Site builder

Have GrowLocal design and build a site from your details.

What you can do

• Start building a new site
• Check and change the plan before anything is built
• Pick the looks to build
• Pick your site and open it in the editor
• Stop a setup that's under way
• Turn Site builder back on

How to set it up

Site builder is on when your business starts. If it was turned off, this turns it back on; while it's on, Add feature shows no Site builder card.

1. Under the last item in your sidebar, press Add item.
2. Press Add feature.
3. In Search, type Site builder.
4. On the Site builder card, press Turn on.

Site builder is on again. If a window called Turn on Site builder opens first, read what it says and press Turn on there.

How to start building a site

Before you start: you need to be able to change the business. Each business has 10 site generations; your existing sites stay editable.

1. In the sidebar, open My Sites and press Add a new site.
2. On Which business is this site for?, the business you're in is already picked. Press Continue.
3. On Let's build your website, check your business's name, then press Continue.
4. On Where are you online today?, add your website and social links, or check I don't have a website or social yet. You can also add Sites you love the look of and say What should your site do for you?
5. Under How we build your site, choose:
   • Build it for me: every step runs in one go.
   • Let me steer: the builder pauses at your plan and at the looks for your go-ahead.
6. Under How many looks, choose One look or Three to choose from.
7. Press Build my site.

The setup page shows its steps: What we found, Your plan, The look, Build and Your site. While it works you'll see "We're building your site." You can leave the page: the new site's card in My Sites brings you back to it.

How to change the plan before building

Before you start: choose Let me steer when you start building.

1. Wait until Your plan asks Happy with this plan?
2. Look over the pages and what each one says. Add, rename or take out pages and sections.
3. Press Continue with this plan.

To stop pausing and have the rest built in one go, switch How we build your site to Build it for me.

How to pick the looks to build

Before you start: choose Let me steer when you start building. Choose Three to choose from to get more than one look.

1. Wait until The look asks Pick the looks to build. Each look you pick becomes its own version of the site.
2. Press the looks you want. If you don't pick, the one GrowLocal recommends is built.
3. Press Build 1 look, or Build 2 looks or Build 3 looks for more.

Building takes a while. Each look shows how far it has got, ending with Check and save, while GrowLocal checks the pages and saves your site.

How to pick your site and start editing

1. When your looks are built, Your site asks Pick your site, with one card for each look.
2. Press Choose this one on the one you want to keep.
3. You'll see "Your site is ready." Press Edit site to open it in the editor. Until your site's hosting is paid for, you'll also see Checkout now, to put it online.

Nothing is live until you publish. See Edit your site and Publish your site.

How to stop a setup

1. On the setup page, press Stop this setup.
2. In Stop this setup?, press Stop setup. To carry on instead, press Keep going.

Your business, its profile and any site already made are kept.

Settings

If something isn't working

• The button says Generation limit reached, with "You can still edit existing sites.": this business has used its 10 site generations, and more hosting doesn't raise the limit. Press Go to your sites to keep working on the sites you have.
• "You've already started this setup. Open it from your account to pick up where you left off.": this setup is already under way. Open it from your account to carry on.
• "We couldn't reach GrowLocal. Check your connection, then try again — your answers are still here.": check your connection, then press Try again.
• "We couldn't finish your site.": nothing you made is lost. Press Try again.
• A look says "This didn't finish.": if another look was built, choose that one under Pick your site.
• "Your setup changed while this was open. Check it, then answer again.": check the step again, then press its button again.
• "This site can't be picked yet." or "This answer can't be sent yet.": wait a moment, then try again.
• You can't switch to Let me steer, with "Steering is picked when a setup starts. This one runs every step in one go.": see Limits.
• "This setup was stopped.": everything already made is still there, on the same page.

Limits

• You can only choose Let me steer when you start building. Once a setup is running in one go, you can't pause it: change the result in the editor afterwards.
• A first plan has up to 4 pages. Once your site is built, add more with Add a page in the editor.
• Each business has 10 site generations, and a hosting plan doesn't add more. Your existing sites stay editable.
• The builder is GrowLocal's AI, not a human designer, and you can't change how it works. Review what it made and change anything in the editor before you publish.
• Looks take a few minutes to design, but there's no set time for the whole build. You can leave the page while it works.