How to build a website on Wix

Next, you’ll be sent an email to verify your address. Go to your email inbox, open the email from Wix (be sure to check your spam folder), and click on Confirm Email Now to proceed to log into your account. 

Step 1: Getting started

To start creating your website, click on Create New Site.

Step 2: Choose the purpose of your website

Wix is loaded with plenty of website templates, each designed for specific purposes. For example, the layout for an online store is different from that of a restaurant. 

Select the option that best suits the website you want to build to move on to the next step. For this guide, we’ve chosen Business.

Step 3: Wix ADI or Wix Editor

There’s quite a difference between Wix ADI and Wix Editor. For this step, we suggest choosing Wix ADI to create the foundation for your website, which the software will do once you’ve answered a few basic questions. 

This way, Wix will do most of the work for you and you can use Wix Editor later on to fine-tune specific details.

Step 4: Specify the website you want

To help Wix provide you with the best templates, you need to help it understand the kind of website you want. If the suggestions don’t quite fit what you’re aiming for, try searching for the type of website you want to see if there’s a better match. 

For example, if you run a dry cleaning service, search “dry cleaning,” and there’ll be a match. For this guide, we selected “consulting firm.” Once you’ve made your choice, click Next.

Step 5: Website features

Here you can choose from several features to optimize the functionality of your website in line with what you’re trying to achieve. If you’re starting a blog then you might want to include your Instagram feed. If you’re running a restaurant then you might want to advertise your menu.   

Click on all the features you want to be included on your website, ensure they’re ticked and highlighted in blue, and click Next to continue. Rest assured that you can add features later on if needed.

Step 6: Name your website

Simply enter what you want to name your website and click Next.

Step 7: Import content & add location 

If you already have a website, now’s your chance to import your old content. However, for this guide, we’re going to assume this is your first. 

If you’d like to add a Google location to let site visitors know where you’re based, then you can search for your address and add it to your site. Click Next to continue, or if this doesn’t apply to you, click Skip (like we did).

Step 8: Enter details

Enter the contact details you want to be advertised on your site. If you have a logo to include, then upload that as well, and it will appear on the template Wix creates for you. Click Next to continue.

Step 9: Choose a theme

Choose a theme you like, and click Next. Remember you can make changes to colors and fonts later on if you so wish. For this example, we’ve gone with “Sophisticated.” 

Step 10: Choose your homepage

Now you can see your website starting to take shape. To select the homepage you like the most, hover over one of the options and a Use This Design button will appear above it. Click the button to continue. For this guide, we chose the middle option.

Step 11: Pick your pages

Now you’ve got a homepage, you need to choose what other pages you want to include on your website. The template designs are recommendations based on what you’ve told Wix about the website you want to build. If there’s a page that you want on your website which isn’t appearing as an option, you’ll be able to add it later. To continue, click Edit Site.

Step 12: Start editing

Now that you have a foundation for your website, you can start editing it. To do so, simply click on the element you’d like to edit and a toolbar will appear on the left-hand side of your screen. 

From here, you can edit the content (i.e., amend the text and change images) and play with the design by clicking Section Design at the top of the toolbar.

Step 13: Switching and adding web pages

You’ll notice there’s a button in the top-left corner of the screen that tells you what page you’re currently on. To edit any of your existing web pages, or to add a new one, click this button, and another toolbar will appear. 

The toolbar will list all your current web pages. Simply click on the page you want to edit, or click the ‘+ Add Page’ button at the bottom of the toolbar to create a new one.

Step 14: Adding a new page

If you want to add a new page, you’ll find a long list of the predesigned templates with specific purposes. There’s also the option to add a Blank Page if you want to create something from scratch.

Step 15: Change the design 

If you’d like to change the design of your website, hover over Design at the top of the screen. From here, you can choose to change the theme, color scheme, text font, website animations, and page designs.

Step 16: Publishing your site

Now that you’ve created a website you’re happy with, it’s time to go live. Click the Publish button in the top-right corner of the screen to make your website public.

Step 17: Choose a domain

Now you have two options. Either you can create a free domain with Wix, (e.g., http://username.wixsite.com/awesomeconsultants)—or you can buy a custom domain name (eg. www.awesome-consultants.com), for which you would also need to upgrade to a premium Wix plan and buy the domain.

Step 18: Going public

For now, you might be happy with a free website, which is a great option for testing the site’s functionality until you are ready to spend money on upgrading. To go live, click Publish & Continue, and your website will be made public. If you want to upgrade to a customized domain later on, it’s easy to do so.

Summary

Having read this how-to guide, you should be well-equipped with the knowledge and skills to go and build a website using the Wix platform. To learn more about the platform and gain a better understanding of some of its other features, take a look at our Wix website builder review.