Framer Page Structure and Hierarchy Settings

The structure and hierarchy of a website’s pages not only have a direct impact on the user’s browsing experience but also influence how search engines interpret the site’s content, as well as the efficiency of daily site management. This is not just something to consider when building a website with Framer—in fact, regardless of the framework or system used, a clear and logical page structure is essential for long-term maintenance, content management, and SEO optimization.

In this article, I will explain in detail the logic behind Framer page structure and share how to effectively plan and manage page hierarchies in practice. This will help you build a website that aligns with overall structural planning while remaining flexible for content expansion and maintenance. By understanding these principles, you’ll be able to organize page content more efficiently and ensure that your site achieves optimal performance in both visual presentation and ongoing content management.

Page Types in Framer

In Framer, understanding page types is fundamental to building a website’s structure. Different types of pages serve different purposes: they not only determine how content is presented but also influence the site’s navigation logic and content management efficiency. The main page types in Framer include the following:

1 Static Pages

A static page refers to a page with fixed content that does not rely on a database or CMS for dynamic updates. Examples include “Home,” “About Us,” “Contact,” or “Services.” The key characteristic of this type of page is that once created, its content remains unchanged regardless of external data, making it ideal for presenting brand information, company profiles, or fixed service details. In Framer, static pages can be freely designed with custom layouts and interactive effects, without the need to worry about data binding or content updates.

2 Dynamic Pages

Dynamic pages are one of the core features of Framer CMS, used to automatically generate pages based on content collections stored in the database. These dynamic pages can be further divided into the following two categories:

1). Index Pages

An index page, also known as a listing page or collection page, is used to display all items within a specific content collection. Examples include a blog homepage, product category page, or news list page. Index pages fetch data from the CMS and automatically generate content lists, supporting features such as pagination, filtering, and sorting, allowing users to quickly browse large amounts of information. In Framer, index pages work together with dynamic pages to organize and navigate content efficiently.

2). Detail Pages

A Detail Page is a core dynamic page type in Framer CMS, used to display the detailed information of a single content item. Each CMS entry generates a corresponding detail page, such as a full blog post or a detailed product showcase. With Detail Pages, content creators only need to add or update data in the CMS, and Framer will automatically generate the corresponding detail page without manually duplicating the page structure. This not only ensures a consistent content style but also greatly improves site management efficiency and content scalability.

Understanding these page types in Framer helps us set up page hierarchies more effectively, creating a clear site structure, smooth navigation, and optimizing both content management and SEO.

Framer Page Structure and Best Practices

In Framer, different page types have different structural representations, which directly affect the site’s hierarchy and content management approach. Regular pages, when added, are displayed in a flat structure by default, with no automatic parent-child relationships between pages. This works well for standalone pages, but when there is a hierarchical relationship, the affiliation must be set manually.

For Framer CMS pages, however, the system automatically generates the correct structural relationships upon addition, and users cannot modify them.

This design ensures logical consistency for dynamic content while also raising new considerations for page planning: how to effectively organize pages between flat structures and automatically generated hierarchies, so that the site meets management needs and remains user-friendly for navigation.

1 Flat Structure of Regular Pages

When we add regular pages in Framer (static pages or pages that do not rely on the CMS), the system displays them in a flat structure by default. This means that no automatic parent-child relationships are established between pages, and they exist at the same level within the site hierarchy.

1). Suitable Scenarios for Flat Structure

This structure is ideal for pages with relatively independent content that do not have parent-child relationships. Examples include “Home,” “About Us,” “Contact,” or “Privacy Policy.” These pages do not need to be displayed as subpages of other pages. A flat structure simplifies management and prevents the site hierarchy from becoming overly complex.

2). Manually Setting Parent-Child Relationships

If a website requires a parent-child page hierarchy—for example, a “Product Category” page as the parent and individual “Product Detail” pages as its children—the page affiliations need to be set manually. Framer provides simple drag-and-drop actions or settings to designate one page as the parent, automatically making another page its child. This not only clarifies the site structure but also enhances the hierarchical navigation experience for users.

2 Default Structure of Framer CMS Pages

Unlike regular pages, Framer CMS pages automatically generate the correct structural relationships upon addition, and this structure is fixed—users cannot modify it manually. CMS pages typically include index pages and detail pages, with the system automatically establishing parent-child relationships between the index page and its corresponding detail pages. This ensures consistent organization and display logic for content collections.

