Content organization

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Content organization

    Effective content organization is crucial when building a CMS website in ServiceNow. It involves listing and logically grouping all content to be included, which helps create an intuitive, easy-to-navigate site. Content for CMS sites typically comes from two sources: CMS-specific content such as pages, images, and menus, and system information like knowledge base articles and catalog items.

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    Content Planning and Grouping

    Begin by listing all content types you want to host, such as help pages, My Requests, My Approvals, and specific catalog items. Group pages logically to define the menu structure, establishing a home page and referencing it in child pages. Grouping can be based on audience (for example, End User Page, IT Professional Page) or site purpose (such as Reporting Page, Knowledge Page).

    Use existing data hierarchies from other ServiceNow applications—like categories and subcategories in the catalog and knowledge base—to organize content and improve search results with filtered lists.

    Collaboration and Long-term Maintenance

    Since CMS content often relies on data from other ServiceNow applications, coordinate with administrators of those applications (knowledge base, service catalog, business service portfolio) to ensure appropriate data presentation on CMS pages. For example, aligning naming conventions with the corporate knowledge base team can enhance consistency and usability.

    Branding Considerations

    Incorporate organizational branding elements to maintain design consistency across the site. Work with your marketing department to apply logos, color palettes, tag lines, trademarked elements, and graphics to your CMS pages.

    Site Design Elements

    Plan for a consistent look and feel by defining core web design features such as page templates, navigation schemes, headers, breadcrumbs, footers, and forms. These elements contribute to a cohesive user experience across the site.

    ServiceNow Features Integration

    Analyze and organize relevant ServiceNow features in your instance that you intend to use with CMS pages. Key features to consider include account settings, email, workflow approvals, and filters. Proper integration of these features enhances site functionality and user interaction.

    Before you begin to build the CMS website, list all the content that you want to include and take the time to organize it.

    A site created in CMS relies on two different types of content.

    • CMS site information, such as site pages, images, and menus
    • System information, such as knowledge base articles and catalog items

    CMS content

    Begin by listing all the content you want to host on the CMS pages. Examples include help pages, My Requests, My Approvals, and specific catalog items. Think about current solutions that you can implement immediately, and note ideas for future implementation phases.

    Within CMS, you group pages to define the top-down menu structure. You establish a home or starting page, and other pages in the site reference the home page in the Parent Page reference field.

    There are several ways to group, such as by audience or the purpose of the website. After listing the content to host, group it logically and identify a common name for each group, as shown in the following examples.

    Table 1. IT environment groups
    Content built for Common name
    End user End User Page
    IT professional IT Professional Page
    Table 2. General groups
    Purpose of site Common name
    Reports Reporting Page
    Help and knowledge Knowledge page

    System content

    Organize the content so the interface is easy to navigate and understandable to the user. Determine the organization based on the data that you are leveraging, both in the CMS (using sites, parent pages, pages, and navigational menus) and throughout the rest of the system. For example, within the catalog you have "category," and in the knowledge base you have "category" and "subcategory." You can use these hierarchies with filtered lists for good search results.

    Organizing CMS content logically is important for long-term maintenance of the site, however, the data typically comes from other ServiceNow applications. Communicate with the administrators for these applications, such as the knowledge base, service catalog, and business service portfolio. Work with them to offer the application data appropriately through the CMS pages you create. For example, the team that created the ServiceNow corporate website in CMS began by evaluating the naming conventions used in the corporate knowledge base.

    Branding elements

    Branding refers to the logo, name, colors, and symbols that identify an organization. It imposes consistency in design and use of terms. Your marketing department defines branding elements and can provide them to you as you plan your CMS pages. Consider how to incorporate the following branding elements.
    • Logos
    • Color palette
    • Tag line
    • Trademarked elements
    • Graphics

    Site design

    During planning, consider providing a core set of features with a standard appearance throughout the site. The following web design elements are often used to create a consistent look.

    • Page templates
    • Navigation schemes
    • Header
    • Breadcrumbs
    • Footer
    • Forms

    ServiceNow features

    Analyze and organize the following ServiceNow features in your instance if you plan on using any of them with CMS pages.

    • Account settings
    • Email
    • Workflow approvals
    • Filters