Choosing a content type
Considerations for selecting a content type (aka, template) for your content.
As an author or editor at Mass.gov, you have the option to choose from an array of content types. These were built with consistency and visitor experience in mind, to ensure constituents can easily find the information they need in a predictable way.
But if you’re about to draft a page, you might not know which content type is best for you.
One way to think about the content types is how they compare in terms of providing a format for displaying informational vs. navigational (more links than text-focused) content, and in terms of how structured vs. flexible the templates are. We've developed a chart to further illustrate this.
The table below also can help you identify what content types best fit your content. If you’re still unsure, reach out to the Mass.gov Digital team for help.
| Content type | Purpose | Special notes |
|---|---|---|
Important, time-sensitive information for agencies and organizations, such as an office being closed. | ||
Important, time-sensitive information for the state level, such as health emergencies or weather events | Restricted access only for designated authors. | |
Ties related pages together to help people find content. | ||
A block of information you can add across your pages to help constituents contact you or your organization. | ||
Creating a page of one or more lists. Two kinds of lists: People and contacts (directories) and links/documents. | ||
Walk people through choices of a complicated process to help them reach a conclusion. | In beta, ongoing development. | |
Public events, such as meetings or hearings. | ||
Tag and display external links so they can appear in Collections and the state’s open data listing view. | Unique content type mainly used for Collections. | |
Fees, usually attached to a how-to page related to a service from an organization. | ||
Interactive forms for people to fill out online and send electronically. | Separate Formstack tool is used to create the forms that display on Form pages. To get a Formstack account, submit a ServiceNow support request. | |
Overview of a complicated process or service, especially if it involves multiple steps or organizations. | New features no longer being developed for this content type, so consider Info Details or Service page content types instead. | |
Help people complete a task in a certain order. Pay, apply, request, register, etc. | ||
Flexible layout for informational pages. You can display images, Tableau data visualizations, etc. easier in info details. | ||
Includes advisories, decisions, executive orders, regulations, and rules of court. | Limited use. | |
Provides a map and address to help people find your office. | ||
Allows you to add information that doesn’t fit on a Locations page, including facility info, regulations, accessibility information, etc. | ||
News articles, press releases, speeches, and blogs. | ||
Highlight information about your organization’s services, leadership, news, events, contact information, and more. | Offers organization-specific navigation options. | |
Elected officials, board members, or state employees affiliated with the state. | Can include name, photograph, organization, role, and biographical information. | |
Supports marketing or educational efforts; intended to be published for a short period of time. | You can request friendly URLs for Promo pages via ServiceNow. | |
A hub for information and transactions that make up a program or service. A flexible landing page template with many options. | Best used to lead users to more specific actionable or informational pages; little space for text. | |
Key navigation hubs for the site to help people find broader or more detailed information under a category. | Can only be created by Mass Digital; non-Mass Digital authors can edit some, but not all elements of the page. | |
Other Knowledge Base resources that can help with choosing a content type:
A table that shows various options available for creating lists of links
A table showing which components are available on certain content types.
Examples of Promotional, Organization, and Service pages you can model.
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