How to add a new CMS item

Q: I added a new item but it's not showing on the live site.

Check how you published it: (1) Publish now puts it live straight away. (2) Queue for next site publish means it goes live only when the whole site is next published. (3) Schedule to publish later means it goes live at the date and time you set. A draft is never published. If it's published and you still can't see it, try clearing your browser cache.

Adding new content to your Webflow site (like a blog post, a new team member, or a case study) is done through the CMS. This guide walks you through the process from start to finish.

What you'll need

Your site open in Webflow
All the content you want to include (text, images, links)
Images uploaded or ready to upload

Open your site in Webflow. Log in to Webflow, hover over your site on the Dashboard, and click Open in Webflow. Or add ?update to the end of any page address on your live site.

Open the CMS panel. Click the CMS tab in the top bar.

Select the correct Collection. Click the Collection you want to add to, for example, "Blog Posts" or "Team Members."

Click the "New [item name]" button (for example, New Blog Post). This opens a blank item with all the fields for that Collection.

Fill in the fields. Start with the name, then work through each field:

Name / Title: the main title of the item (e.g., your blog post title)
Slug: the URL-friendly version of the title (Webflow fills this in from the name you first give the item)
Body / Content: the main written content
Featured Image: upload your image here
Any other custom fields: such as author, tags, date, category, etc.

Click Create draft. This saves the item as a draft. From then on, Webflow saves your changes automatically, so you can keep adding content now or finish later.

Publish the item when it's ready. Click Publish now to put it live straight away. Or open the publish options and choose Queue for next site publish (it goes live the next time the whole site is published) or Schedule to publish later. Publish now and scheduling aren't available on the Starter or Basic plans.

The slug: your item's URL

Every CMS item has a slug: the part of the URL that identifies this specific item. For a blog post titled "5 Tips for Better Branding," the slug would typically be 5-tips-for-better-branding, making the full URL something like yoursite.com/blog/5-tips-for-better-branding.

Webflow generates the slug from the item's name. You can edit it, but:

Use only lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens (no spaces or special characters)
Keep it short and descriptive
Once published, don't change the slug. It changes the item's web address, so existing links to it stop working unless a redirect is set up. Ask us first.

Tips for writing blog posts

Lead with your main point. Readers skim: put the most important information first.
Use headings to break up the text. Use H2 for main sections, H3 for subsections.
Keep paragraphs short3 to 4 sentences maximum.
Add a featured image if your blog layout uses one.
Check your SEO fieldsIf your blog Collection has separate Meta Title and Meta Description fields, fill these in for every post.

Saving a draft to finish later

If you're not ready to publish, click Create draft and don't publish the item yet. It stays in the CMS but won't appear on the live site, even when someone publishes the whole site. Come back to it any time through the CMS panel.

Common questions

I added a new item but it's not showing on the live site.

Check how you published it: (1) Publish now puts it live straight away. (2) Queue for next site publish means it goes live only when the whole site is next published. (3) Schedule to publish later means it goes live at the date and time you set. A draft is never published. If it's published and you still can't see it, try clearing your browser cache.

The slug was auto-generated but it looks wrong. Can I change it?

Yes. Edit the slug before you publish the item for the first time. Once the item is live and people have linked to it, avoid changing the slug.

I need a field that isn't in the form, like a video embed or a second image.

Fields are configured by Chykalophia. If you need a new field added to your Collection, contact us and we'll add it.

How many items can I add?

It depends on your site's Webflow plan. The free Starter plan allows 50 CMS items, the Basic plan doesn't include the CMS, and the Premium plan includes 20,000. Ecommerce plans have their own limits. Check webflow.com/pricing for current limits, or ask us.

How to add a new CMS item

What you'll need