Most knowledge bases don't fail because of the software. They fail because every article looks different. One author writes a wall of text, the next writes three bullet points, and a third buries the answer below two paragraphs of background. Readers stop trusting the search results and open a ticket instead.
A small set of templates fixes most of that. We at eniston recommend four article types that cover nearly everything a help center or internal wiki needs: how-to guides, troubleshooting articles, FAQ pages and reference articles. Below you'll find each knowledge base article template in plain Markdown so you can copy and paste it, followed by a short worked example.
If you're still planning categories and the first article backlog, start with our guide on how to create a knowledge base. This article picks up where that one ends: the writing itself.
Before the templates, a few rules that make any article easier to use:
One article, one job. If the title needs an "and", split it into two articles.
Answer first. Put the outcome or the short answer in the first two sentences. Background goes below.
Use the reader's words. Title articles the way people search: "Reset your password", not "Credential management".
Numbered steps for sequences, bullets for options. Don't mix them.
One action per step. "Click Save" and "Check the confirmation email" are two steps.
Keep an owner and a review date. Every article should have someone responsible for keeping it correct.
How-to articles walk the reader through a task from start to finish. They are the backbone of most help centers.
# [Verb] + [object], e.g. "Export your invoices"
[One or two sentences: what the reader will achieve
and when they need this.]
## Before you start
- [Required role or permission]
- [Plan, setting or file they need]
## Steps
1. [Open / go to ...]
2. [Click / select ...]
3. [Enter / choose ...]
4. [Save / confirm ...]
## Result
[What the reader should see when it worked.]
## Next steps
- [Link to the logical follow-up article]
## Related articles
- [Link]
- [Link]Here's how the template looks for a fictional invoicing app:
Title: Export your invoices as a CSV file
Intro: Export all invoices for a date range, for example to send them to your accountant at the end of the quarter.
Before you start: You need the Admin or Accounting role.
Steps: 1. Go to Invoices. 2. Click Export in the top right corner. 3. Choose the date range. 4. Select CSV as the format. 5. Click Download.
Result: A file named invoices-[date].csv is saved to your downloads folder.
Next steps: Import invoices into your accounting software.
Related articles: Filter invoices by status; Change your invoice number format.
A screenshot after step 2 helps, because that is where readers usually get lost. You rarely need one for every step.
Troubleshooting articles start from a symptom, not a feature. The reader arrives frustrated and wants the fix, so the structure moves from the most likely cause to the least likely one. For the broader idea behind troubleshooting content, see our earlier post on why you need a troubleshooting guide and how to create one.
# [Symptom as the user describes it],
# e.g. "Emails are not arriving"
[One sentence: who this affects and
what the article helps with.]
## Quick fix
[The solution that works in most cases,
in one to three steps.]
## Cause 1: [Most likely cause]
How to check: [What to look at]
How to fix:
1. [Step]
2. [Step]
## Cause 2: [Next most likely cause]
How to check: [What to look at]
How to fix:
1. [Step]
2. [Step]
## Still not working?
[What to include when contacting support:
error message, screenshot, time, browser.]
## Related articles
- [Link]Title: Invoice emails are not reaching my customers
Intro: Your customers say they never received an invoice you sent. This article covers the three most common reasons.
Quick fix: Ask the customer to check their spam folder and to add your sender address to their contacts.
Cause 1: Wrong email address. How to check: open the customer record and compare the address with the one the customer gave you. How to fix: correct the address and resend the invoice.
Cause 2: The email was blocked by the recipient's server. How to check: look at the delivery status in the invoice history. How to fix: ask the customer to allow your sending domain, then resend.
Cause 3: Sending domain not verified. How to check: open the email settings and look for a warning. How to fix: add the DNS records shown in the settings.
Still not working? Contact support with the invoice number, the recipient address and the time you sent it.
Name the article after the symptom, not the cause. Nobody searches for "SPF record misconfiguration", but plenty of people search for "invoice email not received".
