Navigation and URL Conventions

Site Navigation Structure

The CAS.org main navigation is controlled by the Global - Header component, which is a global component shared across all pages. Any change to the header definition affects every page on the site (110 instances). Do not modify it without coordinating with Jimmy.

Last Updated: August 12, 2026 | Audience: Everyone

Primary Navigation

The top-level nav items link to the main site areas:

• Solutions — Product and solution pages (/solutions/...)
• Resources — CAS Insights, webinars, events, reports, podcasts (/resources/...)
• Industries — Vertical market pages (/industries/...)
• CAS Data — CAS Content Collection and Registry (/cas-data/...)
• Custom Services — Data services and consulting (/cas-custom-services/...)
• About — Company information, careers, contact

Dropdown Menus

Several primary nav items have dropdown menus with subcategories and featured content. These dropdowns are built as nested elements inside the header component. Adding or removing dropdown items requires Designer access.

Site Search

The header includes a modal typeahead search (Navigation - Typeahead Search). Its result list is built from an index inside the component, not from the CMS. When a solution is added, renamed, or retired, that index has to be updated by a Web Developer or the new solution will not be findable in search.

Footer Navigation

The Global - Footer is also a global component. It contains link groups organized by category, plus legal links, social media icons, and the ACS logo. Footer link changes follow the same coordination rules as the header.

URL Structure

CAS.org follows a consistent URL hierarchy. Understanding this structure is essential for creating new pages and CMS items with correct slugs.

Static Pages

Static pages are organized in Webflow's Pages panel using folders. The folder structure maps directly to the URL path:

• /solutions/cas-scifinder-discovery-platform/cas-scifinder — A product page nested under its platform folder
• /industries/{page} — Industry landing pages (8 live: drug-discovery, agriculture, batteries, sustainability, coatings-and-inks, plastics-and-polymers, electronics-and-materials, business-of-science)
• /training/{slug} — Training pages
• /academic-key-contact-resource-center/... — Academic section
• /lp/{campaign-type}/{slug} — Landing pages by campaign
• /legal/{slug} — Legal pages

CMS Template Pages

Each CMS collection has a template page that generates individual URLs from the item slug. The base path is set by the template page's folder location in Webflow. These are the current live patterns — check the template page in the Designer before assuming a path, because several collections do not sit under /resources/:

• /resources/cas-insights/{slug} — CAS Insights article
• /resources/webinar/{slug} — Webinar
• /resources/article/{slug} — Article
• /resources/gated-content/{slug} — Gated content
• /resources/case-studies/{slug} — Case study (index page at /resources/case-studies)
• /resources/podcast/{slug} — Podcast
• /cas-events/{slug} — Event. Note this is not under /resources/. The events index is the static page at /cas-events.
• /press-releases/{slug} — Press release
• /live-trainings/{slug} — Live training
• /role/{slug} — Persona landing page (collection is empty; nothing live yet)
• /industry/{slug} — Industries template. This is a reference/listing collection, not the public industry pages. Public industry content lives at /industries/{page} as static pages, and each Industries CMS item points at its static page through the Industry Page Link field.
• /faq/{slug} — FAQs template. Currently unpublished and marked do-not-link. FAQ answers are surfaced inside solution and hub pages, not on individual FAQ URLs. Do not link to /faq/ paths.
• /docs/{slug} — Internal documentation (this collection)

You cannot change the base path of a CMS template URL without moving the template page's folder in Webflow, which requires Designer access and will break every existing link unless 301 redirects are set up first.

Landing Pages

Landing pages follow a specific subfolder convention under /lp/:

• /lp/svc/ — Custom Services campaigns
• /lp/stp/ — STN campaigns
• /lp/bfdp/ — BioFinder campaigns
• /lp/sf/ — SciFinder campaigns
• /lp/event/ — Event-specific landing pages
• /lp/about/ — Brand and about campaigns
• /lp/biofinder/ — BioFinder legacy campaigns
• /lp/outsell/ — Outsell campaigns

Localized URLs

CAS.org serves six languages. Localized pages use a language prefix after the domain:

• /pt-br/ — Portuguese (Brazil)
• /ko/ — Korean
• /es-es/ — Spanish
• /zh-hans/ — Chinese Simplified
• /ja/ — Japanese

English has no prefix (it is the primary locale). Localized URLs mirror the English structure: cas.org/solutions/cas-scifinder becomes cas.org/ja/solutions/cas-scifinder.

Slug Rules

Every page and CMS item has a slug that determines its URL. Follow these rules without exception.

Format

• Lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens only
• No spaces, underscores, periods, or special characters
• No trailing slashes
• No leading hyphens

Best Practices

• Keep it short. Aim for 2–5 words. cas-scifinder not cas-scifinder-discovery-platform-overview-page.
• Use keywords. The slug contributes to SEO. Include the primary keyword for the page content.
• Be descriptive. Someone should be able to guess the page content from the slug alone.
• Match the page title loosely. The slug doesn't need to be an exact replica of the title, but it should be recognizably related.
• Avoid dates in slugs unless the content is inherently time-bound (e.g. acs-spring-2026 for an annual event).

