Your first site, step by step

Setting up a site takes about ten minutes, and the only thing you need to bring is a description of what you do. Spanli shows you where you are the whole way: About your site, then Choose your plan, then Make it yours, then Build.

1. About your site

You pick how to start — describing it, bringing in your LinkedIn, or handing over an old site — and give your project a name and a short description. See The ways to start.

This is also where you can attach a few photos, up to four, each with a note saying what it is.

2. Choose your plan

Every site passes through this, including free ones. Pick the free plan and you carry straight on; pick a paid one and you pay for it here.

You are not stuck with the choice — plans change whenever you like. See Plans and credits.

3. Make it yours

Five short questions, all in plain language, all with sensible answers already filled in:

1. "What kind of site is this?" — a shop, a restaurant, a personal site, and so on. This one decides most of the rest.
2. "Which pages do you need?" — the usual set is already ticked; untick what you do not want.
3. "What goes on each page?" — the sections on each one. Again, already chosen; you are removing rather than assembling.
4. "What should we know about your site?" — anything particular: your hours, the neighbourhoods you cover, the thing you want said first.
5. "Pick a look" — a big live preview of your own site with dropdowns beside it. See Choosing the look.

Every question has "Let the AI decide" beside it if you would rather not. Questions Spanli has already worked out from your description appear answered, with a Change link — you can skip straight past them.

You can also go backwards. The browser's Back button works exactly as you would expect, and your answers are kept if you wander off and come back later.

Then press Create my site →.

4. Build

You land in your project and the first build starts immediately. The site fills in in front of you while the AI works — a real page taking shape, not a progress bar.

The first build takes a few minutes. You do not have to watch it: close the tab and it carries on, and you can ask to be emailed when it is done.

Then what?

You have a finished site that nobody outside your project can see yet. A sensible first hour:

1. Read it. All of it. It was written for you from what you said, and some of it will be wrong.
2. Fix what is wrong by pointing at it, or by saying so in chat. See Asking for changes.
3. Send in your own photos. The biggest single improvement you can make. See Adding your own photos.
4. Publish it when you are happy. See Putting your site online.

Nothing is public until you do that last step, so take your time.