Templates are reusable page structures that define the shared layout for multiple pages across your website. Instead of manually configuring the same header, footer, and sidebar on every individual page, you build a template once. Any updates you make to that template automatically cascade to all referenced pages, ensuring a consistent experience for your visitors while saving you hours of repetitive work.

Why templates matter

Updates apply instantly

Because pages reference templates instead of copying them, your changes propagate instantly. When you save a template, every page using it updates on the live website automatically—no need to republish individual pages.

The Templates List

When you open Website > Templates, you'll see a complete directory of your existing templates organized in a central table.

Giant Context CMS Templates view displaying the table with Name, Edit, and Delete columns, search bar, and pagination controls.

Templates Dashboard

Manage your reusable page structures from a centralized list.

Creating a new template

Visual Editor

Clicking 'Create' drops you directly into the template editor, where you can immediately start arranging placeholder blocks and building out your shared layout structure.

How templates work

Think of a template as the structural frame for your website's content. It controls exactly what appears above, below, and beside your main content area, while individual pages simply fill in the middle.

You build these reusable layouts by arranging special placeholder blocks directly within the visual editor. This ensures a consistent experience across your site without the repetitive work of rebuilding layouts page by page.

Most templates follow a familiar top-to-bottom structure: a header section at the top for navigation, a body section in the middle for the unique page content, and a footer section at the bottom.

However, templates are flexible enough to handle specialized designs. A more complex layout might use a two-column structure, placing a sidebar beside the body to surface related links and categories. Conversely, a minimal landing page template might skip the footer entirely to keep visitors focused on a single call to action.

The template editor

Building templates uses the exact same visual editor you already use for pages, headers, and footers. This familiar interface is divided into three main areas to help you construct and preview your shared layouts efficiently.

Giant Context Website Template editor showing the canvas, block panel, layers panel, and top toolbar with language selector and save button.

Visual Template Editor

Build your shared layouts using the visual template editor. Arrange placeholder blocks on the canvas, manage your layers, and easily switch between languages using the top toolbar before saving your changes.

How pages reference templates

What happens when you change a template

Deleting a template

If you delete a template that is currently in use, any associated pages immediately lose their structural foundation. Without that shared layout, those pages will render as plain content—missing their header, footer, and sidebar. To restore their full appearance, you must either assign them to a new template or manually configure their layout elements individually.

Tips for Using Templates Effectively

Common Questions & Troubleshooting

Those pages will lose their template association and render without the template's header, footer, and sidebar until you assign a new template or set those elements directly.

This is usually a conflict between direct and template assignments. If a page uses a template, the template's header applies automatically. However, if the page's direct Header setting is set to "None", it will override the template. Check the Design tab in page settings.

Safely Testing Template Changes

Because templates are referenced live, changes propagate immediately to all pages using them. Before saving a template change, preview a few of those pages to make sure the layout looks right everywhere. For major structural changes, it is safer to create a new template rather than modifying an existing one.

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Website Templates