Academy · Distribution

Organize Website Widgets with Libraries and Collections

A widget needs a source to pull content from — here's the difference between a Library and a Collection, and when to use each.

Social Media MarketerSocial Commerce Specialist2 min readUpdated Aug 21, 2026

Requires first

Website Widgets covers what a widget is and the two layout styles. This is about the layer underneath: where a widget's content actually comes from, and how to keep that organized as your library grows.

Libraries vs. Collections

  • Libraries — the underlying pools of tracked, shoppable content a widget can draw from. Think of a Library as broad and automatic: it keeps updating as new tagged content comes in.
  • Collections — a curated, hand-picked set on top of one or more Libraries. A Collection doesn't grow on its own; you decide exactly what's in it.

Pro tip

Default to a Library-backed widget when you want it to stay current with minimal upkeep — new shoppable content flows in automatically. Use a Collection when the widget is tied to something specific and finite, like a seasonal campaign or a single product launch, where you don't want new unrelated content appearing in it later.

A practical split

A common pattern for teams running more than one widget:

  • One Library-backed widget on a general shoppable feed page — always fresh, no manual maintenance
  • One or more Collection-backed widgets for specific placements — a product page featuring only content about that product, a campaign landing page featuring only that campaign's content

Note

A Collection is still built from tracked, tagged content — it's a curated subset, not a way to add untracked content to a widget. Everything in a Collection still needs to exist in Content Library and be tagged to a product first (see Content Library: folders, review, and AI scores).

Keeping it maintainable

As your Content Library grows, a Library-backed widget can start surfacing older or lower-quality content simply because it's tagged correctly, even if it's not your best material. Two things help:

  1. Sort by Hook or Product Fit score when building out a Collection, rather than pulling from a Library blind
  2. Revisit Library-backed widgets periodically — a widget that's been live for months benefits from an occasional check against your current best content, not a one-time setup you never look at again

Workflow playbook

Turn top content into a shoppable widget

Take your best-scoring, product-tagged content and put it to work on your own website as a shoppable gallery.

Social Media MarketerSocial Commerce Specialist2 min