A surprisingly easy way to sell your products online.
To use Weebly, you’ll need to sign up, create a domain name, and then choose a pricing plan. This may sound like a lot, but don’t panic! A Weebly website can be made in eight easy steps, and we’ll show you how.
We’ll cover the basics, from start (signing up) to finish (publishing) with all the creative stuff in between, such as how to make the most of Weebly’s editing features, edit templates, choose a domain, integrate apps, and set up an online store.
So just sit back, relax, and get ready to create.
Tools you may need
Here’s a list of tools you’re going to need to start building your website. Some are essential, but others may be useful, too!- Weebly – you’ll need this to get started!
- Domain.com – a good, cheap alternative to buying your domain name with Weebly
Sign Up
Register with Weebly
Firstly, head over to Weebly.com. You can build and publish your site totally free, so there’s plenty of time to see if you enjoy using it.
To kick things off, click “Get Started” – either using the button in the top right corner or the center of the page. Now type in your name, email, and create a new password to get the Weebly ball rolling.
Choosing the Type of Website You Want to Build
After clicking “Sign Up”, you’re taken to a page with one question: “What kind of website would you like to create?”
You’ll then be offered two options – “I want a personal website” or “I want a business website.” The one you go for depends entirely on your ecommerce ambitions, however, it’s useful to point out that if you opt to build a business website at this stage, you’ll be redirected to Square Online.
If you’re confused by this, let us explain. Square acquired Weebly back in 2018, so the two are actually sister builders. Square Online is entirely ecommerce focused, whereas Weebly is more of a general builder. Our advice? If you want an online store, head straight to Square Online to get started, since Weebly no longer supports ecommerce functionality for new customers.
When you’ve selected “Try Weebly Websites”, you’ll then be directed to Weebly’s template library.
Weebly Registration
Heads up!
Before we move on to the next step, we just wanted to highlight the different plans that Weebly has. There are three paid packages to choose from, but it also comes with a free plan, which you can stay on for as long as you like!This means you can create, publish, and edit your site without paying a single cent.
You can upgrade to a paid plan any time, but we’ll help you with that later – for now, just enjoy building your website!
Select a Theme
Browse Weebly’s Themes
Weebly has around 50 themes, all of which are totally free! There are plenty of categories to choose from: business, portfolio, personal, blog, and more. Once you’ve filtered the library depending on the type of website you’re planning to build, Weebly will then narrow your choices down to a smaller number of industry-specific templates.
We won’t lie to you: Weebly’s themes aren’t the most attractive on the market. They’re not the worst either, though! They’re not as modern as they could be – which is part of the reason Weebly only scores 2.3 out of 5 for design in our recent research – but they do look reasonably clean and polished. And, unlike Wix, you can change templates at any time, so you’re not restricted by your choice.
Preview Your Favorite Designs
When browsing for themes, you can preview each one by clicking the thumbnail to see how it looks on a full screen. We recommend doing this for every theme that catches your eye. That way, you can navigate around them as if you were a real-life visitor. Then, once you’ve found one you like, hit “Start Editing” in the top right.
If you decide later on that you’d like to try something different, you can change your template by clicking the “Themes” header in the top toolbar. This will redirect you to the template library.
Weebly offers a number of industry-specific options. It has delicious restaurant templates, fresh cleaning service designs, strong-looking personal training themes – you get the idea. These options save you even more design time – you just need to edit the text boxes and images and you’re good to go.
Choose Your Domain
Do You Want a Free or Custom Domain?
Before you start editing, you’ll need to name your website. The name of your website appears in your website address and is called a domain name. For example, ours is websitebuilderexpert.com.
So, how do you go about getting a domain for your Weebly website?
It’s easy – Weebly will automatically prompt you to type in a domain name!
You can get a free domain by choosing the Weebly subdomain. This means your website address will contain “.weebly.com” – it’s not very attractive or professional, but it means you don’t have to pay a cent for your domain.
See the image below for an example of a Weebly subdomain as well as professional, or custom, domains.
Buying a Custom Domain
If you want a custom domain (like ours), you can simply register one through Weebly. Just click “Choose” to register your favorite domain. You’ll have to pay for this, however, and upgrade to a paid plan to actually use your domain.
The upside of using a custom domain is that it’s more professional, memorable, and attractive. Your domain is unique – think of it like your site’s fingerprint – so it’s worth finding the perfect one.
Just how much is a custom domain, though? Is it worth it?
Domains vary in price, but usually fall between $14 and $20 per year.
There are cheaper prices elsewhere (check out Domain.com for great deals – you can get 25% off using the code WBE25), but registering your domain through Weebly is the easiest and quickest option.
