Content blocks — reusable snippets

Ref: C14 · Track: Knowledge Base Admin · Time to complete: ~3 min

Why this matters

Your pricing changes. You've mentioned pricing in 40 articles. Without content blocks, that's a 40-article edit. With content blocks, it's a one-block edit that propagates everywhere.

Content blocks are Zendesk's answer to "don't write the same paragraph twice".

What a content block is

A named, reusable chunk of content that you write once and insert into any number of articles. When the block is edited, every article using it updates the next time it's loaded.

Good candidates: - Pricing / plan tier descriptions. - Standard disclaimers ("This feature is available on Enterprise plans and above"). - Contact details — support hours, regional phone numbers. - Callouts for deprecated features. - Warnings that apply to a set of articles (e.g. "This requires admin permissions").

Creating a content block

In Guide admin → Content blocks:

1. Click Add block.
2. Name it meaningfully (e.g. pricing-tier-enterprise, deprecation-notice-v1-api).
3. Write the content in the editor — text, links, lists, embedded images.
4. Save.

The block is now available to insert anywhere.

Using a block in an article

In the article editor:

1. Place your cursor where the block should appear.
2. Use Insert → Content block.
3. Pick the block by name.
4. The block renders inline. You can't edit it here — only in the block's own editor.
5. Save and publish the article.

Updating a block

Edit the block once; every article that uses it picks up the change. There's usually a short delay (minutes) for caches to clear.

You can see where a block is used: 1. Open the block. 2. Look at the Usage tab. 3. Lists all articles that embed it.

Always check usage before making destructive edits to a block — you may be changing content on 40 articles at once.

Versioning and history

Content blocks also have edit history (like articles — see C09). Revert to an older version if needed.

Gotchas

• Can't nest blocks inside blocks. Flat structure only.
• Cache. After a block edit, expect a short propagation delay. Don't panic if the article looks unchanged for two minutes.
• Translations. If you have a multilingual help center, each block needs a translation per language — like articles. Keep them in sync.
• Deleting a block. It vanishes from every article using it. Check usage first.
• Formatting can drift. A block written in one style pasted into an article of another style can look off. Keep block formatting minimal and neutral.

A useful discipline

Maintain a short registry of blocks you care about (Name → Purpose → Last reviewed). Review quarterly. Cull unused ones. Most orgs end up with 10–30 high-value blocks; beyond that, maintenance cost climbs fast.

Quick check — have you got this?

• You update the enterprise-pricing block. How many articles are affected?
• Can a block include an image?
• Can you edit the block's content from within an article?

Related articles

• C15 — Creating and editing an article
• C09 — Archived articles and article history
• C17 — Themes, versions, and Copenhagen