--- title: "Content Modeling" description: "This article explains what content modeling is." category: "concepts" audience: developers lastUpdated: "2026-03-20T12:51:51.000Z" --- # What is content modeling? Content modeling is the process of converting page designs into structured fields. For example, a blog has authors and posts. They are modeled using smaller pieces of content, like an author's photo and a post's title. A developer determines the kinds of content authors and posts contain through the process of content modeling. Prismic provides four main structures to model your content: fields, page types, slices, and custom types. # Fields Fields hold small pieces of website content, like text, images, and links. They are used to model larger pieces of content, like [page types](#page-types), [slices](#slices), and [custom types](#custom-types). > For a list of available fields and how to use them, see the [Fields](https://prismic.io/docs/fields.md) page. # Page types Page types represent the pages in your website. For example, homepages, landing pages, and blog posts are modeled using page types. A page type is designed around [slices](#slices), which are individual sections of a page made up of fields. A page type can use any number of slices or fields to model its content. A page type includes search engine optimization (SEO) and [unique identifier](https://prismic.io/docs/fields/uid.md) (UID) fields by default. ## How to create a page type > **Important** > > New repositories have access to the **Type Builder**, our new cloud-based content modeling interface that replaces Slice Machine. [Learn more →](https://prismic.io/docs/type-builder.md) 1. **Open Slice Machine** In your Prismic project, start Slice Machine to begin editing content models. ```sh npx start-slicemachine --open ``` 2. **Create a page type** In Slice Machine, navigate to the **Page types** settings using the sidebar. Click the **Create** button in the top-right corner. In the modal that appears, choose **Reusable type** or **Single type** depending on the type of page you are modeling: * **Reusable type**: There is no limit to how many pages of this type can be published. For example, a product or generic page. * **Single type**: Only one page of this type can be published. For example, a homepage. The **page type name** determines the label shown to content writers in the [Page Builder](https://prismic.io/docs/guides/page-builder.md). Use an easily understood name. The **page type ID** determines the ID used to reference the page type in the Content API. Use a short, snake-cased name. 3. **Add slices** In the **slices** section, add a [slice](https://prismic.io/docs/slices.md) by clicking the **Add** button. From the menu, you can create a new slice or add one of the built-in templates. You can also add an existing slice if you already have one modeled. > Learn how to [create slices](https://prismic.io/docs/slices.md#how-to-create-a-slice) in the slices guide. 4. **(Optional) Add fields** If you have content that shouldn't be modeled as a slice, add fields to the **static zone**. Fields in the static zone appear at the top of a page in the [Page Builder](https://prismic.io/docs/guides/page-builder.md). 5. **Push to Prismic** When your page type is ready for content writers, push it to your Prismic repository. Click **Review changes** in the sidebar. Then, if the changes look correct, click the **Push** button in the top-right corner. The Page Builder will now recognize your page type. 6. **Create a page file** Slice Machine provides a code snippet to bootstrap your website's page files. The snippet contains everything needed to query and display a page's content from Prismic. Open the page type in Slice Machine and click the **Page snippet** button in the top-right corner. Follow the instructions in the page snippet modal. Pages published in Prismic will now appear in your website. # Slices Slices are sections of a page — like a block of text, a hero, or a call to action. They are modeled using a collection of [fields](#fields). Content writers build pages using a stack of slices. Developers have control over which slices are available to content writers. For example, a homepage might allow a **Hero** slice, while a blog post might allow a **Quote** slice. When needed, slices can be made available to multiple page types. > To learn more about slices, see the [Slices](https://prismic.io/docs/slices.md) page. ## How to create a slice Learn how to create slices in the [Slices](https://prismic.io/docs/slices.md#how-to-create-a-slice) page. # Custom types Custom types represent content that isn't a page. For example, website settings, navigation menus, and blog categories are modeled using custom types. Pages can reference and display content from custom types as needed. A custom type is modeled using a collection of [fields](#fields). ## How to create a custom type 1. **Open Slice Machine** In your Prismic project, start Slice Machine to begin editing content models. ```sh npx start-slicemachine --open ``` 2. **Create a custom type** In Slice Machine, navigate to the **Custom types** settings using the sidebar. Click the **Create** button in the top-right corner. In the modal that appears, choose **Reusable type** or **Single type** depending on the type of content you are modeling: * **Reusable type**: There is no limit to how many pages of this type can be published. For example, a category or tag. * **Single type**: Only one page of this type can be published. For example, website settings or a navigation menu. The **custom type name** determines the label shown to content writers in the [Page Builder](https://prismic.io/docs/guides/page-builder.md). Use an easily understood name. The **custom type ID** determines the ID used to reference the custom type in the Content API. Use a short, snake-cased name. 3. **Add fields** Add **fields** to the static zone as needed. 