Connecting an Existing Domain Name
Already have a domain? You can easily connect it by clicking “connect or transfer now” at the bottom of the popup – then just type in your URL and press “Search”.
Creating a Custom Domain Name
No guide on building a website would be complete without some tips on how to create the best domain name. So, here are our top tips:
- Keep the name short
- Include popular keywords
- Target your area
- Make it memorable
And voilà! You have a beautiful domain just waiting to be used – let’s get on with building your site so you can make good use of it.
Further Information
- Domain Name Beginner’s Guide: Want to know more about domain names? Our guide can help you!
Design Your Weebly Website
Weebly Design Overview
After choosing your domain name, it’s time to start customizing your website. Weebly scored 2.3 out of 5 for design in our research, so although this isn’t one of its strong suits, it still comes with enough scope to give your template its own unique spin.
You’ll automatically be taken to the Weebly website editor once you’ve completed step two. This is where you’ll let your creative juices flow. We’ll go through the menus and features one by one, but here’s what it looks like at first glance:
Editing Text Boxes
Weebly is a “What You See Is What You Get” (WYSIWYG) website builder. This means you can click and edit, as well as drag and drop media, without needing to know any code. So to update the text, simply click the box and type.
Editing the Background
You can customize your theme even more by changing the background. Simply click the background image and select “Edit Background”. From there you can change the image, scrolling effect, and page alignments.
Adding New Elements
This is where you add the fun stuff. Using the “Element Menu”, on the left hand side, simply drag and drop your chosen media icon anywhere on the page. You can pop text, videos, buttons, and more almost anywhere you like. There are some limitations though. Weebly’s templates are organized in rows, so you’ll need to stick to these blocks when moving elements around, which can make full customization tricky.
Take a look at the Element Bar below for just some of the elements you can choose from:
Any element with the lightning bolt symbol next to it can’t be used on the free plan – you’ll need to upgrade to use these features. However, everything else is free for you to play with!
Let’s say you want to add an image. Drag the icon where you want, then click “Upload Image”. A popup will then give you some options: you can upload from your computer, or press “Search” and find a free Weebly image.
To edit other pages on your Weebly website, simply click “Pages” on the top Navigation Menu and choose a different page. Adding elements is the same process for each page – just drag, drop, and click your way to a beautiful website.
From the Navigation Menu, you can make the most of Weebly’s flexibility. Change your theme, edit your site settings, move to a different page – it’s all there.
Adding New Pages
It’s easy to add new pages to your website. Simply go to the Pages tab in your menu and click the plus icon in the left-hand sidebar. A drop-down menu will appear with different types of pages.
Select the type of page you want to create – a blog page, for example – and give it a name. As you do this, Weebly automatically loads the page for you, with pre-filled images and content for you to make your own.
Remember to click “Done” to save your new page’s settings. Once you’ve done this, return to the “Build” menu tab to edit the page just like you would normally!
Changing the Color Scheme
You can change the color theme of your page by heading to the Theme section of your dashboard. For some themes you simply have the options of light or dark, while others give you actual colors to switch between.
This is fairly basic and you won’t see massive changes to your theme, but you can add a custom color to the range of choices if you want to.
Adding New Layouts
To really personalize your website, you’ll want to add new sections to the pages you’re editing. Apart from adding new elements, there’s also the option to add new sections.
This element sits at the top of the left-hand sidebar above all the other elements – simply drag it to where you want it on the page and let go.
It’ll give you a list of options: Gallery, Contact, Menu, Featured, and Team. Select the one you want to add.
Weebly then gives you a list of different layouts to choose from, so you can pick the one you like the best. Click on the layout you want, and it’ll appear on your page. Click “Save” in the popup box, and get editing!
Deleting Sections
We all make mistakes, we all change our minds, and we all learn differently – we’re only human after all! That’s why it’s important to know how to delete elements on your site, as well as adding them.
You might want to try out a gallery on your homepage, but then decide it doesn’t work. You’re not stuck with it forever – simply click on the element, and look for the small blue cross that appears in the top right corner of the editing box.
Click on that cross, the box will turn red, and you’ll have the option to delete that element.
This is how to delete small elements such as galleries, text boxes, images, buttons, and more.
If you want to delete a larger section such as a background, simply click on the area you want to remove. You’ll see a few options appear: Edit, Move, and Delete. Click the Delete button and you’ll see a popup asking you if you’re sure you want to delete. At this point, you can either cancel or confirm – if you click “Delete” then that section and everything inside it will be deleted.
This “are you sure?” method means you won’t scrap any bits of your website by accident, which is a relief!
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