How to Create and Edit a Basic Page
Basic Page At a Glance
What is It?: A Basic Page highlights informational content, often long-form text. Most pages on your website will be basic pages.
Required Fields: Title, Summary, Body
Optional Fields: Short Title, Featured Image, Table of Contents, Last Updated Date
On this page
How to create a Basic Page
Watch: How-to create a Basic Page
See how to create a Basic Page on your website.
Step 1: Open the Create Menu
Select Basic Page from the Create menu on the far left side of the screen.
Step 2: Name your page
Enter a page title in the Title field.
The page title will show at the top of every page and in breadcrumbs.
Tips:
- Use 75 characters or less.
- Be clear, concise, and descriptive.
- Choose a name that accurately describes the content that will go on the page.
- Speak the language of your target audience, not of your agency team. Avoid jargon and insider terminology.
Step 3: Add a page summary
Enter a short description of the page in the Summary field.
The Summary (also called a meta description) provides a short description of the page for search results, social media, or assistive technology. The Summary does not appear on the page.
Tips:
- Be direct and concise.
- Describe what visitors will find on the page.
- Use the format action + topic + organization. Examples:
- Explore canoeing, kayaking, and paddle sports at parks and lakes around Maryland from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
- Learn more about deer hunting season and education in Maryland from the Maryland DNR.
Step 4: Add the page to the menu
All pages other than the homepage should be in the menu. To add a page to the menu:
- Check the Provide a menu link checkbox on the right side under “Menu settings”.
- Choose a parent link from the Parent link dropdown menu. For more information, read how to add a parent link.
- Tip: Do not use the “Weight” field.
Step 5: Add content
Add page content to the Body field.
Watch: How to add a Component to a Basic Page
See how to add a Page Component to a Basic Page on your website.
Step 6: Save as a draft or save and publish
Click the Save button at the bottom of the screen.
If you want to publish the page, select “Published” in the Save As dropdown menu. Then click the Save button.
Tips:
- When a page is published, anyone that has the page URL can see the page content.
- Pages that are not published can only be seen by people who are logged into Drupal CMS.
How to edit a Basic Page
Step 1: Find your page
Watch: How to find content
See how to use the Content page to find Pages and Page Components.
Method 1: From the Content menu
Select Content from the Drupal menu on the far left side of the screen.
Find your page in the list of pages and components. Use the search and filter if needed.
Click the Edit button.
Method 2: From the page itself
If you are viewing the page you would like to edit, click the Edit button in the upper right corner of the screen.
Step 2: Edit basic information
After clicking the Edit button, you can change basic information like the Title or Featured Image.
Step 3: Add page content
Add all other page content using the Body field, which is the Text Editor page component.
Step 4: Save your changes
Click the Save button at the bottom of the screen.
Get support
Ask questions about the Maryland Drupal CMS, Maryland Web Design System (MDWDS), accessibility, plain language, and more.