Hello, and welcome to Zoho Sites!

Getting started

To create an account:

1. Go to sites.zoho.com.
2. Enter an email address, password, and phone number.
3. Read and accept the terms and conditions.
4. Click SIGN UP FOR FREE.
   

Creating your website

1. Enter your website name and select your website category.
2. Click Choose Template. You will be directed to our free website templates page. 
3. Hover over the templates and choose a website theme that will best showcase your ideas and content. Click Live Demo to check out how the website looks and feels. If you like the website template, go back and click Customize. 
4. You can further customize the template by choosing the desired website colors, font, header, and banner styles.
5. Click Finish. Your site will load in a few minutes, and you will have a basic website ready for further customization. 
   
   

Notes:

2. The template gallery comes stocked with industry-based, predesigned templates. You can achieve the look of a professionally designed website instantly with no prior design experience.
3. You can switch from one template to another without losing your content. You can change your website title and styles at any time as well.

Adding elements

1. Click the Add  icon in the top-left corner of the builder, then choose Element. From the tray of options, drag and drop elements of your choice to your website.
2. Hover over the section where you would like to insert an element and click Add Element. A tray of options will appear, from which you can select the element you would like to add to your page.

Sections

Sections are the building blocks of your page, within which you add your elements. These rows of content are arranged in their order of importance and can be individually customized. You can select to add a newsletter section, accordion menu, or a carousel among other sections to your page. There are a couple of ways you can do this:

1. Hover over the content area on your page to add a section.
2. Click on the content and select from the dropdown list.

Notes: Click the add  icon and select Section to access the sections content tray. From this, you can select and add sections with varying content layout.

Editing elements

1. Reposition your elements by clicking on them and using the four-point arrow  to drag and drop them at the preferred spot on the page.
   
2. To delete an element, click on the element and click the trash icon .
   

1. In addition to editing text, each element comes with its own set of customization options. You can find these options alongside the element after you have added it to your page. They also appear when you click an element. If the customization option doesn't show up, click the  settings icon.  You can make specific modifications by clicking on options to adjust text alignment, typography, and spacing. You can also add shadow or animation to your content, such as slide, bounce, and fade. Customization options include Custom CSS scripts, Style Editor, and element visibility. 

1. Click the Add  icon on the top-left corner of the builder, then click Page.
   

1. Click the Add  icon, and then click Blog Post.
2. Choose Create Blog.
3. Click Add Post.
4. Add your post URL, select your blog category or create a new one, include tags, enable or disable commenting, type a small summary, and set the cover image.
5. Start typing your blog, format it, and include images. 
6. Click the Publish Post button.
   

Notes: Clicking Publish Post will post your blog. However, it won't go live until your website is published.

To manage your blog page

1. Click Blog Preferences in the top-left corner of your builder.
   

Click the hamburger icon  in the top-left corner of your builder to access the settings for your site like Comments, SEO, Member Portal, and other options.

Preview

1. Click the Preview icon  in the top-right corner of your builder header to generate a replica of your website.
2. Every website you create is automatically optimized for mobile and tablet. Your website will look great on phones, tablets, and desktops.
3. You can preview your website to see how it will look on these devices.
   

Notes:

You will need a domain name before your site goes live. An ideal domain name would be one that is specific to the nature of your website. If you do not have a domain already, you will need to configure one.

Configuring your domain

1. Create a free sub domain.
2. Buy a new domain name.
3. Map your existing domain.
   

Post-publish assistance