How to think about your homepage
If you are managing your portal homepage, you have two options today: cover pages and document pages.
While both can serve as a homepage, they were built with different purposes in mind.
Cover pages were designed as a simple, standalone landing experience.
Document pages are our modern page builder and the foundation for how pages will work in Frontify going forward.
Understanding the difference helps you make the right decision for your setup today and prepares you for what is coming next.
Cover pages will receive no new features.
They will be phased out in 2027.
You will receive at least six months’ notice before removal.
What has changed
Document pages now support more advanced layout control, making them a true replacement for cover pages.
The enhanced cards grid block (launched in March 2026) introduces:
Card and image ratio controls.
Image behavior settings such as none, fit, and fill.
Horizontal and vertical alignment options.
Text max width and image-to-text ratio controls such as 2:1 and 1:1.
Text-on-image layouts.
Improved style consistency through centralized corner radius controls.
This gives you more precise layout control, stronger visual hierarchy, and more consistent brand presentation across pages.
In short, you can now recreate cover-style designs with more flexibility and scalability.
When to use what
If you are happy with your existing cover page:
You do not need to take action yet, as it will continue to work until 2027.
If you want access to new layout capabilities, you can experiment with a document page in a separate environment.
Need help managing your current cover page?
Read: Cover pages
If your cover page no longer meets your needs:
Cover pages were intentionally simple:
They support one page per guideline, they offer limited layout flexibility, they are not indexed in global search.
They will not receive future updates.
If you need more structural flexibility or plan to expand your portal, a document page is the better long-term solution.
If you are building a new homepage:
Use a document page:
It is the future-proof option, it supports multiple pages per guideline, it offers flexible sections and tabs, it includes reusable color schemes, it is indexed in global search.
It continues to evolve.
Building new homepages with document pages avoids future migration effort.
How to build a cover-style homepage with a document page
You can recreate the visual impact of a cover page using a document page, with more control and flexibility.
Step 1: create and position your page
Create a new page.
Set it to unpublished.
Move it to the top of your navigation.
Step 2: configure page-specific settings
Open layout and navigation settings.
Select “this page” settings so changes apply only to this page.
Hide the sidebar, page title, or last modified elements if needed.
Step 3: define your visual structure
Create one or more color schemes to ensure consistent background styling.
Adjust content area settings and section spacing to create a full-width experience.
Step 4: build your layout
Use the enhanced cards grid block for image and text overlays.
Adjust card ratios, alignment, and image behavior to match your desired layout.
Apply text-on-image styles and section-level background controls for layered visual impact.
The enhanced cards grid block enables structured, brand-aligned designs without custom workarounds.
Strengths and limitations
| Strengths | Limitations |
Cover page | Simple setup | One page per guideline |
Document page | Multiple pages per guideline | More initial setup required |
What’s next
Cover pages will not receive further updates and will be removed in 2027.
Document pages will continue to evolve.
Q1 updates include the enhanced cards grid block and improved show and hide document controls.
Page templates are planned next.
Final recommendation
Keep your existing cover page if it meets your needs today. Start exploring document pages if you want more flexibility or are planning a redesign. Build all new homepages with document pages to align with the future direction of Frontify.
This approach gives you stability today while setting you up for long-term flexibility.