Launching your website means making it publicly visible and connecting it to a domain so visitors can find you online. This guide will walk you through the steps you’ll take to launch your website so it can start receiving traffic and help you grow your business.
Before connecting a domain and launching your website, you need to subscribe to a B12 plan. You can view our plan offerings on our pricing page.
To upgrade your website, click Choose a plan in the top right corner. Then select a plan and enter your credit card information to complete the purchase.
Connecting a domain
A domain is where your website can be found online, e.g. YouTube's domain is www.youtube.com, or B12's domain is www.b12.io.
If you already own a domain, you can connect it to your B12 website. If you don’t own a domain yet, every B12 subscription includes one domain that we’ll be happy to purchase and connect to your website.
Note: If you haven’t purchased a B12 subscription yet, you’ll need to complete this before connecting a domain or receiving your complimentary domain.
Connect a domain you own
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If you already have a domain, you can read our guides on connecting your domain to your B12 website.
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You can buy a domain from a domain registrar such as GoDaddy or Google domains. Domains typically cost around $12/year. Then you can connect the domain to your website.
Get a domain through B12
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Every B12 subscription includes one domain. Search for available domains in GoDaddy and email hello@b12.io to ask us to buy it for you and we'll connect it to your website.
Going live
When you first start building your website, it isn’t visible to the public. This means visitors can’t access your website and it won’t appear in search results.
Before publishing your site, we recommend previewing it to make sure you’re happy with its appearance.
Previewing your website
Click the Preview button to create a version of your website that is hidden from public view. This version opens in a new tab.
Why you should preview:
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To check how your edits look before putting them on your live website.
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To create a shareable preview link you can copy in your browser address bar and send to colleagues and friends for their approval.
Publishing your website
The Publish button makes your website go live on your domain. If you haven’t connected your domain, your website will go live on a personalized B12 URL that looks something like yourbusinessname.b12sites.com.
Once you publish, your website becomes visible to anyone who enters its domain in search engines. Your personalized B12 URL won’t appear in search results if you have connected a domain.
To make your website live, click Publish.
Publishing changes to your website
Once your website is live, editing your website won’t create visible changes on your live website until you click Publish again. This allows you to edit your website, share previews of the changes with collaborators, and then publish the changes whenever you’re ready.
Next Steps
Once you’re live, you can use tools in the B12 platform to improve your web presence:
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Search engine optimization (SEO) - Get found in search results with the help of an SEO specialist.
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Email Marketing - Send on-brand emails to your contact list from the B12 Editor.
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Analytics - Collect data on your website’s traffic.
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Custom email address - Set up a custom email address that matches your domain.
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Request an update - Let a B12 designer make changes to your website for you.
Questions or comments? Email hello@b12.io.