Methods for generating content summaries in a web content management service, wherein in one embodiment a digital page editor and a component browser are launched to enable selection of a first content item. A summary of the first content item is automatically generated according to parameters that may have default values or values set by a user. The parameters may specify a size for the summary as a percentage of the first content item's size, as a particular number of lines, characters or words, as a size for a particular type of device, etc. The automatically generated summary is provided to the digital page editor, which can edit it and add it to the digital page. The summary is stored in a content repository as an independent summary content item with its own metadata.