FAQ pages collect short answers that don't justify a full article. The risk is that they turn into a dumping ground. Keep each FAQ page to one topic, such as billing or security, and keep every answer short. If an answer needs steps, write a how-to article and link to it.
# [Topic] FAQ, e.g. "Billing FAQ"
[One sentence: what this page covers and
where to find the rest.]
## [Question, phrased like the reader asks it]?
[Direct answer in one to three sentences.]
[Optional link: "Step-by-step: <article>"]
## [Question]?
[Answer.]
## [Question]?
[Answer.]
## Didn't find your question?
[Link to search, contact page or support.]Title: Billing FAQ
Intro: Answers to common questions about plans, invoices and payments. For step-by-step guides, see the Account and billing category.
Can I change my plan later? Yes. You can upgrade or downgrade at any time in the billing settings. Changes apply from the next billing period.
Where can I find my invoices? All invoices are listed under Settings > Billing. Step-by-step: Download your invoices.
Which payment methods do you accept? Credit card and SEPA direct debit.
Didn't find your question? Use the search at the top of the page or contact our support team.
If your knowledge base editor supports accordions, an FAQ page is a good place to use them. Readers scan the questions and open only the one they need.
Reference articles explain what something is: a setting, a role, a status, a term. They keep your how-to articles short, because those can link here instead of explaining every option.
# [Concept or setting], e.g. "User roles"
[One-sentence definition in plain language.]
## When it matters
[Situations where the reader needs this.]
## Options / values
- **[Option 1]:** [What it does]
- **[Option 2]:** [What it does]
- **[Option 3]:** [What it does]
## Example
[A short, concrete scenario.]
## Limits and notes
- [Known limitation or edge case]
## Related articles
- [How-to article that uses this concept]Title: Invoice statuses explained
Definition: Every invoice has a status that shows where it is in the payment process.
When it matters: When you filter invoices, send reminders or reconcile payments.
Options: Draft (not sent yet, can be edited); Sent (delivered to the customer, waiting for payment); Overdue (past the due date and not paid); Paid (payment received and recorded).
Example: An invoice sent on 1 March with 14-day payment terms changes from Sent to Overdue on 15 March if no payment is recorded.
Limits and notes: Paid invoices can't be edited. Create a credit note instead.
Related articles: Send a payment reminder; Record a manual payment.
Templates only help if people use them. A few habits make that easier:
Store the templates where authors write. Keep them as an internal article in your knowledge base, so authors can copy the structure without searching through shared drives.
Match categories to article types. A "Troubleshooting" category full of symptom-titled articles is easier to browse than a mix of everything.
Use links generously. Every how-to should point to the reference article that explains its settings, and every troubleshooting article should link to the how-to that fixes the cause.
Ask readers for feedback. A simple "Was this article helpful?" rating at the end shows you which articles need work.
Review the weakest articles first. Articles with many views and poor ratings are the best place to start.
In eniston, these parts of the templates map to features you already have. The rich text editor supports headings, lists, images, videos, tables, code blocks and accordions, so every template above can be rebuilt one to one. You can link to your own articles directly from the editor, set related articles per article, and let readers rate how helpful an article was. Article statistics show which articles are visited most and how helpful they are. And if an edit goes wrong, the version history keeps the 20 latest saved versions of a published article so you can restore an earlier one.
To draft faster, the optional Enhanced add-on adds an AI assistant to the editor. Our post on crafting a knowledge base with AI assistance covers that workflow. A draft that has to fit a fixed template is also much easier to review.
Agencies that write documentation for several clients can reuse the same four templates across every client workspace. We describe that setup in how agencies can run a separate help center for every client.
Four templates cover almost every article a knowledge base needs: how-to guides for tasks, troubleshooting articles for symptoms, FAQ pages for short answers and reference articles for concepts. Copy the Markdown above, adapt the headings to your product, and agree on them with everyone who writes. Consistent articles are easier to write, review and trust.
If you'd like to try the templates in a live knowledge base, start your free 30-day trial. No payment information is required. Our plans are flat, with no per-user fees: Plus at €8 per month and Business at €28 per month (excl. VAT). See pricing for details.
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