# Topics: navigational, featured and automatic assignment

*Experience Cloud Consultant Study Guide · Administration, Setup, and Configuration · Last updated October 24, 2026 · https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/experience-cloud-consultant/administration-setup-and-configuration/topics-navigational-featured-and-automatic-assignment*

How to choose and set up navigational, featured, content and member-created topics in an Aura site: UI limits and the API for deeper hierarchies, the topic catalog, merging and its permissions, topic metrics, and mapping Knowledge data categories to topics automatically.

- Certification: Salesforce Experience Cloud Consultant
- Exam section: Administration, Setup, and Configuration
- Study guide: https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/experience-cloud-consultant

**Official exam objective:**

> Determine steps to configure and set up Topics.

## What the exam expects

- Pick the topic type for a goal: site map, home page highlights, organizing original content, or member tagging.
- Set up navigational topics within the UI limits, and know when the API is needed for deeper levels.
- Add the topic catalog, and use topic metrics before consolidating topics.
- Merge topics with the right permissions and predict what survives a merge.
- Map Knowledge data categories to topics for existing and future articles, and plan for site-specific rules.

Key terms:
- **Navigational topic**: a curated topic in the Topics menu, with up to two UI levels of subtopics and a banner image.
- **Featured topic**: a topic highlighted in the body of the home page with its own thumbnail.
- **Content topic**: a topic enabled for content so it can be associated with native content.
- **Topic catalog**: the page showing the whole navigational topic hierarchy, opened from a More Topics... link.
- **Automatic topic assignment**: a rule mapping a data category to topics so its articles are tagged.

## Key facts

| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Navigational UI limits (Customer Service site) | 25 parents; 10 at level two; 10 at level three | [Navigational Topics](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.networks_topics_navigational.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Beyond the UI | Connect REST API or Connect in Apex: five more levels of 10; 2,775 total | [Navigational Topics](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.networks_topics_navigational.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Featured topics | Up to 25; 385 x 385 thumbnails on the home page | [Featured Topics](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=experience.networks_topics_featured.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Content topics | Up to 5,000; enable 10 at a time; not creatable in Experience Management | [Content Topics](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=experience.networks_topics_content.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| More Topics... link | Appears only with at least one subtopic | [Topic Catalog](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=experience.networks_topic_catalog.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Merge permissions | Merge, Delete, Edit and Assign Topics | [Manage Topics](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=experience.networks_topics_all.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Topic metrics | Uses in past 60 days and followers, on the topic detail page | [Topics Overview](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=networks_topics_overview.htm) |
| Automatic assignment | Future articles always; existing only with the option; per site | [Automatic Topic Assignment](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=experience.networks_topics_automatic_topic_assignment.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |

## Check yourself

- Why do articles published after a data category was linked to a navigational topic not appear on it?
- When does the More Topics... link become available?
- Which permissions does merging topics require?
- Why must automatic topic assignment rules be built twice for articles shared by two sites?

## Sources

- [Organize Experience Cloud Sites with Topics](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=networks_topics_overview.htm)
- [Set Up Navigational Topics](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.networks_topics_navigational.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Set Up Featured Topics](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=experience.networks_topics_featured.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Set Up Content Topics](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=experience.networks_topics_content.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Manage Topics in Experience Cloud Sites](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=experience.networks_topics_all.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [See Your Site's Topics and Subtopics in One Place](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=experience.networks_topic_catalog.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Automatically Assign Topics to Articles](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=experience.networks_topics_automatic_topic_assignment.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Enable Salesforce Knowledge in Your Experience Cloud Site](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=experience.networks_knowledge_access.htm&language=en_US&type=5)

## About the full unit

The "Core concepts", "Exam traps" and "Worked scenario" sections of this unit, its 13 linked practice questions, and unlimited timed mock exams are included with the Experience Cloud Consultant pack (USD $19): https://www.certifyforce.com/practice-exams