Structure the website
Learn to structure your website effectively with Optimizely CMS 13. Organize content, define navigation, and optimize site hierarchy for better user experience.
In the Optimizely Content Management System (CMS), the page tree structure is located in edit view under Pages. The root page is at the top of the structure, usually with one or more start pages directly underneath. The website's structure is made up of pages. By default, the page structure is reflected in the navigation menus. To simplify navigation, limit the submenu structure to a maximum of three levels.
Move a page
Use drag and drop to move a page, or select Cut in the context menu for the page you want to move and select Paste for the destination page. You can also move pages using the keyboard commands CTRL+X for cut (on Mac: CMD+X), and CTRL+V for paste (on Mac: CMD+V).
NoteWhen you move a page, internal links are redirected to the new location and are not broken. However, any external links pointing to the moved page will be broken.
Copy a page
Press Ctrl (Windows) or Option (Mac) and drag and drop to copy a page, or select Copy in the context menu for the page, then select Paste for the destination page. You can also copy pages with keyboard commands: Ctrl+C (Windows) or Cmd+C (Mac), and Ctrl+V (Windows) or Cmd+V (Mac).
Subpages and associated media files in local page folders are copied, and the links point to the new copy of the page. Settings, such as dynamic properties and categories, are copied with the new page.
NoteWhen you copy and paste a page under the same node, the Name in URL property of the copied page is typically named Name in URL1, which you need to change after copying.
Remove content
Removed folders, pages, blocks, and media files are moved to trash and are not publicly available on the website. Remember to update any links to removed content. When you remove a page, all underlying pages are removed. See Delete and restore content.
Sort page order in menus
The pages in the tree structure are sorted according to a predefined sort order. By default, the page created most recently is placed at the top of the tree structure, for example, in news listings. Other sorting options exist, such as alphabetically or by sort index or through an index defined on each page.
The sort order is set for the parent page of a branch and is inherited by the subpages:
- Select the parent page of the branch in the structure where you want to set the sorting.
- Edit the page and select the Settings tab.
- Select sorting criteria under Sort subpages.
- Publish the page for the changes to take place.
Sort according to the sort index
If you want to control exactly how the pages in the structure are sorted, select the According to sort index option for the parent page. Then give each child page a unique sort index number, and they are sorted in ascending order according to their number, with the lowest number on top.
Change the sort order of pages by dragging the page and dropping it where you want it in the tree structure. Sorting pages with drag and drop is only interesting for branches that are sorted with a sort index.
- If you move a page into a branch that is not sorted according to the sort index, you get prompted to move the page and, at the same time, apply the sort index as sort order for that branch. Confirm with OK. When you drag a page into a position in a page tree branch, the sort index is automatically recalculated to fit the sort order of that branch.
- If you drop a page under a different parent page (with the sort index set as sort order), the page is first moved, copied, and sorted. The page remains in the tree where it was first dropped.
NoteThe pages you move are saved again, meaning you must have publishing rights to use drag and drop for sorting. You also must have publishing rights for the page branch with a sort index to which you move a page.
Sort according to sort index manually
You can set the sort index manually for each child page. Open the page for editing, select the Settings tab, and change the number in the Sort index box. The sort index number must be an integer, but no restrictions exist. Work with whole tens or hundreds to insert additional pages between existing ones in the structure. Publish the page to apply changes to the structure.

Updated 2 months ago