4. **(Optional) Add slices** > **Important** > > Slices are intended for [page types](#page-types) and should be avoided in custom types. In the **slices** section, enable slices by clicking the toggle. Add a slice by clicking the **Add** button. From the menu, you can create a new slice or add one of the built-in templates. You can also add an existing slice if you already have one modeled. > Learn how to [create slices](https://prismic.io/docs/slices.md#how-to-create-a-slice) in the slices guide. 5. **Push to Prismic** When your custom type is ready for content writers, push it to your Prismic repository. Click **Review changes** in the sidebar. Then, if the changes look correct, click the **Push** button in the top-right corner. The Page Builder will now recognize your custom type. # Impact of pushing changes Here's what happens when you modify a content model's [fields](#fields) and push to production: * **Adding a field**: The new field appears with an empty default value. * **Removing a field**: The field no longer appears. * **Renaming a field**: If the API ID is changed, existing content is not transferred. The renamed field appears with an empty default value. If you need to rename a field, we recommend updating the field's label while keeping its API ID. The field's existing content will be retained and content writers will see the new label. > The [Content API](https://prismic.io/docs/fetch-content.md) will not reflect the content model changes until at least one page is published or archived. # Recommended models We recommend adding the following content models to most websites. ## Create a homepage type Managing homepage content is best done with a dedicated **Homepage** page type. Using a **Homepage** page type has the following benefits: * Content writers can only create one homepage in the Page Builder. * You can create slices that are only available on the homepage. * Fetching content is simple using `@prismicio/client`'s [`getSingle()`](https://prismic.io/docs/technical-reference/prismicio-client/v7.md#clientgetsingle) method. 1. **Create a page type** In Slice Machine, create a new page type by following the [page type guide](#how-to-create-a-page-type). Use the following page type settings: * **Type**: Single * **Name**: Homepage * **ID**: `homepage` 2. **Create a page file** Slice Machine provides a code snippet to bootstrap your website's page files. The snippet contains everything needed to query and display a page's content from Prismic. Open the page type in Slice Machine and click the **Page snippet** button in the top-right corner. Follow the instructions in the page snippet modal. Add the files in your project such that the page is served at `/`. 3. **Add a route resolver** Prismic needs to know your website's routes to fill in link URLs. Add the following [route resolver](https://prismic.io/docs/route-resolver.md) to your project: ```json { "type": "homepage", "path": "/" } ``` > Learn how to add route resolvers in the [Next.js](https://prismic.io/docs/nextjs.md#define-routes), [Nuxt](https://prismic.io/docs/nuxt.md#create-slices), or [SvelteKit](https://prismic.io/docs/sveltekit.md#create-slices) guide. ## Create a reusable page type Managing general page content is best done with a repeatable **Page** page type. Using a **Page** page type has the following benefits: * Content writers can create unlimited pages in the Page Builder. * You can create slices that can be used in any page. * Fetching content is simple using `@prismicio/client`'s [`getByUID()`](https://prismic.io/docs/technical-reference/prismicio-client/v7.md#getbyuid) method. 1. **Create a page type** In Slice Machine, create a new page type by following the [page type guide](#how-to-create-a-page-type). Use the following page type settings: * **Type**: Repeatable * **Name**: Page * **ID**: `page` 2. **Create a page file** Slice Machine provides a code snippet to bootstrap your Next.js page files. The snippet contains everything needed to query and display a page's content from Prismic. Open the page type in Slice Machine and click the **Page snippet** button in the top-right corner. Follow the instructions in the page snippet modal. 3. **Add a route resolver** Prismic needs to know your website's routes to fill in link URLs. Add the following [route resolver](https://prismic.io/docs/route-resolver.md) to your project: ```json { "type": "page", "path": "/:uid" } ``` > Learn how to add route resolvers in the [Next.js](https://prismic.io/docs/nextjs.md#define-routes), [Nuxt](https://prismic.io/docs/nuxt.md#create-slices), or [SvelteKit](https://prismic.io/docs/sveltekit.md#create-slices) guide.