USING THE BUILT-IN "PROMOTED STATE" COLUMN

Using the Built-in "Promoted State" Column in SharePoint Online provides a built-in way to distinguish between regular site pages and news posts in the Site Pages library using a hidden column called Promoted State. This column is system-managed and automatically set based on how the page is created and published:

• 0: Regular site page (published or draft).
• 1: News post (draft, not yet published).
• 2: News post (published).

You don't need to create a custom column for basic distinction—simply make this column visible in the library view.

Steps to Add and Use the Promoted State Column:

1. Navigate to your site's Site Pages library:
   Go to Site contents (Gear icon > Site contents) > Click Site Pages.
2. In the library view (e.g., All Pages), click the + Add column button at the end of the column headers (or the column picker icon).
3. Select Show/hide columns.
4. Scroll down, check the box next to Promoted State, and click Apply.
5. (Optional) For better organization:
   • Click the Promoted State column header > Group by Promoted State to group pages (regular pages under 0, news under 1/2).
   • Or filter/sort by the column to view only news posts (filter for 1 or 2) or regular pages (filter for 0).
   • Save the view as the default if desired.

This gives a clear visual separation without any manual tagging.

Creating a Custom Metadata Column (If You Need More Flexibility)

If you want a more user-friendly, editable label (e.g., "Page Type" with choices like "Regular Page" or "News Post")—perhaps for manual overrides, additional categories, or easier filtering—you can add a custom column directly to the Site Pages library. Modern SharePoint supports this natively for page properties.

Steps to Add a Custom Column:

1. Go to the Site Pages library (as above).
2. Click + Add column > Choose a type (recommended: Choice for a dropdown).
3. Name it (e.g., "Page Type").
4. Configure options:
   • Type: Choice
   • Choices: "Regular Page" (set as default), "News Post"
   • (Optional) Make it required or add a description.
5. Click Save.

The new column will now appear in the Page details pane when editing any page (regular or news).

How to Tag Pages:

• When creating or editing a page/news post:
  • Click the Page details button (info icon) in the top-right command bar > Select the value (e.g., "News Post") > Save/Republish.
  • For existing pages: Open the page in edit mode > Page details > Set the value.

Why This Is Helpful

Both approaches (built-in or custom) address key challenges in SharePoint modern sites, where all pages and news posts are stored in the same Site Pages library:

• Organization and Management: Easily sort, filter, group, or create views to separate content (e.g., one view for news only, another for static pages). This prevents clutter in large sites with hundreds of items.
• Filtering in Web Parts: Use the column to filter News or Highlighted Content web parts (set source to "This site" > Filter by "Page properties" > Your column). For example, show only "News Post" items in a dedicated news section, while regular pages appear elsewhere.
• Audience Targeting and Search: Custom columns enable better content curation, audience targeting, and refinable search results.
• Content Governance: Clear distinction helps authors/maintainers avoid confusion (e.g., news posts auto-promote to feeds/homepages, while regular pages are for static content like policies or landing pages).
• Dynamic Intranets: Combine with other metadata (e.g., Department, Topic) for personalized experiences via web parts.

The built-in Promoted State is automatic and reliable for core distinction, while a custom column adds flexibility for human-readable tags or complex categorization.