Using a page template

A page template gives you a structure to adapt instead of building every section from scratch. Use this guide to choose a starting design, replace its example content, and understand when a page stays linked to a shared layout.

You need permission to edit pages. For page titles, addresses, and publishing steps, see Creating and publishing a website page. For detailed block and layout controls, see Building a page with the visual editor.

Choose between a starter and a shared template

Cedros offers two different ways to reuse a page design:

• Start from a design adds a starter's sections and sample content to the current page. You edit that copy independently. Changing it does not change the starter or other pages created from it.
• Shared page template links a page to a reusable layout. Each page has its own content fields, while layout and styling come from the shared template. Publishing a template update changes the design of its linked live pages.

Use a starter for a page you want to customize freely. Use a published shared template when your team already has a layout that should stay consistent across several pages, such as service or location pages.

Check the builder's toolbar: Independent page indicates an unlinked page; Shared layout · … identifies a linked one. A page can still use the site's common theme, header, and footer even when its page content is independent.

Adding a starter appends sections. Using a shared template replaces the page's layout and content with template defaults. Choose the appropriate path below before applying either to a page with existing work.

Pick a starting design

Open Site → Pages → New page → Use Page Builder. The empty canvas offers starting designs. They also appear under Add to page → Start from a design.

The standard choices are:

• Product Launch: a hero, features, statistics, and questions and answers. Choose this when you need to introduce an offer and explain its benefits.
• Service Overview: a hero, an approach accordion, benefits, and a carousel of example company names. Choose this when explaining a service and how the work proceeds.
• Proof + FAQ: a hero, statistics, an example company carousel, and questions and answers. Choose this when evidence and common objections are central to the page.

Each of these starters adds four sections. Choose for the structure you need, not the sample claims. You can remove an unsuitable section or add a missing one afterward. Availability can depend on the blocks supported by your page and site.

To inspect a starter without adding it, open its More options menu in the left library and choose View details. Read What it adds and the usage guidance. Close leaves the page unchanged; Add to page inserts the design.

Search blocks… also searches starter names and related terms. Clear the search if the designs disappear from the list.

Add and customize the starter

For a new page:

1. Give the page a useful title and check its address. Keep it as a draft while replacing the sample content.
2. Click the chosen design once on the empty canvas or in the left library. Alternatively, choose Add to page from its details.
3. Check that its sections appear in the canvas. Select the first block to edit it in the inspector on the right.
4. Work through each section, replacing its text, links, repeated items, and any media. Remove sections you cannot fill with useful, accurate content.
5. Open Preview and review the whole page before saving a draft checkpoint.

For example, when adapting Service Overview for a bookkeeping service, select its hero and replace Headline with the service name and outcome, such as “Bookkeeping for independent retailers.” Use Description to explain what is included and who it serves. Set Button text to the intended next step, such as “Request a consultation,” and set Button link to the real destination.

Continue through the approach and benefits sections with your own process and scope. Replace the example company names with appropriate content you can use, or remove that carousel. Keeping an empty or invented proof section makes the page less useful.

Selecting a block edits its content. Selecting the section, or choosing Edit section, gives you layout and background controls. Use the visual-editor guide for columns, width, backgrounds, and safe rearrangement.

Adding a starter does not create a contact page, booking service, product, or working checkout for you. Connect each action to a destination that is already configured and available to visitors.

Replace all sample content

Review every section, including collapsed accordion answers and repeated cards or carousel items. A polished layout can still contain unfinished content.

Before release, check:

• Headlines and descriptions: name the actual product or service, audience, scope, and next step. Remove generic filler.
• Statistics: replace example numbers such as “3x” or “95%” with supported claims and enough context to understand them. Remove the section if you do not have suitable evidence.
• Company names and proof: replace example names such as “Northpoint” and “Lakeside.” Include real client names, logos, or testimonials only when appropriate and permitted.
• Questions and answers: use questions your customers ask. Check operational promises, including response times; sample answers are not your business policy.
• Buttons and links: check both their text and destination. A starter's /contact link only works if that address exists on your site and is available to the visitor. Use a full https:// address for an external destination.
• Media: use the intended assets, supply helpful descriptions where supported, and check cropping and text readability.
• Page details: review the title, address, and SEO fields separately. A starter's hero text does not complete those settings for you.

If you need only one extra element, add the relevant block from Add to page instead of inserting another complete starter.

Add a starter to a page with existing content

Open the page's Visual Builder, then choose a design from Start from a design. Its sections are added after the existing sections. The template's More options → End of page action does the same thing.

