---
title: Content areas
slug: cms-saas/docs/content-areas-saas
docTags: 
createdAt: 2026-07-30T20:18:09.000Z
---

`ContentArea` and `ContentAreaItem` (content array or content properties in the integration API) are Optimizely Content Management System (SaaS) properties where you can create local block (component) instances or embed existing content items. You can restrict which content types can be used within a content area. See the [Validation fields](docId\:IIrc48HRxDZe6C7wiVBVT) section in the Content types documentation.

## Index

When a content area is indexed, referenced content is "inlined" into the area, meaning you can query the content area as if it is part of it. The graph schema for a content area property is `[IContent]` and `IContent` for a content area item.

## Query

When querying a content area, the items are typically cast to user-defined content types (you can use the `allowedTypes` field when defining the content area property to specify which content types are allowed to be used within the content area). The following is an example of a query for a content area `MainContentArea` on `StandardPage` that allows `TeaserBlock` and `EditorialBlock` types:

```json
query ExplicitAreaQuery {  
  StandardPage {  
    items {  
      MainContentArea {  
        ... on EditorialBlock {  
          MainBody {  
            html  
          }  
        }  
        ... on TeaserBlock {  
          Heading  
          Text  
          Image {  
            url {  
              default  
            }  
          }  
        }  
      }  
    }  
  }  
}
 
```

## Recursive queries

Depending on how the content type modeling is done, there can be cases where a content type has a content area where the content type itself is allowed. In that case, a query can often be more compact and readable by using a recursive query. See [Recursive queries](docId:3peEweP1FjuUNE_prLNSc) in the Optimizely Graph documentation for information.

Queries can also use fragments to improve readability and reusability. See [Inline fragments for content schema](docId\:a1MiH5FxYff9-5Q4MxnjU) in the Optimizely Graph documentation.

The following example shows a content type `BlockArea` that has a content area property named `Area` (that allows content types `EditorialBlock`, `TeaserBlock`, and `BlockArea`). The property `MainContentArea` on `StandardPage` is configured to allow the same content types.

```json
query RecursiveAreaQuery {  
  StandardPage {  
    items {  
      MainContentArea {  
        ...recursiveArea  
      }  
    }  
  }  
}

fragment recursiveArea on _IContent {  
  ... on AreaBlock {  
    Area @recursive {  
      _metadata {  
        displayName  
      }  
    }  
  }  
  ... on EditorialBlock {  
    MainBody {  
      html  
    }  
  }  
  ... on TeaserBlock {  
    Heading  
    Text  
    Image {  
      url {  
        default  
      }  
    }  
  }  
}
```