When you click Create > Content in the sidebar, you are presented with several different "Content Types." In Drupal, a Content Type is simply a pre-defined template designed for a specific kind of information.
Choosing the right Content Type is the first step to building a great page. It ensures your content is presented effectively and remains visually consistent across the university's website.
Here is a guide to the Content Types you will use and when to use them.
Basic Page
Best for: Standard, text-heavy informational pages.
Examples: University policies, standard procedures, simple academic program descriptions, or an "About Us" page.
A Basic Page provides a traditional, single-column text editor (similar to Microsoft Word). This is your go-to option when your primary goal is simply to get information onto the page without needing complex, multi-column layouts.
Features: You can easily add headings, format text (bold/italics), create lists, and build tables.
Enhancements: To make a Basic Page more engaging, you can embed "Microcontent" (like an Accordion for FAQs or a Promo block) directly into the text editor.
Landing Page
Best for: The main "homepage" or front page of your department's website.
The biggest difference between a Basic Page and a Landing Page is the Hero section. A Landing Page is uniquely designed to feature a large, visually striking full-width image at the very top of the page. Within this Hero section, you can include a bold tagline, a short description, and a call-to-action button to immediately engage your visitors.
Layout: To keep your main message clear and focused, Landing Pages utilize a streamlined, single-column design. Below the Hero image, you can stack your content and microcontent block by block.
When to use: Typically, you will only use the Landing Page content type once: for the absolute front page of your site.
Sub Landing Pages If your department has a very large website with distinct, major sections (for example, a large dedicated section just for "Alumni" or "Undergraduate Programs"), you can use a Sub Landing Page. This acts as a secondary homepage to organize content within that specific subsection, inheriting the same visual flexibility as your main Landing Page.
News
Best for: Announcements, press releases, or department updates.
News items are dedicated pieces of content used to share timely information with your audience.
The News Article Page: When you create a News item, Drupal automatically generates a dedicated, standalone web page just for that article. This page can hold the full story, images, and embedded media, and it has its own unique URL that you can share in emails or on social media.
How they are displayed (Feeds): In addition to creating the full article page, the system automatically gathers "teaser" versions of your News items and displays them in two ways:
On a Listing Page - News (creating a continuous, dynamic feed of articles).
Inside an Automatic List (a piece of microcontent you can drop onto a Landing Page to show "Recent News").
Contacts
Best for: Creating staff directories, highlighting team members, or assigning an owner to a page.
The Contact content type is used to build profiles for the people in your department. Each profile can include an image, job title, email address, a phone number, a biography, and more (all optional).
The Contact Profile Page: Every Contact you create gets its own dedicated profile page. If you choose to add detailed biographical information, office hours, or a list of publications, users will see it all laid out beautifully on this specific page.
How they are displayed (Directories): Similar to News, the website does the heavy lifting to display smaller versions of these profiles ("contact cards") where needed:
On a Listing Page - Contacts to create a full, searchable staff directory (see Listing Pages section below).
Inside an Automatic List microcontent block to display a specific subset of people (like an "Admissions Team" list) on another page.
Appended to the bottom of a Basic Page to share a specific contact person for that page's subject matter.
Placed in your website's Footer so their contact information appears globally across your whole site.
Listing Pages (News & Contacts)
Best for: Automatically displaying dynamic feeds of information.
Examples: A directory page or a news feed.
Listing pages are special because you don't build them by typing text; instead, they automatically gather and display other pieces of content you have created. Note that Listing Pages do not allow for text to be added above the feed. If you would like more flexibility, use a Basic Page in conjunction with the Automatic List microcontent.
Listing Page – News: A dynamic page that automatically displays a feed of your News Articles. Use this if your department regularly publishes updates, announcements, or stories.
Listing Page – Contacts: A structured directory page. It displays a list of individual contact profiles (like faculty or staff listings) and allows users to filter and sort to find the right person quickly.
Microcontent (The Building Blocks)
Best for: Highlighting key messages, organizing complex information, or creating calls-to-action.
Microcontent refers to small, reusable content components (like an Accordion, a Link Collection, or a Statistics block). You do not view microcontent on its own page; instead, you build these small pieces and then embed them into your Basic Pages or Landing Pages to enhance user engagement.
Because they are reusable, you can create a single piece of microcontent (like an Accreditation badge) and place it on multiple different pages.
Next Steps
Learn more about Microcontent Types in Drupal