Usage Guide

Use this site as a publishing system for EmDash docs, migration content, plugins, templates, and product updates.

What this website should do

emdashcmseverything.com should not behave like a generic landing page. It should work as a public knowledge and distribution layer for the EmDash ecosystem.

That means combining several content jobs in one coherent system:

  • explain what EmDash is
  • teach people how it works
  • show where it fits
  • publish plugins and templates
  • guide WordPress migrations
  • announce product progress and releases

The current structure is designed to support that model:

  • docs/docs for evergreen documentation
  • docs/use-cases for scenario-driven adoption content
  • docs/plugins for plugin directory entries
  • docs/templates for template directory entries
  • docs/blog for updates, tutorials, and editorial content

This is a better fit than stuffing everything into a single marketing homepage or hiding product information inside framework components.

How to use each section

Docs

Use this section for durable, high-intent content:

  • getting started
  • feature explanations
  • deployment notes
  • architecture overviews
  • FAQ

These pages should answer the questions people ask before and during evaluation.

Use Cases

Use this section to translate product capabilities into buyer context. EmDash is easier to understand when it is framed as a fit for:

  • editorial publishing
  • docs and knowledge bases
  • plugin ecosystems
  • template businesses

This section should connect product shape to real outcomes.

Plugins

Plugin pages should feel like small product pages, not just release notes. Each one should explain:

  • what the plugin does
  • who it is for
  • current status
  • pricing or availability
  • download path
  • setup and compatibility

Templates

Template pages should make it easy to compare packaged site starters. Good entries include:

  • target audience
  • screenshots
  • stack details
  • version and release date
  • demo link
  • download or repository link

Blog and Updates

This section should capture motion:

  • release notes
  • migration guides
  • product commentary
  • tutorials
  • case studies

That is what keeps the site feeling active and compounding.

Publishing workflow

For this project, the simplest healthy workflow is:

  1. Add or revise content in docs/
  2. Review the Git diff
  3. Preview locally
  4. Deploy the built static site to Cloudflare Pages

This workflow is especially effective when AI is helping with drafting, editing, restructuring, and consistency.

Why this structure works well with AI

AI editing is much more reliable when the site is built around:

  • small MDX files
  • explicit frontmatter
  • reusable page components
  • stable route patterns
  • content separated from UI code

That is why the current site shape is intentionally content-first.

How this relates to EmDash itself

Official EmDash materials emphasize runtime collections, admin editing, plugins, media storage, and cloud portability. Those are product strengths. But a public-facing ecosystem site does not need all of them immediately.

The static site is the public presentation layer.

The full EmDash runtime is the next layer once you need:

  • non-technical editors working in a browser
  • authenticated contributor flows
  • runtime-managed media
  • richer automation or plugin submission workflows

Editorial rule of thumb

Every page should answer one of these questions clearly:

  • What is EmDash?
  • Why not WordPress?
  • What does this plugin or template do?
  • How do I migrate?
  • How do I deploy?
  • Why is this worth adopting now?

If a page does not answer one of those well, it probably needs tighter scope.