content-modeling-best-practices

Structured content modeling guidance for schema design, reusability, and multi-channel delivery. Principles for designing structured content that's flexible, reusable, and maintainable. These concepts apply to any headless CMS but include Sanity-specific implementation notes. Reference these guidelines when: Start with the reference that matches the modeling decision in front of you, instead of loading every topic at once. See references/ for detailed guidance on specific topics: - Covers core principles: treating content as data rather than pages, maintaining single sources of truth, designing for future channels, and optimizing for editor workflows - Includes decision frameworks for references versus embedded objects, separation of concerns, and content reuse patterns - Provides taxonomy and classification guidance for flat, hierarchical, and faceted approaches - Applies to Sanity and other headless CMSes, with Sanity-specific implementation notes included - Starting a new project and designing the content model - Evaluating whether content should be structured or free-form - Deciding between references and embedded content - Planning for multi-channel content delivery - Refactoring existing content structures - Content is data, not pages — Structure content for meaning, not presentation - Single source of truth — Avoid content duplication - Future-proof — Design for...