An MLA website citation lists author, page title, site name, publisher, date, and URL in a Works Cited entry.
You found a webpage, you quoted a line, and now the citation part hits. A clean MLA website citation does two things: it credits the source and it shows you followed the format your teacher expects. This page gives you a repeatable way to build an MLA Works Cited entry for a website, plus in-text citations that match.
You’ll see the pieces MLA wants, the order they go in, and quick fixes for the stuff that trips people up: missing authors, no dates, group authors, pages tucked inside a big site, and pages that change after you visited.
Website Citation Parts In MLA At A Glance
| Situation | What Your Works Cited Entry Needs | Small Detail To Watch |
|---|---|---|
| Named author on page | Author, “Page Title,” Site Name, Publisher, Date, URL | Author is Last, First |
| Organization as author | Group Name, “Page Title,” Site Name, Publisher, Date, URL | Use the name shown on the page |
| No author listed | “Page Title,” Site Name, Publisher, Date, URL | Start with the title |
| No publication date | Author/Title, “Page Title,” Site Name, Publisher, URL | Add Accessed date if needed |
| Same site as publisher | Author/Title, “Page Title,” Site Name, Date, URL | Skip publisher if it repeats |
| Page shows “Updated” | Use the most recent posted/updated date shown | Match what the page displays |
| Page is part of an online journal | Author, “Page Title,” Journal Name, vol/issue, Date, URL | Periodical rules may replace site rules |
| PDF on a website | Author, PDF Title, Site Name, Date, URL | Use the PDF’s title page first |
How MLA Wants A Website Works Cited Entry Built
MLA treats a web page as a page inside a bigger site. You don’t need the jargon, just the sequence. Start with the creator, then the page, then the site, then the publishing facts, then the link.
Step 1: Grab The Creator Name
If the page shows a person, write the name as Last, First. If the page is clearly written by a group, use the organization name as printed. If you can’t find any creator, skip this piece and begin with the page title.
Step 2: Copy The Webpage Title
Put the page title in quotation marks. Keep the same capitalization you see on the page. If the title ends with a question mark, keep it.
Step 3: Add The Website Name
The website name is the broader home for the page, like “BBC News” or “National Park Service.” It’s usually in the header, the logo area, or the page footer. In MLA, the site name is italicized.
Step 4: List The Publisher Only When It Differs
When the publisher and the site name match, MLA says to skip the publisher to avoid repetition. When they differ, include the publisher in plain text after the site name.
Step 5: Use The Date The Page Gives You
Look for “Published,” “Updated,” or a date near the title. MLA prefers day-month-year when the day is shown (15 Mar. 2024). If there’s no date, leave it out and decide if an access date will help.
Step 6: Finish With The URL
Many instructors accept the full link with https. Pick one approach and stay consistent across your Works Cited page. Don’t end the URL with a period if it looks like part of the link.
Cite Website Mla Example For A Standard Webpage
Use this pattern, then swap in the fields from your page. If you need a cite website mla example you can trust, start here.
Works Cited pattern: Lastname, Firstname. “Page Title.” Website Name, Publisher, Day Mon. Year, URL.
In-text pattern: (Lastname) or (Lastname Page#) if a page number exists on the page itself.
Most web pages don’t have page numbers, so the in-text citation is usually the author’s last name. If you named the author in your sentence, you can skip the parenthetical.
Cite Website Mla Example When There’s No Author
When there’s no author, MLA starts the Works Cited entry with the page title. Your in-text citation uses a short version of that title in quotation marks.
Works Cited pattern: “Page Title.” Website Name, Publisher, Day Mon. Year, URL.
In-text pattern: (“Short Page Title”)
Citing A Website In MLA Style By Page Type
Not every “website” source is a normal article page. A policy page, a data table, a blog post, and a streaming page can all live on the same domain. The citation order stays the same, yet the details you pull change a bit.
News Or Magazine Article Hosted Online
If the page is part of a publication with volume, issue, or section details, treat it as an article in an online periodical. Use the publication’s rules, then end with the URL.
Government Or School Webpages
For agencies and universities, the group name often acts as author and publisher. If the site name and publisher repeat, drop the publisher and keep the rest.
Online Reports And PDFs
Many reports are PDFs posted on a site. Use the report’s title (italicized), then the site name that hosts it, then the date, then the URL. If the PDF has stable page numbers, cite them in your in-text citations.
Blog Posts On A Larger Site
Blog posts still count as web pages. Use the post title in quotation marks, the site name in italics, and the post date shown on the page. If the author is a handle, keep it as printed.
