Getting started in the Website Builder: Selecting a template and theme

When setting up your site in the Website Builder, you’ll be guided through a short onboarding flow that helps you select a template and theme (sometimes referred to as global design settings). These choices define your site’s structure, colors, and typography.

You can change your template or update your theme later, but onboarding is the quickest way to get a polished site up and running. This guide walks through each step of the onboarding flow so you know what to expect.

The first step is choosing the purpose of your site. This selection determines which templates are available to you.

Select one option, then click Next. 

• Link in bio: A landing page with links to your content.
• Simple blog: A streamlined site focused on posts or newsletters.
• News site: A full-featured content website.
• Migrate from legacy beehiiv site: Preserves legacy settings when moving to the new builder.

Based on your selected purpose, you’ll see a set of available templates.

• To preview a template, click the tool icon in the bottom-right corner.
• Use the Desktop and Mobile options in the preview window to see how it looks on different devices.

Select a template, then click Next to continue.

Some website templates include placeholder images or background images that you can replace.

If this step appears:

• Click the Upload image icon to add your own images, or
• Keep the default images and update them later in the editor.

Click Next when you’re ready to continue.

Next, you’ll review the theme’s color palette. This controls your site’s global colors.

You can accept the palette as-is or customize it:

• Click any color swatch to open the color picker.
• Enter a hex code, adjust opacity, or fine-tune colors manually.

Color roles:

• Core color: The background color of your site.
• Primary color: The color of text on the background, used for headings and paragraph text.
• Secondary color: Accent color for text elements like hyperlinks or borders.
• Tertiary color: Used for borders and dividers.
• Accent color: Background color for key elements like buttons and callouts. 

Additional options:

• Generate with AI: Use AI credits to generate a palette based on your prompt.
• Use current theme: Click to revert to your existing theme colors.
• Color palette presets: Designer-created palettes for your selected template.

At the top of the color panel, you can click the Shuffle colors icon to quickly rearrange color roles in the template. You can also use the Undo or Redo arrows to go back or forward in your selections.

Click Next when you’re satisfied.

Next, you’ll select your site’s typography or theme fonts. A set of default fonts will be preselected to match your chosen template. 

You can use these defaults as-is, select from the Font combination presets, or manually select fonts that better match your brand. 

Fonts apply to:

• Heading: Used for titles and section headers.
• Text: Applied to paragraphs and general body content.
• Button: Used for call-to-action buttons.

To adjust, you can choose from a set of curated font pairings or manually select fonts that better reflect your brand by clicking on the font names.

Once your fonts are set, click Next to continue.

On the final Review step, preview your site using the Mobile, Desktop, and Expand icons. If you want to make changes, click Previous to return to earlier steps. 

When ready, click Switch template.

You’ll be asked to confirm one of the following:

• Publish now: Make your site live immediately.
• Explore the editor, publish later: Continue customizing before publishing.

Make a selection, then click Continue to finish onboarding.

Once onboarding is complete, the Website Builder opens with your new site loaded.

If you don’t yet have live posts, images may appear blurred. Click Sync posts to display your published content.

Optionally, you can also turn on placeholder content. Go to the left panel icons menu and click on Settings, then toggle on the Enable placeholder data option. 

From here, you can:

• Learn how to use the Website Builder.
• Sync and display your newsletter posts.
• Add subscribe forms and additional pages.
• Customize individual blocks, layouts, and global styles.
• Preview and publish your changes across devices.

To go deeper, check out these related articles:

• Customizing your site in the Website Builder
• Using content tags on your website
• Website redirect options
• Adding signup flows to your website subscribe forms
• How to embed YouTube videos on your website
• Security settings for your website