1). Association Between Index Pages and Detail Pages

In a dynamic content website, index pages display lists of content, while detail pages show individual content items. Framer CMS automatically generates a corresponding detail page for each content item and maintains its association with the index page, allowing users to click an item in the list and navigate to the correct detail page. This automatically established hierarchy greatly simplifies website management and content update processes.

2). Immutability of Structure

The immutability of CMS page structures means designers do not need to manually adjust parent-child relationships, as the system automatically ensures correct content logic. However, when planning site navigation or customizing menus, it is important to arrange them according to the default CMS structure to ensure a good user experience and maintainable website.

3 Best Practices for Page Structure Planning

• Distinguish Page Types: Before adding a page, determine whether it is a regular page or a CMS page to choose an appropriate hierarchy planning strategy.

• Establish Necessary Parent-Child Relationships: For regular pages that require hierarchy, set parent-child relationships promptly to maintain a clear site structure.

• Follow the Flat-First Principle: Keep unnecessary hierarchies flat whenever possible to reduce management complexity and improve user browsing efficiency.

• CMS Default Structure: When designing a dynamic content website, retain the hierarchy automatically generated by the CMS without additional adjustments.

By understanding and planning Framer’s page structure, we can ensure clear content logic, smooth navigation, and save significant time in future site expansion and maintenance.

How to Set Page Hierarchy in Framer

In Framer, regular pages are displayed in a flat structure by default. If we want to establish parent-child relationships, the hierarchy must be organized manually. The Framer editor provides an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, making it simple and efficient to adjust page hierarchies.

1 Establishing Parent-Child Relationships in the Pages Panel

On the left side of the Framer editor, the Pages panel displays the structure of all pages. To set a hierarchy, simply drag one page onto another and maintain a slight overlap. When you release the mouse, a parent-child relationship is automatically created. The dragged page becomes the child page, while the page it is dropped onto becomes the parent page.

1). Brief Steps

• Open the Pages panel on the left side of the Framer editor.

• Select the page you want to set as a subpage.

• Drag it over the name of the parent page and keep them overlapped.

• Release the mouse, and the system will automatically complete the hierarchy nesting.

This operation not only allows you to intuitively adjust the hierarchical relationship between pages but also lays the foundation for the site’s navigation structure.

2 Automatic Changes in URL Paths

After completing the nesting of page hierarchies, Framer automatically updates the URLs of subpages to align with their parent page paths. Here’s an example:

• Parent page URL: /products

• Original subpage URL: /details

• After setting up the hierarchy, the subpage URL becomes: /products/details

This automatically generated URL structure not only aligns with users’ intuitive reading and understanding but also helps search engines better comprehend the website’s structure.

3 Best Practices for Hierarchy Setup

In actual website development, a well-planned hierarchy makes navigation clearer and also enhances SEO performance.

1). Scenarios for Creating Hierarchies

• Product catalog and product details

• Service categories and specific service descriptions

• Blog categories and individual posts (no extra setup needed, as Framer automatically establishes the CMS hierarchy by default)

2). Considerations for Creating Page Hierarchies

• Avoid overly deep hierarchies: Excessive nesting can lead to long URLs, which negatively affects user experience.

• Maintain clear logic: Parent-child relationships should reflect the content’s hierarchical logic, rather than being purely for visual appeal.

• Sync with navigation: When setting up page hierarchies, it’s best to also consider how the navigation menu will display, ensuring users can easily find the content they need.

By following these guidelines, we can easily establish parent-child page hierarchies in Framer, making the site structure clearer and more logically organized. Whether for improving management efficiency, enhancing user experience, or optimizing SEO, proper hierarchy setup is an essential step that should not be overlooked.

Conclusion

Through an in-depth discussion of Framer page types, structural features, and hierarchy setup methods, you should now have a systematic understanding of how to build a clear and well-organized website structure in Framer. Whether it’s a flat layout for standard pages, the automatically generated hierarchy of CMS pages, or manually setting parent-child page relationships, these methods provide a solid foundation for creating efficient and scalable websites. A well-structured page hierarchy not only optimizes user browsing experience but also helps search engines better understand your content, while greatly improving day-to-day management convenience.

If you want to create a Framer website for your project with a clear structure and smooth user experience, contact Jane Framer Studio. We offer professional Framer design and development support to help you achieve a website that balances aesthetics with efficiency.