Creating a SharePoint template site can significantly streamline your team's workflow, ensuring consistency and saving valuable time. In this comprehensive guide, we'll walk you through the process of creating a SharePoint template site, step by step, so you can empower your organization with standardized and reusable site designs.

Understanding SharePoint Template Sites

Before we dive into the creation process, let's clarify what a SharePoint template site is and why it's beneficial. A SharePoint template site is essentially a pre-configured website with specific lists, libraries, pages, workflows, and other customizations. Think of it as a blueprint that you can use to quickly create new sites with a consistent structure and set of features. This is especially useful when you need to create multiple sites for different projects, departments, or teams, each requiring a similar setup.

Why Use SharePoint Template Sites?

• Consistency: Ensures that all sites created from the template have the same look and feel, branding, and structure.
• Efficiency: Saves time and effort by eliminating the need to manually configure each new site from scratch.
• Standardization: Enforces organizational standards and best practices across all sites.
• Scalability: Makes it easy to create and deploy new sites as your organization grows.
• Reduced Errors: Minimizes the risk of configuration errors that can occur when setting up sites manually.

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a SharePoint Template Site

Here's a detailed guide to creating your SharePoint template site. Follow these steps carefully to ensure a smooth and successful process.

Step 1: Plan Your Template Site

Before you start building anything, take some time to plan your template site. This is a crucial step that will save you a lot of headaches later on. Ask yourself the following questions:

• What is the purpose of the sites that will be created from this template? Understanding the purpose will help you determine the necessary features and content.
• What lists and libraries will be needed? Identify the key lists and libraries that will be used in the new sites. Consider things like document libraries, task lists, calendars, and announcements.
• What pages should be included? Plan the structure and content of the pages that will be part of the template. This might include a homepage, contact page, project overview page, or team collaboration page.
• What workflows or apps should be included? If you need to automate certain processes, consider adding workflows or apps to your template.
• What branding and customization should be applied? Decide on the colors, fonts, logos, and other design elements that will be used to brand the sites.

By answering these questions, you'll have a clear roadmap for building your template site.

Step 2: Create a New SharePoint Site

Now that you have a plan, it's time to create a new SharePoint site that will serve as the basis for your template. Here’s how:

1. Navigate to your SharePoint admin center. You'll need to have admin privileges to create new sites.
2. Click on "Sites" and then "Active sites." This will take you to the list of all active SharePoint sites in your organization.
3. Click on "Create." A panel will appear on the right side of the screen, asking you to choose a site type.
4. Choose either "Team site (without Microsoft 365 Group)" or "Communication site." The choice depends on the purpose of the sites you'll be creating from the template. Team sites are ideal for collaboration within a team, while communication sites are better for sharing information with a wider audience.
5. Enter a site name and description. Choose a name that clearly identifies the site as a template (e.g., "Project Site Template").
6. Choose a URL for the site. This will be the address that users will use to access the site.
7. Select the language for the site.
8. Click "Next."
9. Add owners and members to the site. You'll need to add at least one owner to manage the site.
10. Click "Finish." SharePoint will create the new site, which you can then customize.

Step 3: Customize Your Template Site

This is where the real magic happens. Now you need to customize your new SharePoint site to include all the elements you planned in Step 1. Here are some of the things you can customize:

• Lists and Libraries:

  • Create the lists and libraries that you identified in your plan. For example, you might create a document library for storing project files, a task list for tracking tasks, and a calendar for scheduling meetings.
  • Customize the columns and views in each list and library to display the information you need.
  • Add sample content to the lists and libraries to give users an idea of how they should be used.

• Pages:

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  • Create the pages that you planned, such as a homepage, contact page, and project overview page.
  • Add web parts to the pages to display information, such as news, announcements, and documents.
  • Customize the layout and design of the pages to match your branding.

• Workflows and Apps:

  • Add any workflows or apps that you need to automate processes. For example, you might add a workflow to automatically assign tasks when a new document is uploaded, or an app to track project progress.
  • Configure the workflows and apps to meet your specific requirements.

• Branding and Customization:

  • Customize the site's theme, colors, fonts, and logo to match your organization's branding.
  • Add custom CSS or JavaScript to further customize the look and feel of the site.
  • Configure the site's navigation to make it easy for users to find what they need.

