> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://buttercms.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Choosing the right content type

> Decide whether to use Pages, Collections, or Blog Engine posts. Includes a decision flowchart, feature comparison matrix, and real-world scenario examples.

ButterCMS offers three main content types: Pages, Collections, and Blog Engine. Choosing the right one for your needs is crucial for building a scalable, maintainable content model.

## Content types overview

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Pages" icon="file-lines">
    **Best for:** Unique layouts and flexible content structures

    **Examples:** Landing pages, product pages, case studies
  </Card>

  <Card title="Collections" icon="table">
    **Best for:** Reusable structured data

    **Examples:** Categories, team members, FAQs, testimonials
  </Card>

  <Card title="Blog Engine" icon="newspaper">
    **Best for:** Chronological content with built-in features

    **Examples:** Blog posts, news articles, updates
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Flowchart: choosing the right content type

```mermaid theme={null}
flowchart TD
    Q1{"Is this a standard blog article?
    (author, categories, tags)"}
    Q1 -->|YES| A1["✍️ Blog Posts
    Just write & publish"]
    Q1 -->|NO| Q2{"Will this data appear
    on multiple pages?
    (testimonials, team, FAQs)"}
    Q2 -->|YES| A2["🗂 Collections
    Create once, use everywhere"]
    Q2 -->|NO| Q3{"Is it a full page
    with a custom layout?
    (landing, product, about)"}
    Q3 -->|YES| A3["📄 Pages
    Flexible component layouts"]
    Q3 -->|BOTH?| A4["📄 Pages + 🗂 Collections
    Page layout with Collection data"]

    style A1 fill:#7F5AF0,stroke:#7F5AF0,color:#fff
    style A2 fill:#3DA9FC,stroke:#3DA9FC,color:#fff
    style A3 fill:#FF8906,stroke:#FF8906,color:#fff
    style A4 fill:#2E2B47,stroke:#A7A3BE,color:#fff
    style Q1 fill:#1A1929,stroke:#A7A3BE,color:#fff
    style Q2 fill:#1A1929,stroke:#A7A3BE,color:#fff
    style Q3 fill:#1A1929,stroke:#A7A3BE,color:#fff
```

## Feature comparison matrix

| Feature           | Single Page        | Page Type              | Collection         | Blog Engine       |
| ----------------- | ------------------ | ---------------------- | ------------------ | ----------------- |
| **Use case**      | One-off pages      | Multiple similar pages | Reusable data      | Blog posts        |
| **Instances**     | 1                  | Many                   | Many               | Many              |
| **Schema**        | Custom, unique     | Custom, reusable       | Custom, reusable   | Pre-defined       |
| **Flexibility**   | ✅ Full             | ✅ Full                 | ⚠️ Limited         | ⚠️ Limited        |
| **Components**    | ✅ Yes              | ✅ Yes                  | ❌ No               | ❌ No              |
| Localization      | ✅ Yes              | ✅ Yes                  | ✅ Yes              | ❌ No              |
| **References to** | Collections, Pages | Collections, Pages     | Collections, Pages | Categories & tags |
| **SEO Fields**    | ✅ Add manually     | ✅ Add manually         | ✅ Add manually     | ✅ Built-in        |
| **Authors**       | ✅ Add manually     | ✅ Add manually         | ✅ Add manually     | ✅ Built-in        |
| **Setup**         | Manual             | Manual                 | Manual             | Instant           |
| **Best for**      | Homepage, About    | Products, Case Studies | Categories, FAQs   | Blog, News        |

| Use Case               | Recommended Type            | Reason                                     |
| ---------------------- | --------------------------- | ------------------------------------------ |
| Marketing landing page | **Pages**                   | Need flexible layouts with components      |
| Blog article           | **Blog Posts**              | Standard format with author/categories     |
| Product categories     | **Collections**             | Reusable across multiple product pages     |
| Customer testimonials  | **Collections**             | Referenced by multiple marketing pages     |
| Team member directory  | **Collections**             | Can be queried and displayed anywhere      |
| Complex blog post      | **Pages**                   | When you need Component Picker flexibility |
| FAQ page               | **Pages** + **Collections** | Page layout with FAQ Collection items      |

## Use case scenarios

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="E-commerce">
    **Need:** Product catalog with categories and testimonials

