Struggling to effectively organize and display your website content with the limited default WordPress post types? You’re not alone. Posts and Pages can only go so far. What you need is to define Custom Content Types.
The best part? You won’t need external tools or complex code to achieve it. In this article, we’ll show you how to create custom content types in WordPress without extra plugins.
What Are Custom Content Types
It all starts with understanding WordPress Post Types, which are a way to organize different kinds of content in WordPress. The most common defaults are Posts and Pages.
The problem is that these default post types don’t work well for various other types of content such as portfolios, services, projects, events, team members, recipes, and more.
This is why you need to define a custom content type, tailored to your specific needs, to organize and display your content properly and at scale.
Now that you know what custom content types are and why you need them, let’s explore how to create them in WordPress without extra plugins!
Pick a Builder With a Built-in Content Manager
The answer is a WordPress website builder with a built-in CMS, like Kirki.
Kirki is a one-stop tool that lets you visually create, manage, and display custom content types without any extra tools or hassle. With other built-in capabilities like pre-made templates, infinite canvas with side-by-side responsive editing, Figma to Kirki handoff, visual interaction builder, form builder, and more, you have an all-in-one website building solution at a fraction of the price of more limited alternatives.
Create Custom Content Types Using Kirki’s CMS
In Kirki, custom content types are defined through Collections in the built-in CMS. Here’s how to create one:
Step 1: Access the CMS Click the CMS icon (database icon) in the left sidebar to open the CMS panel.
Step 2: Create a New Collection Click the “+” button at the top of the CMS panel and select New Collection from the dropdown. Alternatively, select Presets to start from a ready-made collection structure.
Step 3: Name Your Collection Give your collection a meaningful name that clearly describes its content, such as Works, Recipes, Team Members, Services, or Events. Set a URL slug as well.
Step 4: Add Custom Fields Click “+” next to Custom Fields to add fields that store the relevant information for each item. Kirki’s CMS offers a wide variety of field types including Text, Rich Text, Image, Video, Email, Phone, Number, Date, Time, Switch, Option, URL, File, Gallery, Reference, and Multi-reference.
Step 5: Configure and Save Configure each field’s settings, add help text if needed, and click Create Collection to finish.
And just like that, your custom content type is defined!
Add Data to Your Custom Content Type
Your collection is ready to store entries. Here’s how to add items:
Step 1: Select your collection from the left panel of the CMS section and click Add Item + at the bottom to add a new item.
Step 2: A New Item panel will open showing all your custom fields. Fill in the fields with your content.
Step 3: Click Save as draft to store it as a draft, or click Publish to make it live immediately.
Repeat these steps until all your items are added. You can view all items listed within the collection, search and filter them, and perform bulk actions like duplicate or delete.
Display Custom Content Dynamically on Your Website
You’ve got your custom content organized. Now it’s time to display it dynamically on your WordPress website.
In Kirki, you can show dynamic content in two ways:
As Listings through a Collection element As Single-Page Templates for each individual item
Display as a Collection List
Step 1: Open the Insert panel from the left sidebar and navigate to Contents > Collections.
Step 2: Select your collection from the list to add a Collection element to your canvas.
Step 3: The Collection List Settings will appear. Set the Source to Posts and the Type to the collection you want to connect. Apply filters, sorting, limit, and pagination as needed to tailor your dynamic listing.
Step 4: Select each child element inside the Collection Item on the canvas. Click the Dynamic Content icon in the Design tab next to the element’s name. In the Dynamic Content Settings popup, set the Type to your collection and the Value to the relevant field you want to display.
Repeat for each element inside the collection item until all fields are mapped.
Display as Single-Page Templates
Step 1: In the Pages panel, click “+” and select Template.
Step 2: In the Add Template modal, set Collection to Post and Post Type to your collection. Click Add Template.
Step 3: Design your template page however you like using any elements and the Design tab options.
Step 4: For each element, click the Dynamic Content icon in the Design tab and set the Type to your collection and the Value to the relevant field.
To preview the template for different items, use the dropdown at the top of the canvas to switch between collection items.
Tip: For single-page templates, use dynamic SEO field tags in the Page Settings > SEO tab to give each item’s page its own unique metadata automatically.
Connect Related Custom Content Types
When showcasing related content, it’s tempting to repeat the same data across different collections. But this approach is inefficient and prone to inconsistencies, as every change means manually updating in multiple places.
With Kirki’s Reference and Multi-reference fields, you can link separate but related collections without duplicating data, eliminating repetition and wasted effort.
Using a Reference Field (Single Link)
A Reference field lets you pair each item in a collection with a single item from another collection.
Step 1: Create your collections and add their data in the CMS panel.
Step 2: In your main collection’s field editor, click “+” next to Custom Fields and select Reference. Give it a name and select the collection you want to link from the Ref Collection dropdown. Click Save.
Step 3: When adding items to your main collection, use the Reference field to specify which item from the linked collection each main item pairs with.
Using a Multi-reference Field (Multiple Links)
A Multi-reference field lets you link each item in a collection to multiple items from another collection.
Step 1: Create your collections and add their data in the CMS panel.
Step 2: In your main collection’s field editor, click “+” next to Custom Fields and select Multi-reference. Give it a name and select the collection to link from the Ref Collection dropdown. Click Save.
Step 3: When adding items to your main collection, use the Multi-reference field to select one or more items from the linked collection to associate with each main item.
To display reference content dynamically, use Type: Reference or Source: Multi reference in the Dynamic Content Settings when binding elements on the canvas.
Working With Custom Content Types in WordPress Has Never Been Easier
And that’s a wrap on how to create custom content types in WordPress without extra plugins!
With the Kirki WordPress website builder, you can not only create custom content types but also add, manage, and dynamically display your custom content effortlessly with no code.
So what are you waiting for? Get Kirki today and build stunning, dynamic websites with custom content types tailored to your exact needs!
