diff --git a/lib/src/html/templates.dart b/lib/src/html/templates.dart
index 2b929c3f6d..f696adaa17 100644
--- a/lib/src/html/templates.dart
+++ b/lib/src/html/templates.dart
@@ -60,9 +60,9 @@ const _requiredTemplates = <String>[
   'typedef.html',
 ];
 
-const String _headerPlaceholder = '<!-- header placeholder -->';
-const String _footerPlaceholder = '<!-- footer placeholder -->';
-const String _footerTextPlaceholder = '<!-- footer-text placeholder -->';
+const String _headerPlaceholder = '{{! header placeholder }}';
+const String _footerPlaceholder = '{{! footer placeholder }}';
+const String _footerTextPlaceholder = '{{! footer-text placeholder }}';
 
 Future<Map<String, String>> _loadPartials(
     _TemplatesLoader templatesLoader,
diff --git a/lib/templates/_footer.html b/lib/templates/_footer.html
index bac8322bab..d23b072dc0 100644
--- a/lib/templates/_footer.html
+++ b/lib/templates/_footer.html
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
     {{/packageGraph.hasFooterVersion}}
   </span>
 
-  <!-- footer-text placeholder -->
+  {{! footer-text placeholder }}
 </footer>
 
 {{! TODO(jdkoren): unwrap ^useBaseHref sections when the option is removed.}}
@@ -17,7 +17,8 @@
 <script src="{{^useBaseHref}}%%__HTMLBASE_dartdoc_internal__%%{{/useBaseHref}}static-assets/highlight.pack.js"></script>
 <script src="{{^useBaseHref}}%%__HTMLBASE_dartdoc_internal__%%{{/useBaseHref}}static-assets/URI.js"></script>
 <script src="{{^useBaseHref}}%%__HTMLBASE_dartdoc_internal__%%{{/useBaseHref}}static-assets/script.js"></script>
-<!-- footer placeholder -->
+
+{{! footer placeholder }}
 
 </body>
 
diff --git a/lib/templates/_head.html b/lib/templates/_head.html
index 3cfa7a3e67..44b8600764 100644
--- a/lib/templates/_head.html
+++ b/lib/templates/_head.html
@@ -26,7 +26,8 @@
   <link rel="stylesheet" href="{{^useBaseHref}}%%__HTMLBASE_dartdoc_internal__%%{{/useBaseHref}}static-assets/github.css">
   <link rel="stylesheet" href="{{^useBaseHref}}%%__HTMLBASE_dartdoc_internal__%%{{/useBaseHref}}static-assets/styles.css">
   <link rel="icon" href="{{^useBaseHref}}%%__HTMLBASE_dartdoc_internal__%%{{/useBaseHref}}static-assets/favicon.png">
-  <!-- header placeholder -->
+
+  {{! header placeholder }}
 </head>
 
 {{! We don't use <base href>, but we do lookup the htmlBase from javascript. }}
diff --git a/testing/test_package_custom_templates/templates/_footer.html b/testing/test_package_custom_templates/templates/_footer.html
index 23ef7259cd..c424ba4e2c 100644
--- a/testing/test_package_custom_templates/templates/_footer.html
+++ b/testing/test_package_custom_templates/templates/_footer.html
@@ -6,9 +6,9 @@
     {{packageGraph.defaultPackage.name}} {{packageGraph.defaultPackage.version}}
   </p>
 
-  <!-- footer-text placeholder -->
+  {{! footer-text placeholder }}
 </footer>
 
-<!-- footer placeholder -->
+{{! footer placeholder }}
 </body>
 </html>
diff --git a/testing/test_package_custom_templates/templates/_head.html b/testing/test_package_custom_templates/templates/_head.html
index 4c6f1e8875..264cc9d32c 100644
--- a/testing/test_package_custom_templates/templates/_head.html
+++ b/testing/test_package_custom_templates/templates/_head.html
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 <html lang="en">
 <head>
   <title>{{ title }}</title>
-  <!-- header placeholder -->
+  {{! header placeholder }}
 </head>
 
 <body>
