---
title: "How to create and configure a domain group"
date: "2025-01-08T21:48:28+00:00"
summary: "Learn how to create, configure, and manage domain groups for assigning users to specific pages across domains. Step-by-step guide for admins."
image:
type: "page"
url: "/web-governance/how-create-and-configure-domain-group"
id: "dd3503e4-72b2-4bb8-b609-f947329b0b7d"
---

Table of contents will be added

Introduction
------------

A domain group is a subset of pages on a domain that can be defined by an admin user. Groups are defined by rules, for example, page title, URL, and metadata. Users can then be granted different permissions to each domain group. The domain group does not require a new scan. Instead, all of the pages and links from the main domain scan are checked for any matches to the rules within a domain group. They then get assigned to the respective domain group. A page can belong to multiple domain groups, but only if it matches the rules. Domain group matching only applies to the child elements for the page if they match the domain group rules.

This article provides instructions for admin users on how to create groups and assign specific users to groups on one or more domains.

Visit the video walkthrough for step-by-step navigation. 

Create a group
--------------

This section provides instructions for Admins on how to create a domain group.

1.  Navigate to the _Domain Overview_ page.
2.  Click **Action** on the same row as the domain and select **Edit Domain** from the expanded list of options.
    
    The system opens the _Edit domain_ page.
    
    ![The Edit Domain pane.](https://acquia.widen.net/content/dee5ec54-b770-4f6c-9013-184377d12cb0/web/WebGov_EditDomainPage.png?w=720&itok=i-VvpmYt)
    
3.  Click **Groups** on the pane navigation, or scroll down to the _Domain_ _Groups_ section.
4.  In the _Domain Groups_ section, click **Create new group**.
    
    ![The location of the Create New Group button, in the Domain Groups section of the Edit Domain pane.](https://acquia.widen.net/content/f0e9a60d-62ad-4639-8e56-26aa5f3f9928/web/Mon_CreateDomainGroup-CreateNewGroupButton.png?w=720&itok=MkO8JNzi)
    
    The system opens the _Create New Domain Group_ page. The sections below provide instructions on how to fill in the requested information.
    

### Details

This section provides instructions on how to fill in the fields in the _Details_ section of the form.

![The Name field in the Details section of the Create New Domain Group setup page.](https://acquia.widen.net/content/0c7992b6-3b3e-4c35-894c-1fe2bd9c37ca/web/Mon_AdminSettings-CreateNewDomainGroup-DetailsSection.png?w=720&itok=ZAE7LEYG)

1.  Enter a name for the domain group in the _Name_ field (mandatory field).
2.  This is the group name that shows in the domain overview. If you are using an export file from another service, this entry may have the header: “Group Name”.

### Rules

This section provides instructions on how to fill in the fields in the _Rules_ section of the form.

Notes

*   Domain group matching does NOT apply for children elements of a page. So for example, a page _A_ contains pages _B_, _C_ and _D_. But if the domains group rule only matches _A_, then the pages _B_, _C_ and _D_ do not appear on the   
    ​`Inventory > Content > HTML pages/Documents/Images/Inline Images`.   
    For _B_, _C_ or _D_ to appear on the inventory, they also need to match any of the domain group rules.
*   When a page is assigned to a domain group, the relation/information of this specific page (for this example, it is named _A_) is also carried over.   
    For example: The incoming and outgoing links of page _A_ are carried over, and are visible on the _Page details_ list or under `Inventory > Content > Links`. But the images/documents/HTML pages which are found on page _A_ are not necessarily carried over with them. The "children" are only visible on:  
    ​`Inventory > Content > HTML pages/Documents/Images/Inline Images`   
    if they also match the rules of the domain group.
*   PDFs that are not configured properly in the Rules section during domain group setup are still visible on in these places:
    
    *   Page details
    *   `Inventory > Content > Links`
    
    They do not appear on   
    ​`Inventory > Content > Documents`   
    because their own URL does not match the rules of the domain group.
    

1.  Define a rule to determine which pages are included in the scan. If you are working from an export from another service, these entries may have the headers: “Match Conditions”, “Match Type”, and “Included/Excluded”.
2.  Click **\+ Add another rule**. A new row appears.
    *   The first field defines which part of the page you want the rule to match on. Click the drop-down arrow and select a value from the following choices:
    *   **Title:** This is the same as the _Title_ tag on the pages (might also include documents).
    *   **Path**: Enter the path to match.
    *   **URL:** This field matches the URL without the domain and subdomain. For example, if the URL is   
        `​http://www.monsido.com/features/web-accessibility`   
        the URL matches `/features/web-accessibility`.
    *   **Metadata**: This field matches a specific tag and value. For example, the Meta Tag in the example below could be used to define a rule that matches all pages with _robots_ in the META name and _index_ in the content of that META tag:
        
            <meta name="robots" content="index, follow">
        
        Here is an example of the recommended selections to choose for Metatdata groups, as these can be difficult to set up correctly:
        
        *   **Metadata**
            
            _**That**_
            
        *   **is\_exactly**
        *   Freetext
        *   Freetext
            
            _**Is**_
            
        *   **Included**.
    *   **Content**: This field searches for matches on any content in the HTML or Document. This rule type is not enabled by default and it is not necessary under normal circumstances. To enable it, contact the support team.
    *   **Labels**: Select a label to include all domains that have the label.
        
