Diving into the vast digital world can seem daunting at first, especially when you're looking to create your very own corner on the internet — a website. Maybe you've got a fantastic business idea brewing, a blog you're eager to launch, or a portfolio you want to showcase.
No matter the reason, building a website doesn't need to be an intimidating task. And with platforms like Wix, it's easier than ever.
In this article, we'll guide you through the process, breaking down each step of crafting a stunning, user-friendly website with Wix, all while keeping it enjoyable and stress-free. So, grab a cup of coffee, and let's start shaping your digital presence!
What Is Wix?
Wix is your friendly neighborhood website builder, residing in the digital cloud. Picture it as a powerful toolbox that empowers anyone, even those who can't tell their HTML from their CSS, to build breathtaking, professional websites from scratch.
With its intuitive drag-and-drop editor, a variety of sleek, customizable templates, and a suite of built-in tools and features, Wix gives you the freedom to express your creativity and establish your online presence without the need for coding or technical expertise. Whether you're a small business owner, a blogger, a photographer, or just someone with an idea to share, Wix is there to make your journey in the online world a walk in the park.
Building a Wix Website
Sign Up
The first step in the process of building a Wix website is — signing up. So, head on to
https://users.wix.com/signin and sign up.
You can go through the onboarding process which will help Wix help you customize your website, or, alternatively, you can skip the process.
Select a Template
After you finish or skip the previous process, the next step should be selecting a website template.
Upon clicking on the “Design Site” button on your dashboard, you will be taken to the next window, where you can choose one of two options — Let Wix create a site for you, or customize a designed template:
Either way, if you had gone through the set up process, Wix will try to offer you a desig based on your choices. For example, if you had chose a portfolio website, you’d get Portfolio Website Templates:
Start Editing
We’ll divide the guide into to further sections — the on-site design and the additiona dashboard settings.
On-Site Design
After you have chosen your template, you can start customizing it.
Go to your dashboard and click on “Design Site”:
Top Bar
Now, once you get to the on-site editor, you wil notice first the top bar.
Here, everything is fairly simple. You can test the design on various devices by click on the desktop or mobile icons, redo changes, zoom in and more, but the more notable option is the “Tools” option, which gives you the option to add rulers, gridlines, snap to objects, make the toolbar visible and more.
Sidebar
The main area of the on-site editing is the left sidebar. The sidebar has a list of tabs, each with its own purpose. Let’s go over each tab
Tab 1: Add Elements
The “Add Elements” tab allows you to add any of the many available elements Wix offers, like a “Text” element, or an “Image” element, or a “Button” element, and many more. Upon clicking on any element, another sidebar will open on the right to show additional selection options.
Tab 2: Add Section
The next tab is the “Section” tab, which allows you to add either pre-designed sections (like the Welcome, Contact, About, etc. section) or create a basic section, to add the relevant elements to.
Tab 3: Pages & Menu
The next tab is the Pages & Menu tab which allows you to add images and edit navigation by linking relevant pages to each other. It also allows you to customize the site’s menu.
Tab 4: Site Design
The next tab is the Side Design. Here, you can change colors, fonts, backgrounds and more either on a singular element or on a side-wide manner.
Tab 5: Add Apps
The next tab is the the “Add Apps” tab, which gives you access to Wix’s App Market where you can find app that can enhance your website further.
Tab 6: My Business
The next tab is the “My Business” tab. Essnetionally, this is where you can find all the options for turning your Wix site into an e-commerce store.
Tab 7: Media
The next tab is the “Media” tab. Here, you can either find all the media you’ve uploaded to your website, or find free images using the Free Wix Images gallery.
Tab 8: Content Manager
Finally, you have the “Content Manager” tab. This option enables you add another powerful tool to your website that will enable you to create dynamic pags, collect information from your visitors and more!
Dashboard Options
The above section offers you enough information to create a website with Wix. However, Wix is a powerful platform with lots of additional options that can enhance your website-building experience.
If you go back to “My Dashboard”, you will be able to access not only some of the aforementioned editing options but additional ones as well. There are too numerous to go over, and their relevance to each user may vary, so be sure to go over them and discover the options that might be relevant to you.
Publish
Once your finished adding content and customizing your website, don’t forget to make it live and publish it.
Enhancing Your Wix Website & Taking It to the Next Level
Now you know how to build a Wix website, we would like to offer a way to enhance it beyond its current capabilities — with Common Ninja.
Common Ninja offers an ever-growing collection of professional and reliable widgets that will help you save time and money and improve your website. Common Ninja’s widgets are free, fully customizable, perfectly responsive, and easy to use, so be sure to check them out.
Common Ninja — The Only Collection of Widgets You’ll Ever Need
Building a Wix Website — Tips & Tricks
Once you are done building your Wix website, you might want to consider following these tips and tricks to make your Wix website truly stand out.
Design
Designing a website is no easy task. Choosing the right colors, fonts and other elements is not only an art but a science as well. There’s importance in setting up the font and color scheme for the entire website before constructing it. We recommend reading a little about color theories, font pairings, styles & accessibility guidelines before venturing into building your Wix website.
Content
Before you start building your website, take the time to plan out your content. This will help you organize your website and create a better user experience for your audience.
Templates
Wix offers a wide range of templates to choose from. Select a template that matches your website’s content and design needs.
High-Quality Images
While using high-quality, heavy images may seem counterintuitive if you are trying to optimize your website, many services can help you in reducing the size, as well as load the images gradually (lazy-loading) to make the loading speed faster. Using high-quality images will help make your website more visually appealing and engaging for your audience.
Simplicity
Avoid cluttering your website with too much content, images, or design elements. Keep it simple and clean, with a focus on your main message and call to action.
Testing & Previewing
Test your website on different devices and browsers to ensure that it looks and functions as intended. Wix offers a preview function that allows you to see how your website looks on different screens.
Optimize
We’ve covered this before, but we recommend that you use Wix’s built-in SEO tools that can help improve your website’s visibility on search engines.
Conclusion
As we wrap up our journey of creating a website with Wix, it's clear to see how user-friendly and accessible the platform is for novices and seasoned creators alike. The blend of customizable design options and an intuitive interface makes Wix an excellent choice for anyone looking to establish a web presence. Remember, the process of building your website should be as unique and fun as the website itself. While it might feel overwhelming at times, take it one step at a time, and before you know it, you'll have a stunning website that you're proud to share. Now, with your newly created Wix website, you're ready to conquer the digital world. Go ahead and let your website shine!
