Guide to Zenario CMS content types
Zenario offers a comprehensive range of content types designed to handle any type of website content, from simple pages to complex multimedia experiences.
Each content type comes with specialised features, fields, and management capabilities tailored to specific use cases.
Core content types
These essential content types are available in all Zenario editions and form the foundation of most websites:
HTML Pages
The foundation content type for standard web pages, ideal for static content, landing pages, and general information pages.
Key features:
- Full WYSIWYG editor with rich formatting options
- SEO-friendly with customisable meta descriptions
- Menu integration and hierarchical organisation
- Multilingual support with translation chains
- Access control and password protection
- Draft/published workflow with scheduled publishing
Best For: Home pages, about pages, service descriptions, contact pages, privacy policies, and general website content.
News articles
Purpose: Time-sensitive content with automatic release date management, perfect for press releases, announcements, and news updates.
Key features:
- Automatic release date setting with archive functionality
- Category-based organization and filtering
- Writer attribution and bylines
- RSS feed generation
- Archive pages with date-based browsing
- Featured article promotion
- Search engine optimized for news content
Best For: Press releases, company announcements, industry news, updates, and time-sensitive communications.
Blog posts
Purpose: Editorial content with author attribution and chronological organisation, designed for thought leadership and regular publishing.
Key features:
- Author profiles with biographical information
- Comment system integration (when enabled)
- Tag-based categorization
- Social media sharing integration
- Related posts suggestions
- Archive browsing by date and author
- RSS feed support
Best for: Corporate blogs, thought leadership articles, tutorials, opinion pieces, and regular content marketing.
Document content items
Purpose: File-based content for downloadable resources with metadata management and access control.
Key features:
- Multiple file format support (PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and others)
- Automatic thumbnail generation
- Full-text search indexing
- Download tracking and analytics
- Access permissions and user group restrictions
- Version control and update notifications
- Metadata extraction and cataloging
Best for: Reports, white papers, manuals, forms, presentations, and downloadable resources.
Audio files
Purpose: Audio content with built-in player functionality for podcasts, music, and audio resources.
Key features:
- Built-in HTML5 audio player
- MP3 format support with automatic conversion
- Playlist creation and management
- Duration and file size display
- Download controls and streaming options
- Transcript support for accessibility
- Mobile-responsive playback
Best for: Podcasts, audio tutorials, music samples, conference recordings, and educational audio content.
Events
Purpose: Time and location-based content with calendar integration and event management features.
Key features:
- Start and end date/time management
- Location integration with mapping
- Calendar view and export (iCal)
- Registration and RSVP functionality
- Recurring event support
- Capacity management and waiting lists
- Email notifications and reminders
Best for: Conferences, workshops, webinars, meetings, social events, and training sessions.
Specialised content types
Advanced content types for specific industries and use cases, available through specialized modules:
Testimonials
Purpose: Customer feedback and testimonials with structured attribution and display options.
Key features:
- Customer attribution with photos and titles
- Star rating system integration
- Quote formatting and styling
- Industry and service categorization
- Approval workflow for quality control
- Carousel and grid display options
Best for: Customer reviews, case study quotes, service testimonials, and social proof content.
Job vacancies
Purpose: Structured job postings with application management and automated expiry handling.
Key features:
- Structured job information (salary, location, type)
- Application deadline management
- Remote/hybrid/on-site classification
- Automated expiry and removal
- Integration with application forms
- Department and category filtering
- SEO-optimized job posting format
Best for: HR departments, recruitment agencies, job boards, and career pages.
Case studies
Purpose: Detailed project examples with before/after scenarios and outcome documentation.
Key features:
- Challenge/solution/outcome structure
- Client attribution and logos
- Before/after image galleries
- Results and metrics display
- Industry and service tagging
- PDF download generation
Best For: Marketing agencies, consultants, service providers, and portfolio showcases.
Project descriptions
Purpose: Portfolio items and project descriptions with location and timeline management.
Key features:
- Project descriptions
- Location mapping and geographic display
- Image galleries and documentation
- Client and team attribution
- Status tracking and progress updates
- Portfolio categorization
Best for: Software service businesses, architecture firms, construction companies, creative agencies, and project-based businesses.
Choosing the right content type
Content type selection guide
For static information
Choose HTML Pages for company information, service descriptions, policies, and evergreen content that doesn't change frequently.
For time-sensitive content
Choose News for announcements and press releases, or Blog for editorial content and thought leadership articles.
For downloadable resources
Choose Documents for PDFs, reports, files and policy documents requiring version control.
For multimedia content
Choose Audio for podcasts and audio content, or Events for time and location-based content.
For Marketing Content
Choose Testimonials for customer feedback, Case Studies for detailed project examples, or Projects for portfolio items.
For HR and Recruitment
Choose Job Vacancies for recruitment needs with built-in application management and automated expiry.
Technical Considerations
- Edition Requirements: Some content types require Pro, ProBusiness, or Enterprise editions
- Module Dependencies: Specialized content types may require additional modules
- Storage Requirements: Media content types require appropriate server storage and bandwidth
- User Permissions: Consider content creation and management permissions for different user roles
- SEO Impact: Each content type has optimized URL structures and metadata handling
Universal Content Management Features
All Zenario content types share these powerful content management capabilities:
- Multilingual support: Translation chains and language variants
- Publishing workflow: Draft, published, published-unlinked, scheduled-to-publish, and scheduled states
- Version history: Content change tracking and rollback capabilities
- Access control: All content items can be public, or can have access control for extranet sites, with group or smart group permissions
- SEO optimisation: Meta descriptions, friendly URLs, and search engine friendly markup
- Menu integration: Hierarchical navigation and breadcrumb support
- Search integration: Full-text search with relevance ranking
- Category management: Flexible taxonomies and tagging systems
- Mobile-friendly/responsive: Optimised display across all devices
- Analytics Integration: Built-in tracking and third-party analytics support
Getting Started with Zenario Content Types
Zenario's flexible content type system allows you to create exactly the right structure for your content needs.
Start with the core content types and add specialised types as your requirements grow. Each content type can be customised with additional fields, custom layouts, and integration with other site features.
For more information about implementing and customising content types in Zenario, visit the official Zenario documentation.