The Cardinal Rule

Never change a slug after publishing. Changing a published slug breaks every inbound link, bookmark, search engine index entry, email link, and social media post pointing to the old URL. If a slug absolutely must change, set up a 301 redirect from the old slug to the new one before publishing the change.

Redirects

Redirects are managed in Webflow's site settings under Hosting > 301 Redirects. Only users with Designer or Admin access can add redirects.

When to Use Redirects

• A page or CMS item slug is being changed
• A page is being removed and its traffic should go somewhere else
• Two pages are being merged into one
• A URL structure is being reorganized (e.g. moving a page to a different folder)
• An external campaign link needs to map to a CAS.org page

How to Add a Redirect

1. Go to Site Settings > Hosting > 301 Redirects.
2. In the Old Path field, enter the old URL path (e.g. /old-page-slug). Do not include the domain.
3. In the Redirect to URL field, enter the new path (e.g. /new-page-slug). For external URLs, enter the full URL including https://.
4. Click Add redirect.
5. Publish the site for the redirect to take effect. Redirects only go live after a site publish.

Redirect Rules

• Always use 301 (permanent) redirects. Webflow only supports 301s, which is correct for SEO.
• Redirects are case-sensitive in Webflow. /Old-Page and /old-page are treated as different paths.
• When retiring content that had a live URL, redirect to the parent index rather than the homepage. Check for legacy path patterns too (for example /resources/press-releases/{slug} alongside /press-releases/{slug}) and cover each one separately.
• Test redirects after publishing by visiting the old URL in an incognito window.
• Keep a log of redirects. Webflow does not provide an export, so maintain a spreadsheet with all active redirects and the reason for each.
• Avoid redirect chains (A → B → C). Each redirect adds latency and search engines penalize long chains. Point the old URL directly to the final destination.

Page Branching

Webflow's branching feature creates a copy of a page for staging changes before they go live. Branches are the standard workflow for any structural change to an existing page.

When to Use Branching

• Redesigning or restructuring an existing page's layout
• Testing a new section or component before adding it to the live page
• Making changes that need review before going live
• Any edit that touches layout, components, or structure (not just text and image swaps)

Branching Workflow

1. Create a branch: In the Designer, right-click the page in the Pages panel and select Create Branch. This creates a copy named branch_{original-slug}.
2. Make changes on the branch: All edits happen on the branch. The original page remains untouched and live.
3. Review: Preview the branch on its staging URL and share that link with stakeholders.
4. Merge: Once approved, merge the branch back into the original page. If the branch conflicts with main on a style or component, the merge will ask which side wins — resolve each one deliberately.
5. Delete the branch: After merging, delete it.
6. Publish: Publish the site to push the merged changes live.

Branching Rules

• Branch pages appear in the Pages panel with the branch_ prefix and carry an isBranch flag in the API.
• Never publish a branch page to a custom domain. Publishing a branch pushes only its staging preview; production domains are untouched and nothing is merged. Branches go live through the merge workflow, not through publishing.
• Don't leave stale branches. If a branch is no longer needed, delete it. Old branches clutter the Pages panel and cause confusion about which version is current.
• Branch pages do not affect the live site until merged and published.
• CMS template pages can be branched, but use extra caution since the template affects every item in the collection.

Page Folders

Webflow's Pages panel supports folders to organize static pages. Folders map directly to URL path segments.

Existing Folder Structure

The main folders on CAS.org include: solutions, resources, industries, cas-data, cas-custom-services, training, academic-key-contact-resource-center, lp (with sub-folders by campaign type), legal, and several utility folders.

Folder Rules

• Do not create top-level folders without coordinating with Jimmy. New top-level folders create new URL path prefixes and may conflict with existing routes or localization.
• Do not rename folders. Renaming changes the URL path for every page inside, breaking all links.
• Do not move pages between folders unless redirects are set up for the old URLs first.
• Nested folders create nested URL paths. /solutions/cas-scifinder-discovery-platform/ is a folder, and pages inside it become /solutions/cas-scifinder-discovery-platform/{page-slug}.

Thank You and Confirmation Pages

CAS.org uses a system of thank you pages for post-form-submission confirmation:

• Gated content downloads redirect to a thank you page that delivers the asset.
• Demo request forms redirect to a confirmation page.
• Webinar registrations use a dynamic thank you page system (see How the webinar thank you page system is setup).
• Event registrations redirect to event-specific or generic confirmation pages, typically under /lp/event/thank-you/.

Prefer a dedicated confirmation page per conversion type over the shared generic thank you page. Conversion goals are measured on confirmation page views, and a shared page collapses attribution across every path that lands on it.

Quick Reference

• Slug format: lowercase, hyphens, no spaces or special characters
• Never change a published slug without setting up a 301 redirect first
• CAS Insights: /resources/cas-insights/{slug}
• Webinars: /resources/webinar/{slug}
• Events: /cas-events/{slug} (not /resources/)
• Gated content: /resources/gated-content/{slug}
• Case studies: /resources/case-studies/{slug}
• Live trainings: /live-trainings/{slug}
• Landing pages: /lp/{campaign-type}/{slug}
• Localized: /{locale-prefix}/{same-path}
• Redirects: Site Settings > Hosting > 301 Redirects (requires site publish)
• Branching: Create Branch → edit → review on staging → merge → delete branch → publish