How to Create a Website with Wix – New Tutorial 2026
Building a professional website doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. In this comprehensive tutorial, I'll walk you through every step of creating a stunning website with Wix—from signing up for a free account to publishing your site with a custom domain. Whether you're a physical therapist, small business owner, or creative professional, you'll learn how to customize templates, upload images and videos, and add powerful features to your site without writing a single line of code.
Getting Started: Sign Up for Wix
The first step in your website-building journey is creating a Wix account. Click here to sign up for Wix for free—this partner link will give you access to exclusive discounts, including up to 50% off premium plans.
Once you click the link, simply enter your email address and click "Start Now." You'll immediately land on a welcome screen where Wix's AI assistant greets you and helps you get started. The AI will ask you a few questions about your website:
- What is your site about? (e.g., "I'm a physical therapist and I need a website")
- What's the name of your site or business?
- What services do you offer?
Don't worry if you want to skip these questions—you can end the chat at any time and continue manually. The AI helps set up basic information and even suggests relevant apps like booking systems, contact forms, and chat features based on your responses.
Connecting Your Custom Domain
After completing the setup survey, you'll land on the Wix dashboard—your website's control center. From here, you can manage analytics, marketing campaigns, your inbox, sales, and booking calendars.
One of the first things you'll want to do is secure your custom domain. Wix makes this process incredibly simple:
- Enter your desired domain name (e.g., yourbusiness.com)
- Wix checks availability in real-time
- If taken, Wix suggests alternatives (.org, .biz, .shop, .store)
- Select your preferred domain and continue
Pro tip: When you use my link, you'll often see a 50% discount on premium plans for the first 3 days after signing up. This is a limited-time offer, so keep an eye out for it!
How to Get 50% Off Wix Premium Plans
When you sign up through this link, you'll likely see a 50% discount banner within the first 3 days. This discount applies to the Core, Business, and Business Elite plans.
Which plan should you choose? For most users starting out, I recommend the Core Plan because:
- 50 GB of storage (vs. only 2 GB on the Light plan)
- Free domain for 1 year
- Accept payments and sell online
- Basic marketing suite
- Basic e-commerce functionality
The Light plan's 2 GB storage is too limiting if you want to upload videos or multiple high-quality images. The Core plan gives you room to grow, and you can always upgrade to Business or Business Elite later as your needs expand.
Plus, Wix offers a 14-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it risk-free. If you're not satisfied, you can get a full refund.
Choosing the Perfect Template
Now comes the fun part—designing your website! When you reach the "Design Your Website" screen, you have two options:
- Ask the AI to design your site (AI-generated)
- Choose from over 1,000 professional templates (recommended)
While the AI option sounds appealing, I've tested it extensively and currently don't recommend it. The AI-generated designs often have inconsistent layouts, small text that's hard to read, and sometimes strange AI-generated images (like keyboards upside down or missing fingers).
The better approach: Browse Wix's extensive template library. Templates are organized by industry:
- Business
- Health & Wellness
- Beauty & Hair
- Online Stores
- Creative (Photography, Design, Music)
- And many more...
Click through to your industry, preview templates by clicking "View," and explore every page to see if it matches your vision. Choose a template that's as close as possible to your final vision—this saves you tons of editing time later.
Introduction to the Wix Editor
Once you've selected your template, you'll enter the Wix Editor—the heart of your website-building experience. Here's what you'll see:
Left Control Panel:
- Add elements (text, images, buttons, videos)
- Add sections
- Add new pages
- Change design settings
Top Bar:
- Switch between pages
- Toggle between desktop and mobile views
- Zoom controls
- Preview and Publish buttons
The Wix Editor is a drag-and-drop interface, which means if you've used Word or PowerPoint, you'll feel right at home. Everything is visual and intuitive—no coding required!
Editing Text and Adding Buttons
Customizing text on your website is straightforward. Simply click on any text element to edit it. You'll see familiar formatting options:
- Change font style and size
- Make text bold or italic
- Adjust text color
- Modify alignment
Important tip: Keep all content between the vertical borders on your canvas. The gray areas on the left and right won't display properly on tablets or mobile devices, so stay within the safe zone.
