Saving as a template makes a separate copy of the site's current draft that new sites can start from. The original site isn't changed. Use it when you've built a design you want to reuse for other clients in the same trade.
How to save a site as a template
- Open the dialog from either place:
- On Websites, click the template icon on the site's card.
- In the editor, open Settings and choose Save as template.
- Enter a Template name. If you opened the dialog from Websites, the name starts as the site's name followed by "template".
- If the site has collections, choose whether to Include collection items. Untick it to keep just the collection structure.
- Click Save Template.
You'll see "Template saved. Pick it when you create a new Mount Olympus site." on Websites, or "Template saved. It's ready to pick when you create a new site." with an Edit template link in the editor.
The template is saved as an agency template, which only your agency can use. ContentForge staff with the Platform templates permission also see Visibility and can pick Agency template — your agency only or Platform template — every agency. That includes staff working in your agency's account.
What goes into the template
The dialog sums it up: "Includes pages, header and footer, design, fonts, popups, blog layout and site code. Business details are replaced with placeholders. Blog posts, form responses, domains, stats and tracking codes stay with this site." In detail:
- Included: pages, header and footer, design, fonts, popups, blog layout, site code and collections.
- Replaced with placeholders: the client's business details, and forms lose their notification address.
- Languages: the site's other languages (Settings → Languages) and their translations come along, with the placeholders in the translated text too. Translations of the client's Business Info are left out.
- Cleared: SEO fields and the favicon.
- Left with the original site: blog posts, form responses, domains, stats and tracking codes.
- Images aren't duplicated. The template uses the same files.
Using and managing your templates
All your templates are in Custom Assets → Templates, next to the ContentForge templates, with a Custom badge. There you can filter, favorite, rename, tag and delete them. See Use the Templates library.
They also appear on the template step of New site → From template, and Zeus can fill them for a client with Fill with Zeus. See Create a site from a template.
On that step, owners and admins can:
- Edit template (pencil): opens the template in Mount Olympus. Changes affect only new sites made from it later.
- Delete template (bin): removes the template. Sites already made from it aren't affected.
Template sites don't appear on Websites, and they can't be published.
Fill a template with Zeus
Any template can be filled with Zeus. Zeus rewrites all of its text for the client and swaps in the client's photos. See Fill a template with Zeus.
To also get one page per service and per service area, add the Zeus collections. In the editor's Business Text panel, use Add Zeus collections (and Add Zeus text fields if you want Zeus's page copy connected). See Business Info and Business Text. Each template card in the template step shows Fill with Zeus: ready when it has the Services and Service-Area collections, or Fill with Zeus: no service / area pages when it doesn't.
Examples
- A roofing starter: finish one roofer's site, save it as "Roofing — Classic", and start every new roofing client from it.
- Keep the structure, drop the content: untick Include collection items so the template keeps the Services collection layout without the first client's services.
- A Zeus-ready template: add the Zeus collections before saving, so the card shows Fill with Zeus: ready and Zeus can make a page per service and area.
Limits and what it can't do
- The Template name can be up to 100 characters.
- Only a whole site can be saved this way. Header and section templates are saved from the editor's own menus.
- A site with no pages can't be saved as a template.
- Template sites can't be published and don't appear on Websites.
- Editing a template never changes sites already made from it, and editing a site never changes its template.
- Blog posts, form responses, domains, stats, tracking codes and SEO fields aren't copied.
- You can't upload or import a template file; templates are made from sites.
Who can use it
- Agency Owners and Admins with the Mount Olympus tool. Everyone else sees the button grayed out with "Only your agency's owners and admins can create templates."
- Agency templates are seen only by your agency. Platform template — every agency is only for ContentForge staff who have the Platform templates permission. ContentForge turns it on per staff member; it's off by default.
- Client people can't save templates.
Troubleshooting
- The Save as template button is grayed out: you aren't an owner or admin. Ask one to save it, or to change your role.
- "Name is required": type a template name.
- "Name must be 1-100 characters": shorten the name.
- "This is a header or section template, not a site.": you opened a template workspace, not a client site. Open the real site and save from there.
- "This site has no pages to save": add at least a homepage first.
- "Couldn't save the template — nothing was saved. Try again." or "Couldn't save the template": a temporary problem. Try again; nothing was half-saved.
- There's no Visibility choice: that's normal. Your template is saved for your agency. Only ContentForge staff with the Platform templates permission get the choice.
- I can't find my template: it's in Custom Assets → Templates under My templates, not on Websites.