Quick Checks That Prevent Citation Slipups
Most point losses come from tiny details. Run these checks before you submit.
- Title punctuation: Webpage titles go in quotation marks. Site names get italics.
- Comma rhythm: MLA uses commas between parts. Don’t swap them for dashes.
- Date style: If you have a full date, use day-month-year with an abbreviated month (7 Oct. 2023).
- Publisher repeats: If the publisher name matches the site name, skip it.
- URLs and tracking: Trim obvious tracking strings when you can, like “?utm_source=”.
- Access dates: Add “Accessed Day Mon. Year” when pages change often or when there’s no date.
If you want an official reference while you format, the MLA Works Cited quick guide shows the same container order used above.
When To Add An Access Date In MLA
MLA leaves access dates optional in many cases, yet they help when a page changes, when there’s no posted date, or when you’re citing a dashboard that updates behind the scenes. If you add one, place it at the end: “Accessed 19 Dec. 2025.”
Ask one simple question: could a reader click your link next month and see different content? If yes, adding an access date is a smart move.
Handling Missing Pieces Without Stress
Real web pages are messy. One page has a byline, the next has none. One shows “Updated,” the next hides dates in a footer. The goal isn’t a perfect page, it’s a citation a reader can verify.
Multiple Authors On One Page
If a page lists two authors, write both in the Works Cited entry, in the order shown. For three or more, MLA uses the first author followed by “et al.” In-text citations follow the same idea: (Lastname et al.).
No Publisher Or A Confusing Footer
If you can’t tell who publishes the site, you can often skip the publisher and rely on the site name. Watch for footers packed with legal names that don’t match the content you used. Pick the entity that owns the page, not the brand list.
Also, don’t panic about long URLs. You can remove tracking text after a question mark when it doesn’t change the page. Test the cleaned link in a tab. If it still lands on the page, you’re good.
Templates You Can Copy Without Guesswork
Use the table below as a fill-in system. Keep the punctuation exactly as shown, then swap the fields.
| Source Type | Works Cited Template | In-Text Template |
|---|---|---|
| Standard webpage | Lastname, Firstname. “Page Title.” Site Name, Publisher, Day Mon. Year, URL. | (Lastname) |
| No author webpage | “Page Title.” Site Name, Publisher, Day Mon. Year, URL. | (“Short Page Title”) |
| Group author | Organization. “Page Title.” Site Name, Publisher, Day Mon. Year, URL. | (Organization) |
| Webpage with no date | Lastname, Firstname. “Page Title.” Site Name, Publisher, URL. Accessed Day Mon. Year. | (Lastname) |
| PDF report on a site | Lastname, Firstname. Report Title. Site Name, Day Mon. Year, URL. | (Lastname Page#) |
| Online video page | “Video Title.” Site Name, uploaded by Creator, Day Mon. Year, URL. | (“Short Video Title”) |
In-Text Citations That Match Your Works Cited
MLA in-text citations point to the first word of the Works Cited entry. If your Works Cited entry starts with a person’s last name, your in-text citation uses that last name. If it starts with a page title, your in-text citation uses a short title.
When you quote, place the parenthetical right after the quote and before the period. When you paraphrase, put it at the end of the sentence that carries the borrowed idea.
Quoting A Webpage
Web pages rarely offer page numbers. If you can cite a section heading, name that heading in your sentence, then use the author or short title in parentheses.
Paraphrasing A Webpage
If your whole sentence is a paraphrase, add the in-text citation once at the end. If you keep pulling ideas from the same source across a paragraph, mention the author or title early, then use parentheses when the reader might lose track.
Formatting Your Works Cited Page In WordPress
WordPress editors can mangle spacing when you paste from a doc. Paste as text. MLA expects double spacing and a hanging indent. If your theme can’t do hanging indents, keep one paragraph per entry and don’t alter punctuation.
For a second trusted reference, Purdue’s OWL page on MLA electronic sources lists common web patterns and where each part goes.
A Simple Routine For Every New Source
- Open the page and scan for author, site name, and date.
- Copy the page title from the tab or the page header.
- Copy the cleanest URL you can get without tracking.
- Build the Works Cited entry using the patterns above.
- Match the in-text citation to the first word of that entry.
- Do a final punctuation pass before you submit.
After a few rounds, the format stops feeling like guesswork. You’re filling the same slots in the same order, and your reader can follow your trail back to the source. That’s the whole cite website mla example habit.