Adding and Configuring Buttons
Buttons are crucial for driving user actions. Here's how to add one:
- Click "Add Elements" from the left panel
- Select "Button" and drag it onto your canvas
- Resize as needed
- Click "Settings" to customize:
- Change button text (e.g., "Contact Me," "Book Now")
- Set the link destination:
- Page: Link to another page on your site (booking calendar, contact page, etc.)
- External web address: Link to your YouTube, Instagram, or other social media
- Document: Offer downloadable PDFs like ebooks or brochures
- And more options...
Always make sure your buttons link somewhere—that's their purpose!
Uploading Your Own Images
Template images are great placeholders, but your website needs your personal touch. Here's how to upload your own photos:
- Click on any image in your template
- Select "Change Background"
- Click "Upload Media"
- Choose "Upload from your computer"
- Select your image file
- Click "Change Background" to apply
Bonus: Wix also provides access to free stock photos through their own media library and Unsplash integration. This is perfect if you need professional images but don't have your own yet.
Your hero image (the main image at the top of your homepage) is especially important—use a high-quality photo that represents you or your business professionally.
Customizing Global Design Settings
Want to change the overall look and feel of your website? You don't have to edit every single text element individually. Instead, use Site Design to make global changes:
- Click "Site Design" in the left panel
- Modify fonts, colors, and button styles site-wide
- Preview changes in real-time
For example, if your template uses a light font that's hard to read (especially on mobile), you can switch to a bolder font weight. This change will apply to all similar text elements across your entire site automatically, ensuring consistency and better readability.
This feature is a huge time-saver and ensures your website maintains a cohesive, professional appearance.
Adding Videos to Your Website
Video content can significantly boost engagement on your website. Adding videos in Wix is simple:
- Click "Add Elements" in the left panel
- Find the "Video" section
- Choose "YouTube Video" (or other video options)
- Drag the video player onto your canvas
- Position it between the safe borders
- Click "Change Video"
- Paste your YouTube video URL
- The video will automatically embed
Pro tip: If you're replacing a section with a video, delete the placeholder text and other elements first to create space. Then add your video player and resize it to fit perfectly.
Video is perfect for introducing yourself, explaining your services, or showcasing your work. If you want to dive deeper into Wix, check out my 4-hour complete Wix course that covers everything in detail!
Adding New Sections
Your website is made up of sections—hero sections, about sections, team sections, contact sections, and more. Adding new sections is easy:
- Hover between two existing sections
- Click the "+" icon that appears
- Choose how to add your section:
- AI-generated (let AI create it for you)
- Add elements manually (build from scratch)
- Choose from templates (recommended)
I recommend using section templates because they're professionally designed and save time. Wix offers templates for:
- Team/Staff sections (with photos and social media links)
- Contact sections (with maps and forms)
- Services sections
- Testimonials
- Portfolio galleries
- And much more...
For example, adding a team section lets you showcase your staff with photos, names, titles, and links to their LinkedIn or Facebook profiles. Just upload the images, customize the text, and add social media URLs—it takes just minutes!
Adding New Pages to Your Website
Most websites need multiple pages—homepage, about, services, contact, etc. Here's how to manage your site's pages:
- Click "Pages and Menu" in the left panel
- View your current page structure
- Hide pages you don't need from the menu
- Reorder pages by dragging them
- Click "Add New Page" to create additional pages
Page Types vs. Anchors
Wix distinguishes between pages and anchors:
- Pages: Separate URLs (e.g., yoursite.com/contact)
- Anchors: Jump links to sections on the same page (e.g., clicking "Services" scrolls to the services section)
Adding a Contact Page Example
Let's say you want a dedicated contact page:
- Click "Add New Page"
- Select "Contact" from the templates
- Choose a contact page design you like
- Click "Add"
Your new contact page will include:
- Contact forms (customizable fields like name, email, phone, message)
- Google Maps integration (enter your exact address and it pins your location)
- Map style options (choose from different Google Maps themes)
- Opening hours and address information
You can make form fields required, add custom fields, and adjust everything to match your needs.
Exploring the Wix App Market
Here's where Wix truly shines: the Wix App Market. While the editor handles your site's design, apps add powerful functionality. The best part? All Wix apps are completely free to install!
