What a layout is
A layout pairs a template, which produces the page, with a set of named areas, which become the fields in the editor. Change the layout and you change both at once.
So a layout is not a cosmetic choice. Two layouts can both produce "a page with a heading and some text", but if one offers a Component Collection and the other only a Richtext area, they hold very different kinds of content. Your site's layouts are managed in Customization » Layouts, usually by a developer.
Choosing one
Ask what the page needs to do:
- A page built from sections in an order you decide: a layout with a Component Collection.
- A reading page, mostly text: a layout with a large Richtext area.
- A page with a fixed shape, such as a hero, three columns and a call to action, always in that order: a layout with a named area for each part.
Changing the layout of a page later
You can switch a page to another layout. The admin copies each value into the area of the same name on the new layout. A value with no area of the same name on the new layout is left out of the new version.
Nothing is lost for good: earlier versions keep that content, and you can make one active again. But the page will not show it. Before switching a page that has real content, compare the area names of the two layouts.
When no layout fits
Do not force content into a layout that does not suit it. The options, from least to most work:
- Use a layout with a Component Collection and build the page from components.
- Ask for a new component, which every page can then use.
- Ask for a new layout, which is a template change for a developer.