The existing sections and their edits remain. Clicking another design adds another set of sections; it does not switch the page to that design or merge matching sections. Repeated clicks can leave duplicate heroes, statistics, or FAQs.

To replace the old design deliberately, first preserve any copy or media references you need. Add the new starter, move the wanted content into it, and review the new sections. Only then remove the obsolete sections using their actions menus and the confirmation shown. Check the section name carefully: deleting a section also removes the blocks inside it.

Do not rely on a general Undo action after a confirmed deletion. If the content was previously saved, revision history can help you review an earlier version.

On an already-published visual page, Save and Save and exit publish the update. Review the entire page first. If you need a private draft while the current page stays live, follow Update a page that is already published.

Use an existing shared template

Follow this path when your team has already created and published a shared layout. It is separate from the three starter designs in the left library.

Applying or reapplying a shared template starts the page's content from that template's defaults. It does not preserve your current text and rearrange it automatically. Copy any unsaved content you need before continuing, or use a new draft page when trying a different layout.

1. Open the page in Visual Builder and select the intended entry under Shared page template.
2. Choose Use template. Entries marked (draft) must be published by the template editor before they can be used.
3. Read Use this shared template? and confirm only when replacing this page's layout and content is intended.
4. Fill in the Page content fields. Expand each content section and complete the available text, images, links, and lists. Fields depend on what the template's author exposed.
5. Check Preview, the page title, address, and SEO, then save and publish the page through its normal release workflow. Applying the template alone does not publish the page.

A linked page lets you edit the content fields the template provides. Layout controls are restricted because the shared design supplies the structure. Edit template opens that shared design; it is not the place to change only this page's text.

Later publication of a shared-template design updates its linked live pages. Each page keeps its own content, and unpublished page-content changes remain unpublished. Coordinate shared design changes with the person responsible for the template. For creation, editable fields, publication impact, and recovery, see Reusing a shared layout across pages.

If this page needs to stop following the shared design, Detach offers Make this page independent?. Confirming Detach page keeps the current design and content on this page and stops future template updates from applying. Review and save the page to keep that choice; remember the Save behavior on a live page.

Preview and verify the finished page

Open Preview and compare Desktop, Tablet, and Mobile Web. Check the complete page, not just the hero:

• Sections read in the intended order, with no duplicate introductions or leftover empty space.
• Every example name, statistic, answer, and link has been replaced, checked, or removed.
• Headings, buttons, cards, and accordion answers remain readable at narrow widths.
• Images and backgrounds crop appropriately, and text has sufficient contrast.
• The primary action leads to the correct page, form, booking flow, or checkout.

The small design illustration in the library shows section structure; it is not a finished preview of your content and theme. Use the actual page preview to judge the result. Use Mobile Web to check the website on a phone.

For an unpublished page, save the draft and generate an up-to-date saved preview for a reviewer. Follow Save the draft and review the page, then Publish and verify the public page. Test the public page as a visitor, including its buttons and connected services.

Fix common template problems

I cannot find a starter. Clear Search blocks… and check that you are editing an independent visual page. A linked page shows Page content instead of the starter library. If a particular design is still unavailable, check whether its required blocks are available on the site; see Why can’t I see or edit a feature?.

The Shared page template list is empty, but starters are visible. These are separate libraries. A site can offer starter designs without any saved shared templates. Use a starter for an independent page, or ask your template editor for the shared layout you need.

Use template is disabled. Select a published shared template, wait for the library to finish loading, and check your edit permission. A draft-only template cannot be applied yet.

The page now contains two designs. Starter insertion appends content. Review the sections, keep the intended version, and remove unwanted sections deliberately. Do not click another starter expecting it to replace the page.

My text changed back to sample content. Check whether you used or reapplied a shared template. That action resets content to its defaults. Preserve other unsaved work before leaving the editor, and inspect an earlier saved page revision when necessary. Selecting the old template again will not restore your previous page-specific values.

I cannot edit a heading or move a section on a linked page. Use Page content for exposed fields. Ask the template editor to expose a missing field or change the shared design. Do not publish a shared layout change just to fix one page's copy.

The result looks different from the library illustration. Check the actual preview, the site's theme, section settings, and your content lengths. A starter supplies editable sections, not a fixed screenshot.

If you still need help, follow Getting help and reporting a problem. Include the page address, template name, whether the toolbar says Independent page or Shared layout, and the exact symptom. Keep private preview links out of public reports.