Page builder readiness

Context

Page builder is the main authoring interface that offers a wide range of editing and design functionalities for building web pages in SitecoreAI. Authors still relying on Experience Editor should switch over to benefit from the latest capabilities and features that come with Page builder, while also improving their authoring flow to ensure long-term editorial efficiency.

Execution

Page builder provides modern capabilities such as embedded field support, metadata mode, and streamlined inline editing, making it a more efficient and sustainable tool for content authors. Implementation of templates and components need to be aligned to a Page builder first authoring approach.

The main editing views are:

Tool	Role	Primary Audience	Benefits
Page builder Editor mode	WYSIWYG editing, layout control, content placement	Authors, Marketers	True inline editing with visual context Modern interface with fewer legacy limitations Improved governance and authoring consistency
Page builder Content mode	Content editing independent of presentation	Authors, Marketers	Access to content items across sites Versioning and publish control Edit fields and content not exposed in Page builder Editor
Content Editor	Development and fallback configuration	Developers, Admins	Retained only for advanced configuration and system setup Reduced risk of authors accidentally misconfiguring content
Forms	Form management	Authors, Developers	Dedicated space for form creation and editing Separation of structured form logic from general page editing

Key Benefits

Using Page builder opens a list of features that are only available through this editing view:

Feature	Primary Audience	Benefits
Marketplace Custom Fields	Developers, Marketeers, Authors	Developers can now create tailored UI components and rendering parameters using Marketplace apps, enabling flexible, business-specific editing experiences.
Enhanced Editing Experience	Authors, Marketeers	The floating right-hand panel supports advanced inline editing, configurable toolbars, and optimization flows for text fields. Direct content item editing without leaving the page. Authors can reorder, move, and manage components directly in the canvas for faster, more intuitive editing. Edit page and content item fields within the page builder Drag and drop website builder with SitecoreAI
Layers	Authors, Marketeers	A powerful new feature that brings structure, clarity, and flexibility to page composition. Layers allow editors to visualize and interact with the structural hierarchy of a page or component.
Integrated Personalization & A/B/n Testing	Authors, Marketeers	Set up, manage, and analyze personalization and experiments directly from the canvas, with analytics built into the workflow.
Content publishing visibility and availability status	Authors, Marketeers	Understanding your content status makes it easier for you to identify when content is published and live, see upcoming scheduled changes, and understand how visibility rules affect the live experience. Visibility rules are applied consistently across Page builder, so you can understand the current state of your content without switching context.
Developer Experience	Developers	The Content SDK is officially released and stable for SitecoreAI. It replaces JSS with a cloud-native, scalable foundation that simplifies development and improves performance. Combined with Local Editing Host and optimized architecture, developers can build enterprise-grade pages faster with a lightweight front-end builder and optimized architecture.

Change Management

Successful adoption of any authoring editor requires alignment, training, and governance, which requires preparation of stakeholders and authors.

Activity	Description
Stakeholder alignment	Communicate Page builder strategy to content authors, developers, and leadership Ensure authors, devs, and leadership understand Page builder and the differences with their old authoring platform.
Technical Readiness	Validate custom fields, metadata, workflows. Align components and templates with Page builder standards - see Insights for further information.
Inventory review	Identify authoring view dependent components and templates. Focus on those with edit frames, inline editing, or custom configurations.
Author training	Upskill authors on Page builder, versioning, embedded field editing, metadata editing.
Documentation updates	Make sure all documentation is aligned with Page builder compatible guidance. Update internal QA and release checklists.
Governance rollout	Embed Page builder as the only supported authoring path in governance and onboarding.

Readiness

Page builder has key best practices on how to setup components, workflows, and security roles. The following need to be considered to ensure a smooth technical transition to provide a full authoring experience.

Area	Validation Task
Custom Fields	Custom fields must be validated and moved to the new custom fields where necessary to ensure they are compatible with Page builder. The SitecoreAI Page builder custom field extension point allow developers to extend authoring capabilities in a way that feels native to Page builder, giving authors flexibility while maintaining governance. Ensuring compatibility now prevents broken components and guarantees a consistent editing experience.
Edit Frames	Legacy edit frames from authoring views such as Experience Editor do not function within Page builder and must be refactored. The approach requires exposing fields directly through Page builder compatible bindings. This ensures authors can make inline changes without relying on outdated mechanisms.
Rich Text Fields	The new Rich Text Editor (RTE) in Page builder should be enabled and configured to support internal links, media embedding, and formatting standards. Proper setup ensures authors can create rich, connected content without falling back to legacy editing paths.
Metadata Mode	Metadata Mode is a modern editor integration strategy for Next.js applications that allows Page builder to visually edit content by using metadata delivered via the layout service. Because only essential metadata is sent initially, page load times in editor mode are faster compared to chromes mode. With this method of editor integration, if you want to test components without affecting published sites or other users on the same environment, you can connect your local host directly to Page builder.
Context Editing	Page builder introduces context-aware editing, where content visibility and rendering may depend on page context (for example, different promos by region or personalization rules). Validation should ensure authors can preview and adjust content under these contextual conditions. Testing this functionality is critical to avoid content gaps or mismatches when pages go live.
Security Roles	Security must be reviewed to confirm that authors have appropriate access to Page builder. This enforces Page builder first governance, prevents accidental reliance on deprecated tools, and ensures a consistent authoring experience across teams.
Workflow in Page builder	Page builder supports workflow and authors should be trained to use workflow indicators in Page builder. Page builder Content mode also provides a workflow view, which can be used for detailed workflow management. Providing documentation or tooling to surface workflow status within Page builder reduces confusion and keeps authors focused in the supported environment.
Complex Components	Components such as accordions, carousels, and tabbed interfaces require additional review for Page builder. Fields should be exposed in a way that makes them intuitive and manageable for authors, without overwhelming them with low-level configuration options. This refactoring improves the usability of complex components, ensuring they remain flexible but author-friendly in the Page builder interface, include the use of Placeholders.
Forms	Form authoring remains separate from Page builder and continues to be managed through Forms. Authors and developers should be reminded that while Page builder handles content and layout, Forms are a standalone tool. Maintaining this separation ensures that form creation remains structured and reduces the risk of introducing unnecessary complexity into Page builder.

