---
title: Site builder
customers-call-it: feature
url: /docs/features/site-builder
---

# Site builder

Have GrowLocal design and build a site from your details.

## What you can do

- [Start building a new site](#how-to-start-building-a-site)
- [Check and change the plan before anything is built](#how-to-change-the-plan-before-building)
- [Pick the looks to build](#how-to-pick-the-looks-to-build)
- [Pick your site and open it in the editor](#how-to-pick-your-site-and-start-editing)
- [Stop a setup that's under way](#how-to-stop-a-setup)
- [Turn Site builder back on](#how-to-set-it-up)

## 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](/docs/edit-your-site) and [Publish your site](/docs/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

| Setting | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Theme count | How many themes the theme author proposes. |  |

## 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.