Managing a growing number of WordPress pages is a common challenge as sites scale. The default page list does little to organize relationships between pages or simplify management.
As a WordPress developer with over 5 years of experience building complex sites, I often recommend the Nested Pages plugin to clients struggling with page organization.
Nested Pages transforms WordPress page management by adding a drag and drop interface to visualize page structure, along with bulk actions to streamline editing.
In this detailed guide, I‘ll show you how to leverage Nested Pages to wrangle even the most complex page hierarchies.
Why Nested Pages is Essential for Managing Pages
Here are some key reasons sites with extensive page structures need Nested Pages:
1. Mapping Out Page Relationships is a Headache
The default page list offers no clarity into parent/child page relationships. It’s tough to understand site structure at a glance.
Nested Pages lets you visually map parent/child connections through indenting and arrows when dragging page titles. This birds-eye view is invaluable for complex sites.
2. Editing Many Pages Involves Too Many Clicks
Something as simple as updating multiple page titles or authors becomes tedious clicking each one individually.
Nested Pages provides a quick edit sidebar to batch change details across multiple selected pages. Much faster than standard WordPress.
| Action | Default WordPress | Nested Pages |
|---|---|---|
| Edit 5 page titles | 25 clicks | 5 clicks |
| Change author for 10 pages | 20 clicks | 2 clicks |
3. Manual Menu Creation is Time Consuming
Building menus to match convoluted page structures involves manually inserting every link.
Turn on auto sync menus in Nested Pages to convert page trees into menus automatically. Huge time saver!
4. Adding Multiple Pages Involves Repetitive Steps
Creating pages in bulk means submitting the new page form separately for each one.
The "Add Multiple" tool allows filling out the details just once to add several pages together.
Step-by-Step Guide: Managing Pages with Nested Pages
Let‘s go through how to leverage Nested Pages features to organize and manage complex page structures:
Install and Activate Nested Pages
Like any WordPress plugin, search for "Nested Pages" in Plugins > Add New to install. Click activate to enable the features across your site‘s pages.
Drag and Drop Pages to Visualize Structure
Navigate to Pages > All Pages. Here you will now see a drag and drop interface to restructure your page hierarchy.
Click on any page title, drag left/right to indent, showing parent-child connections. The order also dictates menu order.
[Screenshot of dragging titles to create structure]As you drag pages, the structure visualized through indenting helps understand connections. Use this to craft logical page flows for visitors to follow.
Use Quick Edit to Batch Update Page Details
The Quick Edit sidebar allows rapidly altering details for multiple pages simultaneously.
Check the boxes beside target pages, then expand Quick Edit. Batch edit titles, slugs, authors, statuses and more in one spot.
[Screenshot: Quick Edit sidebar open with sample changes]These bulk updates to change page details in one shot saves considerable time versus editing individually.
Sync Navigation Menus
Generating menus that match your carefully mapped page structure is now as easy as flipping a switch.
Navigate to Nested Pages > Settings and check "Sync menus" under the Options tab. The current page tree will instantly become the Primary Menu under Appearance > Menus.
For sites with vast pages, this automatic menu creation eliminates tedious manual building. Toggle to instantly reflect menu changes.
[Screenshot: Sync menus checkbox enabled]Add Multiple Child Pages Quickly
You can swiftly generate multiple new pages in one go to extend existing branches of your site tree.
Open any parent page row, click the 3-dot icon and select Add Multiple Child Pages from the dropdown.
[Screenshot: Add multiple child pages option]Complete the bulk add form by entering titles for each new page. The Status, Author, and Template will autofill based on defaults. Hit Add and the pages are inserted under that parent.
[Screenshot: Add multiple child pages popup]Use this to quickly scaffold new sections. Combine with drag and drop arranging to perfectly set page hierarchy.
Extend Functionality to Custom Post Types
The organizational superpowers of Nested Pages can be applied beyond just WordPress pages.
Navigate to Nested Pages > Settings > Post Types to check post types like Posts, Projects, Testimonials, etc. This enables drag and drop and parent/child abilities.
[Screenshot: Post types tab with CPTs enabled]Now the intuitive interface works across any content types needing structure and relationships.
Do You Need Help Managing Pages?
I hope this guide gave you ideas on how Nested Pages can transform organizing WordPress pages. As your site complexity grows, leveraging these tools is crucial to wrangling pages.
If you have any other questions on managing a mega menu of pages, comment below!
