Creating a professional website used to require coding knowledge, expensive developers, and weeks of work. Today, website builders like Wix have completely changed the game. Wix allows anyone—from beginners to business owners—to design and launch a beautiful website without writing a single line of code.
With its powerful drag-and-drop editor, customizable templates, and new AI-powered design tools, Wix makes building a website faster and easier than ever. Whether you want to launch a personal blog, build an online store, showcase a portfolio, or promote your business, Wix provides all the tools you need in one platform.
In this step-by-step beginner’s guide, you’ll learn exactly how to use Wix in 2026—from creating an account to designing and publishing your website.
Create a Free Account and Set Up Your Wix Website
The first step in building a website with Wix is creating an account. Simply open your web browser and visit the official Wix website. On the homepage, you’ll find a “Get Started” or “Sign Up” button that begins the registration process.
Wix allows you to sign up using multiple methods. You can create an account with your email address, or connect quickly using your Google or Facebook account. Once your account is created, Wix will guide you through a short onboarding process.
During this step, Wix asks a few questions about your website goals. For example, it may ask what type of website you want to build, who your target audience is, and what industry your business belongs to. Although you can skip these questions, answering them helps Wix recommend better designs and features for your site.
After completing the setup, Wix presents two main options for building your website:
- Generate a design with AI
- Customize a template manually
If you choose the AI option, Wix’s intelligent website builder will ask questions about your business, services, and target audience. Based on your answers, the AI generates a personalized website layout tailored to your needs. Within a few minutes, you’ll receive a ready-to-edit design that serves as the starting point for your website.
Once the design is generated, you can either refine it using AI suggestions or manually adjust elements before continuing with the editor.
Choosing a Wix Template for Your Website
If you prefer a more hands-on approach, you can skip the AI builder and choose from Wix’s extensive library of website templates.
Wix offers thousands of professionally designed templates for different industries, including blogs, online stores, portfolios, restaurants, agencies, and small businesses. These templates are fully customizable and provide an excellent starting point for your website design.
When browsing templates, Wix allows you to preview each design in both desktop and mobile views. This helps you understand how the website will appear across devices before selecting it.
It’s important to choose your template carefully because once your website is published, Wix does not allow you to switch templates without rebuilding the site. For this reason, it’s best to select a template that closely matches your industry and design preferences.
Understanding the Wix Editor
After selecting a template or generating a design with AI, you’ll be taken to the Wix Editor, where the real website building begins.
The Wix Editor is known for its intuitive drag-and-drop interface, which allows you to customize every part of your website without coding knowledge.
The editor consists of three main sections:
Left Sidebar
The left sidebar acts as your main control panel. From here, you can add elements to your website, manage pages, adjust design settings, and access various features such as media galleries and apps.
Top Toolbar
The top toolbar provides quick access to essential functions like saving your progress, undoing or redoing actions, previewing your website, and publishing it when you’re ready.
Main Canvas
The canvas is the main workspace where you design your website. You can drag and drop elements such as text boxes, images, videos, and buttons directly onto the page and arrange them exactly where you want.
This visual editing system makes it easy for beginners to design professional-looking websites.
Customizing Your Website Design
Once you’re inside the Wix Editor, you can begin personalizing your website to match your brand and content.
Editing the Header and Footer
The header and footer sections appear on every page of your website. The header usually contains your logo, navigation menu, and contact information, while the footer includes additional links and copyright details.
You can click on these sections to edit text, change colors, add logos, or insert images that represent your brand.
Adding and Managing Pages
A well-structured website includes multiple pages such as Home, About, Services, and Contact.
To manage pages in Wix, open the “Menus & Pages” option in the left sidebar. From there, you can create new pages, rename existing pages, or organize them within your navigation menu.
You can also link buttons or text to specific pages. For example, a “Contact Us” button can lead visitors directly to your contact page.
Adding Elements to Your Website
Wix provides a wide variety of elements that you can easily add to your site.
By clicking the “+ Add” button in the sidebar, you can insert:
- Text sections
- Images and image galleries
- Videos
- Buttons and call-to-action elements
- Social media icons
- Contact forms
Simply drag the desired element onto the page and place it where it fits best. You can then customize fonts, colors, alignment, and other design settings.
Using Wix Design Tools
Wix also includes powerful design features that help make your website more visually appealing.
Changing Page Backgrounds
You can modify the background of your website by selecting Page Background in the sidebar. Wix allows you to use colors, images, patterns, or even videos as your page background.
Different sections of the page can also have separate backgrounds, which helps create a more dynamic layout.
Working With Sections and Strips
Strips are horizontal sections that divide content on a page. They help organize your website and make it easier for visitors to navigate.
You can add a strip by selecting Add → Strip and dragging it onto your page. Inside each strip, you can insert text, buttons, images, or other elements.
Wix also provides a Snap-to-Grid feature that helps align elements perfectly within your layout.
Using Pre-Designed Decorative Elements
To enhance your site’s visual style, Wix offers decorative elements such as shapes, icons, lines, and grids.
These elements can be found under the Decorative section in the Add menu. They are useful for creating modern layouts and highlighting important content.
Previewing and Publishing Your Website
Before publishing your website, it’s important to preview how it looks to visitors.
Click the Preview button in the editor to see the live version of your website. You can switch between desktop and mobile views to ensure the design looks good on all devices.
Wix also allows you to customize the mobile version separately. If certain elements look crowded on smaller screens, you can rearrange or resize them in mobile view.
Once everything looks perfect, click Publish to make your website live on the internet.
Getting a Custom Domain Name
While Wix offers a free subdomain, using a custom domain helps your website appear more professional.
To get a custom domain, search for your desired domain name within Wix’s domain search tool. If it’s available, you can register it directly through Wix for one to three years.
Wix also offers a free domain for the first year when you purchase an annual premium plan.
If you already own a domain from another provider, you can connect it to your Wix website by updating the DNS settings.
Wix Pricing Plans
Wix offers several pricing plans designed for different needs.
Light Plan – $17/month
Ideal for individuals or small businesses that want a simple professional website.
Core Plan – $29/month
Best suited for online stores and businesses that need payment processing.
Business Plan – $36/month
Includes additional eCommerce tools and advanced features.
Business Elite – $159/month
Designed for high-traffic businesses requiring advanced capabilities.
Enterprise Plan
Custom pricing for large organizations with specific needs.
Wix also provides a free plan, which is perfect for beginners. However, upgrading to a paid plan removes Wix ads and allows you to connect a custom domain.
Is Wix Good for Beginners?
Yes, Wix is one of the best website builders for beginners. Its drag-and-drop editor, pre-designed templates, and AI tools make it easy for anyone to build a website without technical knowledge.
Even users with zero web design experience can create professional websites within a few hours.
Final Thoughts
Building a website no longer requires coding expertise or expensive developers. With Wix, anyone can create a professional online presence quickly and easily.
From AI-generated designs to customizable templates and an intuitive drag-and-drop editor, Wix provides everything needed to design a modern website. Whether you want to launch a blog, promote your business, or open an online store, Wix makes the entire process simple and accessible.
By following the steps in this guide, you now know exactly how to use Wix to build and publish your first website. With a little creativity and customization, you can create a site that truly represents your brand and stands out online.