An easy way to create a master template is to copy the existing ESS sample site and customize it to suit your own needs. You can also configure a master template from scratch.

1. Design a layout.
   Regardless of the interface, a site can be distilled into a few simple layouts.
2. Create a theme.
   The theme defines the structure of the layouts in CSS and the base styles, such as fonts and colors. For more information, see Design themes.
3. Build the common blocks.
   Pages are composed of content blocks. Most content blocks are reused on multiple pages. For the master template, build basic blocks such as a header, side navigation, and some basic content for the main content area of the page. More detailed content can be added later, but define content for reuse on many of the site pages here. For more information, see Content blocks.
4. Build a site entry page.
   Use the common content blocks you just created to design the first page that users see when they enter the site. For more information, see Create a content page.
5. Build a detail page.
   Design the detail pages to determine how pages such as knowledge articles, catalog items, and search results are displayed. You can build a detail page by copying the site entry page and adding additional content blocks. For more information, see Copy a page.
6. Assign the pages created to the new site.
   Create the site and apply the layout and theme to the site defaults. Then, navigate to the All Pages list and specify the master template site in the Site column for each of the master template pages. For more information, see Create a site.