Tips for Customization:

• Use Site Columns: Create site columns for commonly used metadata. This ensures consistency across all lists and libraries in your site.
• Leverage Content Types: Use content types to define the types of content that can be stored in your lists and libraries. This helps to enforce consistency and makes it easier to manage your content.
• Utilize Web Parts: Take advantage of the many web parts available in SharePoint to display information and functionality on your pages.
• Keep it Simple: Avoid adding unnecessary complexity to your template site. The simpler it is, the easier it will be for users to understand and use.

Step 4: Save the Site as a Template

Once you're happy with your customized site, it's time to save it as a template. Here's how:

1. Navigate to the Site Settings page. You can find this by clicking on the gear icon in the top right corner of the site and then clicking on "Site information" and then "View all site settings".
2. Under "Site Actions," click on "Save site as template."
3. Enter a file name for the template. This is the name that will be displayed when you create new sites from the template.
4. Enter a template name. This is the internal name of the template.
5. Enter a description for the template. This will help users understand what the template is for.
6. Choose whether to include content in the template. If you include content, the lists and libraries in the new sites will be pre-populated with the content from the template. If you don't include content, the lists and libraries will be empty.
7. Click "OK." SharePoint will save the site as a template and store it in the Solutions Gallery.

Step 5: Activate the Template

Before you can use the template to create new sites, you need to activate it. Here's how:

1. Navigate to the Solutions Gallery. You can find this by going to the Site Settings page and then clicking on "Solutions" under "Web Designer Galleries."
2. Find the template that you just saved.
3. Click on the template to select it.
4. Click on the "Activate" button. SharePoint will activate the template, making it available for use.

Step 6: Create a New Site from the Template

Now that the template is activated, you can use it to create new sites. Here's how:

1. Navigate to your SharePoint admin center.
2. Click on "Sites" and then "Active sites."
3. Click on "Create."
4. Click on the "More templates" tab.
5. Find the template that you created. It will be listed under the "Custom" category.
6. Select the template and click "Use template."
7. Enter a site name and description.
8. Choose a URL for the site.
9. Select the language for the site.
10. Click "Next."
11. Add owners and members to the site.
12. Click "Finish." SharePoint will create the new site based on the template.

Best Practices for Managing SharePoint Template Sites

To ensure that your SharePoint template sites remain effective and up-to-date, follow these best practices:

• Regularly Review and Update Templates: As your organization's needs evolve, make sure to review and update your templates to reflect those changes. This might involve adding new features, modifying existing ones, or updating the branding.
• Document Your Templates: Create detailed documentation for each template, explaining its purpose, features, and how to use it. This will help users understand how to get the most out of the templates.
• Control Access to Templates: Limit access to the Solutions Gallery to only those users who need to manage the templates. This will help to prevent accidental changes or deletions.
• Use Version Control: Implement version control for your templates so that you can track changes and revert to previous versions if necessary.
• Train Users on How to Use Templates: Provide training to users on how to create new sites from templates and how to use the features included in the templates.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Here are some common issues that you might encounter when creating or using SharePoint template sites, along with potential solutions:

• Template Not Appearing in the List: Make sure that the template has been activated in the Solutions Gallery. Also, check that you have the necessary permissions to access the template.
• Errors When Creating a Site from the Template: This could be due to a variety of factors, such as missing dependencies or incorrect configuration settings. Check the SharePoint logs for more information about the error.
• Content Not Displaying Correctly: Make sure that the content types and site columns used in the template are properly configured. Also, check that the web parts on the pages are configured correctly.
• Branding Not Applied Correctly: Check that the theme, colors, fonts, and logo are correctly configured in the template. Also, check that any custom CSS or JavaScript is working properly.

Conclusion

Creating a SharePoint template site is a powerful way to streamline your team's workflow, ensure consistency, and save time. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can create standardized and reusable site designs that empower your organization to work more efficiently and effectively. So, go ahead and start planning your first template site today! Good luck, and remember to regularly review and update your templates to keep them aligned with your organization's evolving needs. Happy templating!