Experience Cloud Site
An Experience Cloud Site is a single instance of an Experience Cloud deployment: one set of pages, one theme, one URL, one audience.
Definition
An Experience Cloud Site is a single instance of an Experience Cloud deployment: one set of pages, one theme, one URL, one audience. Each site has its own configuration (template, components, navigation, branding) but lives in the same Salesforce org as other sites. A typical company has multiple Experience Cloud sites: one customer help center, one partner portal, one employee learning site. They share the org''s data and users but present completely different branded experiences.
Each Experience Cloud Site corresponds to a Network record in the API (the underlying object that backs the platform''s site abstraction). Site administrators configure sites through Setup, then Digital Experiences, then All Sites. The configuration covers everything: which pages exist, what template they use, who can access them, what URL they live at, what branding they use. Sites are independently activated and deactivated; one site going offline does not affect others.
What makes up an Experience Cloud Site
The site as a complete configuration
An Experience Cloud Site contains: pages (Home, Knowledge, Contact Us), navigation menu, theme (colors, fonts, logo), audiences and targeting rules, login methods (username/password, SSO, social), data sharing (which records flow in), and URL configuration (default Salesforce-hosted URL or custom domain). All of this configuration is per-site; changes to one do not affect others.
Multiple sites per org
A Salesforce org can host multiple Experience Cloud sites. Each site is a discrete deployment with its own template, audience, and URL. Enterprise orgs commonly have 3-10 sites: a public help center on help.acme.com, a partner portal on partners.acme.com, an employee learning site on learn.acme.com, plus marketing microsites for individual campaigns. The same org''s CRM data backs all of them.
The Network record in the API
In Salesforce''s data model, an Experience Cloud Site is a Network record. Network has fields: Name, Status, UrlPathPrefix, OptionsAllowCustomerSettings, OptionsSelfRegistration. Queries like SELECT Id, Name, Status FROM Network return one row per site. The Network record is the API anchor for site-related metadata; many integration patterns reference it.
Site activation and the lifecycle
Sites have lifecycle states: Under Construction (draft), Active (published, accessible to authorized users), Inactive (taken offline). Activation makes the site reachable at its URL; deactivation makes it return a maintenance page. Activation is a per-site flip; multiple sites can be in different states simultaneously.
User licensing per site
External user licenses (Customer Community, Customer Community Plus, Partner Community) determine who can use the site. Each site has a default license type but may admit users from multiple license types if configured. License usage is tracked per site; running out of licenses for a fast-growing site triggers a procurement conversation.
Site-level reporting and analytics
Each Experience Cloud Site has its own analytics: visits, page views, conversion rates, session duration, search queries. The Network Member Login History tracks user logins per site. CRM Analytics dashboards can blend these metrics for cross-site reporting in enterprises with multiple sites.
Multi-site customization and shared components
Lightning Web Components used in Experience Cloud Sites can be shared across multiple sites in the same org. The site-specific configuration (audience targeting, theme) overrides the component''s default behavior; the underlying component code is shared. This is how enterprises manage 10 sites without copy-pasting LWC code into each.
How to create and configure an Experience Cloud Site
Creating an Experience Cloud Site takes about 30 minutes for the basic configuration. The work continues as you customize pages, set up audiences, configure SSO, and prepare for launch.
- Open All Sites and create a new site
Setup, then Digital Experiences, then All Sites, then New. Pick a template (Customer Service, Partner Central, Build Your Own LWR, or a Salesforce-curated template).
- Name the site and assign a URL slug
Give the site a name and a URL path prefix. The URL becomes part of the site''s default address: your-domain.my.site.com/your-prefix. Custom domains can be configured later.
- Open Workspaces and configure foundational settings
From the All Sites list, click Workspaces next to your new site. Configure administration settings: profiles with access, sharing rules, login options, gamification, and so on.
- Build pages in Experience Builder
Open Experience Builder from Workspaces. Customize pages, drag components, set the theme. Save drafts as you go.
- Configure audience targeting and content visibility
Define audiences and apply them to components. Set what authenticated versus anonymous users see. Test in Preview Mode as different user types.
- Activate the site
In Workspaces, click Activate. The site goes live at its assigned URL. Visitors with the right access can now reach it.
The internal label for the site. Used in Setup and reports.
The URL suffix where the site lives. Permanent once set.
Customer Service, Partner Central, Build Your Own LWR, or other Salesforce-curated template.
Under Construction, Active, or Inactive. Determines whether visitors can reach the site.
- Each site has its own license requirement. External user licenses (Customer Community, Partner Community) are bought separately from internal Salesforce licenses.
- Custom domain DNS changes can take hours to propagate. Schedule the cutover during low-traffic windows.
- Site activation is reversible but visible to users. Deactivating mid-day takes the site offline immediately.
- Sites share the org''s data model but display selectively. A customer at site A and a partner at site B see different views of the same Account record based on sharing and field-level security.
Trust & references
Straight from the source - Salesforce's reference material on Experience Cloud Site.
- Experience Cloud Sites OverviewSalesforce Help
- Create an Experience Cloud SiteSalesforce Help
About the Author
Dipojjal Chakrabarti is a B2C Solution Architect with 29 Salesforce certifications and over 13 years in the Salesforce ecosystem. He runs salesforcedictionary.com to help admins, developers, architects, and cert/interview candidates sharpen their fundamentals. More about Dipojjal.
Test your knowledge
Q1. What is an Experience Cloud Site?
Q2. What older Salesforce term does Experience Cloud Site replace?
Q3. What's a common type of Experience Cloud Site?
Discussion
Loading discussion…