Getting to Know SharePoint Templates: A Simple Guide

What are SharePoint Templates?

SharePoint templates are ready-made setups that help you quickly create new sites, pages, or document libraries in SharePoint. They come with all the necessary components, such as formatting and structure, pre-arranged to meet specific needs.

Using these templates makes setting up new SharePoint areas faster and ensures that everything looks and works consistently across your organisation.
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"Utilising SharePoint templates not only accelerates the deployment of our projects but also brings a uniform standard to our entire digital workspace, enhancing collaboration and efficiency across the board."

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Types of SharePoint Templates

There are several types of SharePoint templates, each designed for different purposes. Whether you need to launch a new communicate site, create a news post, or organise company documents, there's a template that can help you get started quickly and with less hassle.  

We'll explore how content owners can leverage these templates and show you how to use them effectively in SharePoint - even if you're not very tech-savvy.

Site Pages Templates

‍What are Sites Pages?

Site Pages in SharePoint are essentially web pages that are part of a SharePoint site. They are used to display content, such as text, images and other media, in an organised and interactive way.  

Site Pages can be customised to suit various needs and are typically used to convey information about projects, departments or company policies. They are fundamental for creating and sharing content within an organisation, facilitating communication and collaboration among team members.

‍Why use Site Pages templates

Using Site Pages templates in SharePoint streamlines the process of creating consistent and professional pages across your organisation. These templates not only save time but also ensure that all pages adhere to the same formatting and branding guidelines.  

This consistency enhances the user experience, making information easier to find and understand. Templates also reduce the effort required to set up complex pages, allowing team members to focus more on content than on design.

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‍Types of Site Page Templates

There are two main sources for Site Pages templates. Simply navigate to site Settings and select Apply a site template. Note, you’ll need the appropriate editing permissions to apply templets and create these sites.  ‍

• From Microsoft: Choose from pre-built templates such as standard communication sites, brand hubs, crisis management, department sites, showcase pages, employee onboarding portals or opt for a Blank template.

• From Your Organisation: Create custom templates that reflect unique organisational needs, content structure and branding guidelines.

Practical Uses of Site Page Templates

The company utilises Site Pages to post visually appealing announcements for key company updates, shares departmental news including sales and marketing developments through a Departmental Site, provides concise project overviews to inform stakeholders, and compiles categorised knowledge base articles on essential topics like IT and HR procedures, serving as a dependable resource for employees.
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Page Section Templates

‍What are Sections?

In SharePoint, 'Sections' refer to specific parts of a Site Page that can be individually customised and structured. They are the building blocks of a page, allowing users to organise content in a visually appealing and logical manner. Sections can be made up of various elements such as text, images, links, and other media. They provide the framework within which all page content sits, making it easier to manage and navigate. ‍

Why use Page Section templates?

Using Section Templates in SharePoint is highly beneficial for site owners who want to streamline the process of creating and updating pages. These templates offer pre-designed layouts that save time and effort, allowing you to quickly add structured, consistent sections to your pages without starting from scratch.

Section Templates enable you to focus more on the quality of content rather than the intricacies of layout and formatting.  

This makes them an invaluable tool for any site owner looking to efficiently manage and expand their SharePoint content.

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Accessing Section Templates

If you are a site owner or have editing permissions, accessing Section Templates is straightforward:

1. Start Editing: Click the 'Edit' button on the page where you want to add or modify content.

2. Add a Section: Click the '+' sign to add a new section. Instead of manually configuring the layout with columns, you can select from a range of predefined templates.

3. Choose a Template: Browse through the available Section Templates, which offer various layouts and styles, such as those shown for images and text in different column configurations. Select one that suits your content needs.  

4. Customise: Once a template is added, you can customise it by adding your specific content, such as text, images, and other media.

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News Templates

‍What is a News Post?

News Posts in SharePoint refers to dynamic content used to communicate updates, announcements and stories within an organisation, ensuring team members stay informed and engaged.

Why Use News Templates?

News Templates in SharePoint simplify the creation of informative and visually appealing news posts. They ensure consistency in presentation and formatting across all news communications. By using these templates, you can save time on design and focus on crafting compelling content that keeps your organisation informed and connected.

Types of News Templates:

• Made for Email: These templates are designed to format news as an email, ensuring it looks great on any device. They typically contain fewer web parts to accommodate email constraints.

• Standard: These are versatile templates that include a full range of web parts suitable for general news purposes.

• Saved on This Site: Access custom templates that have been created and saved specifically for your site, allowing for tailored news delivery that aligns with specific organisational needs.

Accessing News Templates

‍To access News Templates, navigate to a site page, click 'New' in the top left corner, and select 'News Post'. From there, you can choose from the available templates or view more options in the templates folder.

Document Library Templates

What is a Document Library?

A Document Library in SharePoint is a central place to store, organise and share documents within your organisation. It supports collaboration by allowing multiple users to work on files simultaneously, manage versions, and control access with specific permissions.  

Unlike traditional folders, Document Libraries offer advanced features such as metadata tagging, custom views and integration with Microsoft 365 apps, making them more flexible and powerful for managing projects, document management and streamlining workflows.  
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Why Use Document Library Templates?

Using Document Library Templates enhances efficiency and organisation in document management. These templates are designed to ensure that documents are easily accessible and well-managed with consistent metadata, versioning and permissions.  

They help in setting up document libraries quickly, tailored to specific needs or projects, saving time and reducing errors in document handling.

Types of Document Library Templates:

• Blank Library: This template offers a basic setup with essential columns like Name, Modified, and Modified By, mirroring the traditional library creation experience.

• From Existing Library: This option allows you to replicate the structure, formatting, metadata, and content types of any accessible document library in a new one, without copying the data.

• From Templates: Enhance your content management with new templates like Media Library, Invoices, and Learning, each equipped with a predefined schema and views. These templates are designed to cater to specific content management needs and can be disabled if not required.

• Flows Packaged into Templates: Certain templates, such as Media Library and Invoices, come with pre-packaged Microsoft Flows. These can be customised or skipped based on your workflow requirements.

Accessing Document Library Templates

‍To use these templates, navigate to the SharePoint site where you wish to create a new document library. Select 'New' and then 'Document Library' from the options. Here, you can choose from the Blank library, From existing library, or specific templates like Invoices, or Org Assets depending on your needs.

This streamlined approach not only facilitates faster setup but also ensures that all document libraries adhere to organisational standards and policies.

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Can You Create Your Own Templates?

Yes, SharePoint allows users to create their own templates, catering to organisations with specific needs that out-of-the-box templates do not address. You can create custom templates by configuring a site, page, or library to meet your exact requirements and then saving these configurations as a template for repeated use.

Additionally, SharePoint supports advanced customisations through the SharePoint Framework (SPFx), enabling developers to employ and develop more sophisticated solutions.

Final Thoughts

SharePoint templates are an invaluable tool for any organisation looking to enhance its content management and collaboration practices.  

By utilising these templates, organisations can significantly reduce the time and resources needed to deploy sites and content, while maintaining a consistent and professional environment.

About Sope

At Sope, we supercharge Australian businesses using SharePoint and Microsoft 365. We have extensive experience helping organisations transition to new technologies. Reach out today for a discovery call to see how we can assist with your move to SharePoint, ensuring a smooth and successful transition.

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