        For more information, visit: [Create and apply labels](/node/58466).
        
3.  **That**: In the second field, click the drop-down arrow and select a value from the following choices:
    *   **Contains**: Matches any place in the match string. For example, if the text to match is "foo" and the rule type is "URL" then this URL:   
        `http://test.com/gofoo/bar` is a match.
    *   **Starts with**: Matches the beginning of the match string. If the text to match is `/foo` and the rule type is `URL`, then a URL like this:   
        `http://test.com/gofoo/bar` is not a match, while:   
        `http://test.com/foog/bar` is a match.
    *   **Ends with**: Matches the end of the match string. If the text to match is `bar` and the rule type is `URL` then a URL like this:   
        `http://test.com/gofoo/bar` is a match, while:   
        `http://test.com/foo/bar/` is not a match.
    *   **Is exactly**: Requires an exact match between the match string and the match text.
    *   **Match (regex)**: Regular expression
        
        In the third field, click on the text box and type in the text to match the rule.
        
    *   **Is**: In the fourth field, click the drop-down arrow and select a value from the following choices:
        *   **Included**
        *   **Excluded**
            
            Note
            
            Exclude takes precedence over include.
            

### Users

This section provides instructions on how to fill in the fields in the _Users_ section of the form.

![The Users section on the  Create New Domain Group page, in the Admin Settings-Edit Domain view.](https://acquia.widen.net/content/2fdb06e1-f89b-4f36-a4d4-80140fc6344a/web/Mon_AdminSettings-EditDomain-CreateNewDomainGroup-Users.png?w=720&itok=sTIaP6oD)

1.  Tick the box for each user to include permissions for:
    *   **Visible:** This user can view group options.
    *   **Send Report**: Users with this permission receive a report for this module after each scan.
    *   **Admin**: Users with this permission can add, edit, and delete group settings.
2.  Click **Save** to save the group, or **X** to exit without saving and return to the _Edit Domain_ window.
    
    A dialog box asks, “_Would you like to update now? Updating groups can take more than 30 minutes. During the operation you will not be able to create and update groups_”. Click **OK** to update the group changes now, or **Cancel** to delay it until the next page scan.
    

For more information, visit [Create and configure users](/node/58526).

Edit a group
------------

This section provides instructions for Admin users on how to edit a group.

1.  Navigate to the _Domain Overview_ page.
2.  Click **Action** on the same row as the domain and select **Edit Domain** from the expanded list of options.
    
    The system opens the _Edit domain_ page.
    
3.  Click **Groups** on the pane navigation, or scroll down to the _Domain_ _Groups_ section.
    
    ![The Edit Domain Groups section on the Edit Domain setup page.](https://acquia.widen.net/content/6c7d310a-1aa8-4670-9c21-3aec0edbc42e/web/WebGov_EditDomain_DomainGroupsSection.png?w=720&itok=wHbyxF01)
    
4.  Click **Action** and then select _Edit_ on the same row as a group.
5.  Edit as needed, the instructions are in the _Create a Group_ section of this document.
6.  Save the changes.
7.  A dialog box requests confirmation. Click **OK** to update the group changes now, or **Cancel** to delay it until the next page scan.

Note

Changes that you make to groups are automatically applied after the next completed scan, whether it is scheduled or on-demand. To update groups without doing a scan, see the next section, _Update Groups_.

Delete a group
--------------

This section provides instructions for Admin users on how to delete a group.

1.  Navigate to the _Domain Overview_ page.
2.  Click **Action** on the same row as the domain with the group you want to delete and select **Edit Domain** from the expanded list of options.
    
    The system opens the _Edit domain_ page.
    
3.  Click **Groups** or scroll down to the _Domain Groups_ section.
    
    ![The Edit Domain Groups section on the Edit Domain setup page.](https://acquia.widen.net/content/6c7d310a-1aa8-4670-9c21-3aec0edbc42e/web/WebGov_EditDomain_DomainGroupsSection.png?w=720&itok=wHbyxF01)
    
4.  Click **Action** on the same row as the domain with the group you want to delete.
5.  Select **Remove group**.
    
    ![The location of the Remove Group option, on the Action menu of the Domain Group section of the Edit Domain page.](https://acquia.widen.net/content/cb1a8146-0ad4-4077-b0ff-2094ce9869f6/web/WebGov_EditDomain-RemoveGroup.png?w=720&itok=RqA0O7HV)
    
6.  A dialog box opens with the text: “Are you sure you want to remove this group?” Click **OK** to approve. The group is gone from the list after the next scan.

Update domain groups
--------------------

This section provides instructions for Admin users on how to update group changes without entering the setup pages. This option updates domain groups without performing a new scan. Any changes that are made appear on the next scheduled or on-demand scan.

1.  Navigate to the _Domain Overview_ page.
2.  Click **Action** on the same row as the domain that contains the group you want to update and select **Update Domain Groups**.
    
    A dialog box informs, “_Updating groups can take more than 30 minutes. During the operation you will not be able to create and update groups_.”
    
3.  In the dialog box, click **Cancel** to cancel the update, or **OK** to continue. The scan identifies the appropriate pages from the current inventory of pages, as identified from the most recent scan.