Pew Research, the World Religion Database, and Gordon-Conwell Seminary's Center for the Study of Global Christianity all publish follower estimates. Pick a primary source for consistency, add a population_source column, and refresh estimates on the source's publishing cycle. For traditions where estimates vary widely, store a range and explain methodology in a notes field. Transparency builds credibility.

Store branches as an array with each entry having a name and an optional URL to a deeper page. For traditions with many denominations (Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism), consider a separate page group for denominations with cross-links back to the parent tradition. The page-group split depends on how much per-denomination detail you want to publish.

Yes. Add a category column distinguishing world religions from indigenous, folk, and new religious movements. The template renders the same fields regardless of category; the distinction helps with navigation and respectful framing. For oral traditions without canonical written texts, the sacred_texts array can be empty and the practices array carries the central content.

Yes. Each URL is added to the SleekRank sitemap. The base template is excluded and noindexed. Submit the sitemap in Search Console and new traditions get crawled within hours of cache flush. Tradition queries reward structured per-page content with demographics, texts, practices, and history.

Use canonical names and provide a brief context column per text. For texts with multiple recognized names across languages (the Quran in Arabic, the Torah in Hebrew), include both. List mapping renders each entry with its name, language origin, and approximate dating. Avoid making theological claims about which texts are authoritative; describe what tradition adherents recognize.

Yes. Add a related_traditions array and a related_texts array per row. For Abrahamic traditions linking to each other, Dharmic traditions cross-referencing, or syncretic relationships, explicit linking helps readers explore the connections. List mapping renders both arrays as structured sections with linked entries.

Use a notes field for plain prose that frames the diversity within the tradition. The template renders the notes section with appropriate context. For very sensitive entries, involve community reviewers from across the tradition and credit them. Editorial humility about diversity within a tradition reads better than false uniformity.

No. Any WordPress theme handles the base template. The tradition template is one page with structured sections (hero, key facts, texts, practices, holidays, branches, citations footer). Editorial themes with good long-form typography suit religious studies content; specialized themes are not required.