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Handle asset replacement

Nick Margaritondo, Jan Cerman

3 minutes

Assets like images, documents, and other media are often reused across various content items. When an asset needs replacing, it can have cascading effects on the content that it’s used in.This cheat sheet explores different options for managing and replacing assets in Kontent.ai to help you choose the approach that best fits your needs and workflow.

Content creators often need efficient methods to update images, documents, or other files without having to manually edit each content item where the asset is used. For example, when marketing materials like logos or banners change, these assets must be updated across all relevant content. This changes the asset URLs, which can break any hard-coded links pointed to the old materials. That’s why it’s necessary to update all content items referencing these materials to ensure consistency and avoid broken links. Having a clear strategy for asset replacement is vital because it helps:

Save time and effort: Avoid the tedious process of updating each content item manually, freeing editors to focus on higher-value tasks.
Maintain brand consistency: Ensure all published content reflects your latest branding and avoid showing outdated materials to your audience.
Preserve link integrity: Prevent broken links by properly managing asset URLs and references.

Choosing the right approach depends on the volume of asset replacements, your need for version control, and the importance of maintaining direct URL links. Each method described below has unique strengths, so weigh these options against your team’s workflow to find the most efficient solution. Use Kontent.ai’s native asset library

to upload new assets. Then manually update each content item that references the original asset and re-publish them to reflect the new asset URLs.

Pros	Cons
Simple and straightforward process No additional setup is required	Assets can’t be edited, they must be re-created Manual updates can be time-consuming, especially in bulk Higher risk of errors No asset versioning

Fast asset replacement, available through Innovation Lab, allows you to replace assets directly in the Kontent.ai asset library. This automatically updates asset references across all content items, without the need to manually republish them.

Pros	Cons
Automatically updates assets and asset links across all content items Eliminates manual republishing of affected content Saves significant time on bulk asset updates	Replacement is immediate and cannot be undone The replaced asset becomes unavailable in the UI but remains available via its original asset URL Comes with certain limitations

Model your assets as content items for more granular control over the asset metadata. Use linked items or rich text elements

Pros	Cons
Changes are versioned and fully trackable Centralized asset management Customize metadata elements in the dedicated asset content type No need for manual updates across multiple referencing items	Adds complexity to content creation Requires creation and maintenance of a dedicated asset content type Requires organizing additional content items to avoid asset duplication

No asset versioning

to include assets in your content items.

Kontent.ai Learn

Approach A: Native asset management

Approach B: Fast asset replacement

Approach C: Assets as content items

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Handle asset replacement | Kontent.ai Learn