Beginner’s Guide to Site Creator

Welcome to Site Creator!

Building your online store just got easier—and a lot more fun! Site Creator is your all-in-one tool for building and designing your online store. Whether you're a seasoned eCommerce expert or new to the game, Site Creator has everything you need to bring your brand to life online. 

With this powerful platform, you can effortlessly add navigation, create pages, showcase products, and organize collections to provide a seamless shopping experience for your customers. Want some inspo before we get started? Check out this beautiful website built by our team. 

Quick Overview: What You’ll Achieve

By the end of this guide, you’ll have:

• A beautiful, fully functional website.
• Engaging product pages grouped into collections.
• Easy-to-navigate menus for a seamless shopping experience.
• A brand-ready design that showcases your personality.

Estimated Time to Complete: 2 hours

Let’s jump in and get started!

Step 1: Gather the Basics

Estimated Time to Complete: 10-15 mins

Before we dive in, let’s start small and gather just a few essentials to get your website up and running. Don’t worry about adding everything right now—we’ll build and grow as we go!

1. Add Products to CommentSold: Start with uploading 2-3 products you’re excited to showcase. We’ll group them into collections later to help organize your store.
2. Gather Visuals: Grab a couple of high-quality images—like your logo, a product photo, and a simple banner. Upload these to the Media Gallery so they’re ready to use throughout your website. Your images define your website’s look and feel, and will help shoppers recognize your brand.

Now that you have the basic assets to build your site, let’s get started!

Step 2: Create a Home Page

Estimated Time to Complete: 20 mins

Your home page is the first thing shoppers see when they visit your site—let’s make it eye-catching and easy to use! Think of your homepage as your storefront window: it should instantly tell shoppers who you are and what you offer.

Here’s how to get started:

1. Navigate to your CommentSold dashboard and select Site Creator from the side menu.
2. Select Pages from the option listed at the top of the page.
3. Select the three dots on the right corner of the Home Page and select Edit.

Start editing your home page!

What to Include on Your Home Page

1. Add a Banner
   • Use a bold, high-quality banner image to grab attention. This could be a photo of your best-selling product, a seasonal promotion, or a welcome message for your shop.
   • Pro Tip! Add a call-to-action (CTA) to your banner, like “Shop Now” or “Explore New Arrivals.”
2. Feature a Product Grid
   • Highlight a few key products or collections in a scrolling carousel. This keeps your homepage dynamic and gives shoppers a quick preview of what’s available.
   • Start with 3-5 products or a single collection, like “Top Picks” or “New Arrivals.”
3. Write a Short Welcome Message
   • Add a brief paragraph in a content block introducing your brand. Keep it friendly and engaging, like:
     “Welcome to [Your Shop Name]! Discover handpicked styles designed to make every day special.”
4. Add a Banner for your App!
   • Upload a banner that encourages your visitors to download your app - this will lead to increased customer engagement and loyalty! 
5. Include Trust Elements (Optional)
   • Add a quick highlight of free shipping offers, customer reviews, or a “Why Shop With Us” section to build credibility. (Use a promotional block with images to achieve this!) 

Check out this homepage for inspiration! 

How to Structure Your Home Page

Think of your homepage in sections:

• Top Section (Hero Banner): Grab attention with a banner image and CTA.
• Middle Section (Product Highlights): Showcase your featured products or collections in a carousel.
• Bottom Section (Navigation & Trust Elements): Add links to your key pages and optional trust elements like customer reviews or free shipping info. 

You may not have content pages and collections yet, but by the end of this guide, you will have a few to link to the main navigation menu!

Step 3: Configure Basic Website Settings

Estimated Time to Complete: 15-20 mins

Next, you’ll want to customize the way your site looks. Customize your settings to show your brand personality, including your pictures, colors, and fonts.

• Customize the header menu to create a unique identity and intuitive navigation experience for your website. This is where your logo, site colors, navigation pages, and more will show up. 
• Customize the footer menu to provide easy access to essential links and information, such as contact info, policies, and social media links.

Step 4: Create Content Pages and Collections

Estimated Time to Complete: 20-30 mins

Next, it’s time to build your website pages. Here, you can create pages to showcase different products, collections, about me pages, and more to provide an engaging and full shopping experience for your customers.

For product pages, try:

• Grouping products into collections like “Best Sellers” or “New Arrivals” for easier browsing on your website and mobile app and add them to your product page with a ‘Product Grid’.
• Design a personalized collection page that showcases your products in the best light. You can use the pre-built templates to quickly build and customize content and collection pages.

Step 5: Organize Your Navigation

Estimated Time to Complete: 20-30 mins

Your navigation menu is like a map for your website—it helps shoppers find what they need quickly and easily. The navigation tab allows you to add pages to your menu, create dropdowns, and organize your pages in the order you want your shoppers to view them. 

Let’s set it up so your visitors have a seamless browsing experience!

How to Add Pages to Your Menu

1. Start in the Navigation Tab:
   Open the Navigation tab in Site Creator. This is where you’ll add and organize your pages.
2. Add Your Pages:
   • Create a Title: This is the name that shoppers will see in the menu, like “Shop All” or “New Arrivals.”
   • Select a Page: In the “Page Field,” choose the page you want to link to.
   • Choose Where to Publish: Decide if this page should appear on your website, mobile app, or both.
3. Repeat: Add more pages for all the main sections of your website, such as:
   • Shop All
   • Collections (e.g., Clothing, Accessories)
   • About Us
   • Contact or Policies

How to Organize Your Menu

1. Arrange the Order:
   • Drag and drop your pages in the menu to arrange them in the order you want them to appear. For example, place “Shop All” at the top and “Contact” at the bottom.
2. Create Dropdown Menus (Optional):
   • To group related pages, nest them under a main category.
   • Use the 3-dot menu on the right of a page to drag it under another page, creating a dropdown. For example:
     • Clothing
       • Dresses
       • Tops
3. Test Your Menu:
   • Click “Preview” to see how the navigation looks on your site. Make sure it’s intuitive and easy for shoppers to use.

When your menu is organized the way you like, hit publish in the top right corner, and your site is live!

Step 6: Maintain and Promote Your Website

Estimated Time to Complete: 30 mins

Your site is live, but the journey doesn’t stop here! Keep your website fresh and engaging by regularly updating it and driving traffic with these strategies:

Regular Updates

• Add new collections or seasonal banners.
• Keep product pages updated with the latest details.
• Refresh your homepage to highlight current discounts & promotions.
• Update discounts and promotions to spotlight current deals and special offers.

Promote Your Store

• Social Media: Share updates and product launches on Instagram and Facebook.
• Email Marketing: Send newsletters to announce new arrivals or sales.
• SEO Basics: Optimize product descriptions with keywords to improve visibility on Google.

Bonus Tips for Advanced Users

Want to take your site to the next level? Explore these features:

• Popclips on Product Pages: Create Popclips (short videos showcasing your products) and link them to products to display on product pages for a more engaging shopping experience.
• Unlisted Content Pages: Share exclusive content with select customers using direct links.
• Anchor Tags: Improve usability by linking directly to specific sections within a page.
• Thank You Page: Customize your Thank You page to leave a lasting impression on customers after they complete a purchase.
• Integrations: Connect tools like CommentSold Payments or third-party analytics for enhanced functionality.

You Did It!

Congratulations—you’ve built your online store! Your website is now ready to welcome shoppers and grow your brand.

Need More Help? Check out our Help Center for advanced tutorials and more.

Let’s turn your vision into a thriving online business!