Clean: Page titles automatically generate clean URLs (slugs)
Use Templates Wisely: Choose the appropriate template based on your content needs
Order Strategically: Use the order field to control menu placement (e.g., 10, 20, 30 for easy reordering)
Draft First: Create pages as inactive to preview before publishing
Cache Awareness: Page changes clear the cache automatically, so updates appear immediately
Menu Integration: Only add important pages to the menu to avoid clutter
Content Quality: Write clear, well-structured content for better user experience
Mobile Friendly: Ensure your content works well on all device sizes

Troubleshooting

Problem: Page not appearing on the website

Solution:

Check that the Active checkbox is enabled
Verify the page exists in the database (check the pages list)
Clear your browser cache and try again
Check that you're accessing the correct URL: /pages/{slug}

Problem: Page not showing in navigation menu

Solution:

Ensure Show in Menu checkbox is enabled
Verify the page is Active
Check navigation settings in the Navigation module
Clear the pages cache (happens automatically on save)

Problem: Cannot create page - "Title already exists" error

Solution:

Page titles must be unique
Check if a page with the same title already exists
Use a slightly different title or add a qualifier

Problem: SEO meta tags not appearing

Solution:

Verify you've filled in the meta title and description fields
Check your theme's layout file includes SEO meta tags
Clear cache and reload the page
Inspect page source to verify meta tags are present

Problem: Permission denied when trying to create/edit pages

Solution:

Contact your administrator to request the appropriate permissions
Required permissions: pages.view, pages.create, pages.edit, or pages.delete
Check your role has the necessary permissions assigned