Before you start
- An Instantsite account. Sign up if you do not have one.
- A clear idea of what your business does, who it serves and what you want visitors to do.
This is the whole path from nothing to a real website. You will not need to choose a template, arrange a layout or write any code. The only thing you have to prepare is a description of your business.
Write your description before you open the create screen
Do this in a notes app, not in the box. You want to be able to reread it. Cover five things: what you do, where you do it, what you offer, who it is for, and what you want a visitor to do.
- Name each service individually. Each one you name can become a section or a page; each one you leave out cannot.
- Write it in the language you want your website to be in.
- Describe one business, not two.
Open the create screen and paste it in
Go to the create screen and paste your description into the box.
Start the generation and stay on the page
The screen reports three stages and an elapsed timer. It is planning the pages, writing the content and validating the result in one request. When it finishes, the editor opens on your new website.
- A failed run does not use up a website slot; you can try again with a sharper description.
Read the whole website before you change anything
Click through every page the generator made; there are 5 of them. You are reading for facts, not for style. Correcting the facts first saves you restyling content you are about to rewrite.
Fix the facts
Click any text on the page and type over it. Start with the things that are wrong rather than the things that could be better.
- Your business name, phone number and email address.
- Service names and descriptions: anything you did not mention in your description will be generic.
- The area you serve, if it matters to your customers.
Set where the contact form goes
In the sidebar with nothing selected, open Contact form delivery and set the address that should receive enquiries. Without one, submissions go to your account email.
Save
Press Save in the top bar. Nothing is saved automatically, and leaving the editor with unsaved changes loses them.
Final checklist
- Every page has been read at least once.
- Your business name, phone number and email address are correct everywhere.
- The contact form delivers to an address you actually read.
- You have pressed Save and the top bar is no longer reporting unsaved changes.
Your website exists as a draft. Nobody can see it yet; that is what Publish your website is for. Before that, it is worth making it look like yours: Customize your generated website.