Insights

With some implementations still using Experience Editor as their main editor screen, it's recommended that a migration to Page builder is planned to benefit from the latest capabilities and features that come with Page builder.

Setup readiness checklist

The following setup checklists, covers commong pain points, mostly authring, that needs to be covered to make sure your Pages setup is correct.

Topic	Feedback
Content SDK	The Content SDK enables developers to integrate SitecoreAI content with their front-end JavaScript applications. Chromes integration necessary to integrate with Experience Editor has been removed from Content SDK, resulting in further code optimizations. Upgrade guides are available.
Datasource Explorer UX	Authors will find a change in finding items in datasource picker. Use datasource templates + locations (e.g. Promo Folder) to scope explorer Avoid reliance on icons/names Page builder filters based on template compatibility Improved content item search in the Page builder and more
Naming Conventions	Authors might be unsure which content maps to which component. Proper folder+template usage removes need for naming-based matching.
Icons Are Repetitive	The reliance of icons have been limited, with a better approach to use folder templates with expanders to differentiate visually.
Legacy Folder Cleanup	Inherited folder structures cause confusion - migrate content to structured templates; align folders with new IA.
Edit Visibility	Changes require preview or save to show content properly.
Inline Editing	Inline editing should function as expected, but behavior may be component-specific. Testing across components ensures a smooth authoring experience.
Internal Links	Browsing or linking UX can break if not configured correctly. Ensure the new Rich Text Editor is enabled and that all links resolve to the correct items from components that have links.
Styling Overexposure	Too many visual controls exposed to authors can be overwhelming - remove Base Rendering Parameters where flexibility isn't needed.
Image Handling	Page builder supports asset selectors and DAM integrations, but user journey needs to be defined per implementation.

Information Architecture considerations for Page builder

Page builder depends on structured, scalable content models but will not have the same view as Experience Editor. Consider the below guidance while migrating to put in place a long-term content governance process.

Concern	Approach
Global vs Local Datasources	Adopt Metadata Mode for shared content. Localize where possible.
Taxonomies (e.g., "People")	Use item references and tags, avoid duplicating structured data inside templates.
Template Overload	Offload content fields to modular datasource items instead of placing them all on templates.
Multi-Site Models	Apply consistent data structures and authoring patterns across all sites - link to multisite.

Migration Plan

To minimize disruption, the move to Page builder should be run as part of any project. This section outlines the key stages, from assessment through enablement and feedback, that ensure a sustainable transition.

Phase	Activities
Assessment	The first step is to take stock of current dependencies on Experience Editor (EE), making sure we're not overlooking any hidden EE dependencies that may block future authoring workflows. Conduct an inventory of EE-dependent components that rely on edit frames or custom inline editing. Identify inline editing usage and assess whether it can be refactored for Page builder compatibility. Audit content types and templates currently tied to EE-specific behaviours. Identify pages that rely on edit frames, inline editing, or EE-only rendering parameters. Review existing datasource usage and check for overreliance on folder naming instead of structured templates. Ensure image and file references align with DAM or asset selector workflows supported by Page builder.
Planning	With the assessment complete, prioritize and sequence the work to ensure a manageable rollout. This establishes clear expectations for both developers and authors. Focus first on high-value components and those most used by authors. Components not in use should be deprecated at this stage. Define a governance plan and enforce Page builder as the default. Build an enablement plan based on training sessions, documentation updates, and change communications for authors and stakeholders.
Execution	This is where the technical migration takes place. Upgrade JSS to Content SDK version to unlock the latest features and improvements. Migrate templates from EE-centric structures to Page builder friendly designs (e.g., modular data sources, simplified fields). Refactor components and remove edit frames, expose fields in Page builder, and configure the new RTE for internal linking.
Content Migration	Based on your setup, you might need to audit or restructure your content so it's using the latest components and templates. Consolidate messy, inherited folder structures into clean, template-driven hierarchies. Eliminate reliance on icons or inconsistent names by restructuring with folders + templates. Reduce clutter and simplify navigation for authors including merging duplicate content items (e.g., taxonomies like "People" or repeated promos). Break down bloated templates into modular datasources that Page builder can expose cleanly. Use migration scripts/tools to shift content from EE-dependent templates to Page builder compatible ones. Align local and global datasources based on IA strategy, including link validation. Publish migrated content to validate it renders correctly in Page builder. Have authors validate migrated content in Page builder using real workflows. For multisite models, ensure content consistency and localization strategies are intact.
Enablement	Even the best technology adoption fails without author confidence and alignment. Train authors on Page builder and feature use around their authoring workflow. Reinforce best practices, from versions to publishing workflows to ensures consistent editorial practices across teams.
QA & Feedback	The migration is not complete until usability is validated in real-world authoring. Capture author feedback during training and early adoption including feedback on usability of the refactored components within Page builder. Iterate on templates, workflows, and training materials based on feedback.

Edit a page's content

Understanding the interface

Marketplace Custom Fields