    **Solution:**

    * **Page Type** for product pages (multiple products with same structure)
    * **Collection** for simple product categories (referenced by products)
    * **Collection** for customer testimonials (display on homepage and product pages)
    * **Single Page** for homepage, about, and pricing pages
    * **Blog Engine** for company blog and updates

    **Why:**

    * Page Type ensures consistent product presentation
    * Collections allow reusable categories and testimonials
    * Blog Engine handles company news chronologically
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Marketing site">
    **Need:** Landing pages, case studies, and blog

    **Solution:**

    * **Page Type** for landing pages (multiple campaigns with similar structure)
    * **Page Type** for case studies (consistent format)
    * **Collection** for team members (display on About page)
    * **Blog Engine** for blog posts
    * **Single Page** for homepage and contact page (unique layouts)

    **Why:**

    * Page Types ensure brand consistency across landing pages
    * Collections centralize team data
    * Blog Engine provides SEO and organization features
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Saas documentation">
    **Need:** Product docs, changelog, help center

    **Solution:**

    * **Page Type** for documentation pages (consistent structure with TOC)
    * **Collection** for help categories (organize docs)
    * **Collection** for FAQs (reference across docs)
    * **Blog Engine** for changelog/release notes
    * **Page Type** for feature pages (marketing content)

    **Why:**

    * Page Types provide flexible content areas for docs
    * Collections organize help content
    * Blog Engine handles chronological release notes
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Media/Publishing site">
    **Need:** Articles, author profiles, multimedia content

    **Solution:**

    * **Blog Engine** for articles (if standard blog structure works)
    * **OR Page Type** for articles (if custom layouts or localization needed)
    * **Collection** for authors (more flexible than built-in)
    * **Collection** for content categories and tags
    * **Collection** for video/podcast series

    **Why:**

    * Choose Blog Engine for speed or Page Type for customization
    * Collections provide flexible author profiles
    * Collections organize multimedia content
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Mixed approach example

Most real-world sites use a combination of content types:

<Card>
  <Tree>
    <Tree.Folder name="Website Structure" defaultOpen>
      <Tree.Folder name="Single Pages" defaultOpen>
        <Tree.File name="Homepage (unique hero, featured content)" />

        <Tree.File name="About Us (company story, values)" />

        <Tree.File name="Contact (form, map, locations)" />
      </Tree.Folder>

      <Tree.Folder name="Page Types" defaultOpen>
        <Tree.Folder name="Product Pages (50+ products)" defaultOpen>
          <Tree.File name="References: Categories, Features, Specs" />
        </Tree.Folder>

        <Tree.Folder name="Case Studies (20+ studies)" defaultOpen>
          <Tree.File name="References: Industries, Solutions" />
        </Tree.Folder>

        <Tree.Folder name="Landing Pages (campaign-specific)" defaultOpen>
          <Tree.File name="References: Testimonials, Features" />
        </Tree.Folder>
      </Tree.Folder>

      <Tree.Folder name="Collections" defaultOpen>
        <Tree.File name="Product Categories (Electronics, Clothing, etc.)" />

        <Tree.File name="Product Features (Specs, attributes)" />

        <Tree.File name="Industries (Healthcare, Finance, etc.)" />

        <Tree.File name="Solutions (Cloud, API, etc.)" />

        <Tree.File name="Team Members (Leadership bios)" />

        <Tree.File name="Testimonials (Customer quotes)" />

        <Tree.File name="FAQ Items (Help content)" />
      </Tree.Folder>

      <Tree.Folder name="Blog Engine" defaultOpen>
        <Tree.Folder name="Company Blog (100+ posts)" defaultOpen>
          <Tree.File name="Built-in Categories: News, Tutorials, Updates" />

          <Tree.File name="Built-in Tags: Product names, topics" />

          <Tree.File name="Built-in Authors: Content team" />
        </Tree.Folder>
      </Tree.Folder>
    </Tree.Folder>
  </Tree>
</Card>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Best practices" icon="lightbulb" href="./best-practices">
    Review some best practices for modeling content in your ButterCMS dashboard
  </Card>

  <Card icon="book-open-cover" href="../../build-your-app/how-to-recipes/build/building-a-blog-blog-engine" title="How-to recipes">
    Get a cookbook of how to model some of the most common use-cases in your app
  </Card>
</CardGroup>