Click "Add Apps" in the left panel to explore:
Popular Wix Business Solutions:
- Wix Stores: Turn your site into a full e-commerce store
- Wix Bookings: Let clients schedule appointments (perfect for consultants, therapists, salons)
- Wix Blog: Start blogging to boost SEO and engagement
- Wix Forms: Create custom contact and lead capture forms
- Wix Chat: Add a live chat widget for real-time customer support
- Wix Video: Host and display videos professionally
- And hundreds more...
Example: Setting Up Wix Bookings
If you're a service provider (physical therapist, consultant, coach, etc.), the booking app is invaluable:
- Install Wix Bookings (free)
- Add your services:
- Service name
- Description
- Duration
- Price
- Upload service image
- Wix automatically creates:
- Online booking page
- Booking calendar
- Booking form
- Payment/cart page
- Thank you page with invoice
Clients can browse your services, select a time slot, enter their information, pay online, and receive confirmation—all automatically. You'll see bookings in your dashboard calendar.
This level of functionality is included in your Wix plan—you're not paying extra for each app. This is one of the main reasons I've been using Wix for over 6 years and built my own website with it.
Mobile Optimization
Over 50% of web traffic comes from mobile devices, so your site must look great on smartphones and tablets. Fortunately, Wix makes mobile optimization easy:
- Click the mobile/tablet icon in the top bar
- Switch to mobile view
- See exactly how your site looks on smaller screens
- Make adjustments as needed:
- Drag elements to better positions
- Resize text for better readability
- Adjust spacing and padding
- Reorder elements for mobile flow
The mobile editor is also drag-and-drop, so you can rearrange elements, increase font sizes for readability, and ensure buttons are easily tappable.
Best practice: After editing your desktop site, always check the mobile version and make necessary adjustments. This ensures a seamless experience for all visitors, regardless of their device.
Preview and Publish Your Website
Before launching your site to the world, you'll want to test it thoroughly:
Preview Your Site
- Click "Preview" in the top bar
- Test your site in a live preview mode
- Click all buttons to ensure they link correctly
- Navigate through all pages
- Test forms and interactive elements
- Check both desktop and mobile views
Publish Your Website
Once you're satisfied with everything:
- Click the blue "Publish" button
- Wix will give you a temporary domain (e.g., username.wixsite.com/sitename)
- Your site is now live and accessible via this URL
However, you'll notice the Wix branding in the URL—this is where connecting your custom domain becomes important.
Connect Your Custom Domain
- Return to the editor
- Click "Connect Your Own Domain"
- This opens the dashboard
- Enter your desired domain (e.g., yourname.com)
- Check availability
- Select your preferred plan (Core Plan recommended)
- Choose your subscription length (2 years saves the most with 50% off)
- Complete payment via PayPal or credit card
After payment, your domain is automatically connected to your site, and your website goes live under your professional custom domain. Remember, you have a 14-day money-back guarantee if you change your mind.
Now anyone can find you at yourdomain.com—no Wix branding, just your professional website!
Final Thoughts
Congratulations! You now know how to create a professional website with Wix from scratch. We've covered everything from signing up and choosing templates to customizing your design, adding powerful apps, and publishing with your own custom domain.
Key takeaways:
✅ Sign up for Wix using this link to get 50% off premium plans
✅ Choose the Core Plan for the best balance of features and value
✅ Select a template that closely matches your vision to save editing time
✅ Use the drag-and-drop editor to customize text, images, and buttons
✅ Add videos and new sections to make your site engaging
✅ Leverage the free Wix App Market to add booking, e-commerce, and other functionality
✅ Always optimize for mobile devices
✅ Preview thoroughly before publishing
✅ Connect your custom domain for a professional presence
I've been using Wix for over 6 years to build my own website, and I'm still extremely happy with all the features and functionalities it offers. The platform continues to evolve and improve, making it one of the best website builders available.
If you found this tutorial helpful, please give it a thumbs up! And if you have any questions about building your Wix website, leave a comment below—I read and respond to every one.
Want to learn more? Check out my 4-hour complete Wix course where I answer virtually every question about Wix in detail. I also have videos on Wix pricing and how to get 50% off.
Ready to get started? Click here to try Wix for free and start building your professional website today. I wish you all the best with your online presence!