What Canva does and what it does not
Canva is a drag-and-drop design tool that lets you build a website by choosing from templates, adding text and images, and arranging them on the page. You do not write code. You do not rent a server. Canva hosts the website for you and gives you a link to share or a custom domain if you pay for one.
Canva websites work best for portfolios, small business sites, landing pages, and resumes — anything where you want a finished look without learning HTML or CSS. If you need a shopping cart, a membership system, or a database that stores user information, Canva is not the right tool. If you need to change how the site behaves based on what a visitor does, you will hit Canva's limits.
Canva is free to start. The paid plan (Canva Teams or Canva Pro) costs money per month and unlocks more templates and storage. You can build and publish a website on the free plan, though you will see fewer design options.
Key Takeaways
- Canva websites are built by dragging templates and elements onto a page, not by writing code, and Canva hosts them for you automatically.
- You start by choosing a website template, then edit the text, swap in your own images, and rearrange sections until it matches what you want.
- Canva publishes your site at a canva.site URL for free, or you can connect your own domain name if you own one.
- The free plan has fewer templates and design assets than the paid plan, but you can still build and publish a complete website.
- Canva websites do not support shopping carts, user accounts, or custom code, so they work for portfolios and landing pages but not online stores.
Starting a new website in Canva
Go to canva.com and log in or create a free account with your email. Click the "Create a design" button in the top left, then search for "website" in the search box. Canva shows you templates organized by category: portfolio, business, resume, landing page, and others.
Choose a template that is close to what you want. You do not have to match it exactly — you will change almost everything. Click on the template and Canva opens it in the editor. The template appears as a series of pages (usually a home page, an about page, a contact page, and sometimes more). You can add or delete pages later.
The left sidebar shows the pages of your site. The center is the canvas where you edit. The right sidebar holds design tools: colors, fonts, images, and layout options. Start with the home page and work down.
Editing text and adding your own images
Click any text block on the page to edit it. Type your own words. You can change the font by clicking the text and using the font dropdown in the right sidebar. You can change the color, size, and alignment the same way. Text blocks can be moved by clicking and dragging them anywhere on the page.
To add your own images, click the "Upload" button in the left sidebar (it looks like a folder icon), then choose an image from your computer. Drag the image onto the page. You can resize it by dragging the corners, and move it by dragging the center. If you do not have images yet, Canva's free plan includes thousands of stock photos — search for a topic in the "Elements" tab and drag a photo onto the page.
Delete anything you do not want by clicking it and pressing Delete on your keyboard. Add new sections by clicking the "+" button between pages or by duplicating an existing section and changing it.
Changing colors, fonts, and layout
Canva templates come with a color scheme and font pairing already chosen. To change the colors across the whole site at once, click "Brand kit" in the left sidebar, then click "Create a brand kit". Choose your brand colors and fonts here. Canva will update matching colors and fonts throughout the site (though not every element — some you will need to change by hand).
To change a single element, click it and use the right sidebar. You can change the background color of a section, the text color, the font, or the size. Canva shows you a preview as you change things, so you can see what it looks like before you save.
To rearrange sections, click and drag them in the left sidebar. To change the layout of a section (for example, to move text from the left side to the right side), click the section and look for a "Layout" option in the right sidebar. Some templates let you swap layouts; others do not.
Publishing your website and sharing the link
When you are done editing, click the "Publish" button in the top right. Canva asks whether you want to publish to a canva.site URL (free) or connect your own domain (paid, if you own a domain). If you choose canva.site, Canva gives you a link like yourname.canva.site. You can share this link with anyone, and they can view your site in a browser.
If you own a domain name (from GoDaddy, Namecheap, or another registrar), you can connect it to your Canva site. Click "Connect domain" during publishing, then follow Canva's instructions to point your domain to Canva's servers. This usually means changing a few DNS records in your domain registrar's settings. The process takes 24 to 48 hours to take effect.
After you publish, you can still edit the site. Any changes you make will appear on the live site within a few minutes. You do not have to republish each time.
What you can and cannot do with Canva websites
Canva websites are static — they show the same content to every visitor. You cannot add a shopping cart, a contact form that saves messages to a database, a login system, or a comment section. You can add a contact form that sends an email to your inbox, but the form itself is straightforward and does not store responses in Canva.
You cannot write custom code or change how the site works under the hood. You cannot add a blog that updates automatically or a calendar that syncs with another tool. If you need any of these things, you will need a different platform like WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace.
Canva websites are fast and mobile-friendly by default. Canva handles all the technical work — you do not have to worry about server uptime, backups, or security updates. If Canva goes down, your site goes down with it, but this is rare.
Moving from a template to your own design
If you want to start from scratch instead of using a template, you can. Click "Create a design" and choose "Custom size", then enter the width and height you want (Canva suggests 1200 by 1600 pixels for a website). You get a blank page and can build it piece by piece — add text boxes, images, shapes, and sections until you have a design you like.
This takes longer than starting with a template, but it gives you complete control. You can add as many pages as you want and arrange them however you like. Most people find it faster to start with a template and change it than to build from nothing.
If you want to use a template but it has pages you do not need, delete them. Click the page in the left sidebar and click the trash icon. You can also duplicate a page by right-clicking it and choosing "Duplicate", then edit the copy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use my own domain name with a Canva website?
Yes. If you own a domain from GoDaddy, Namecheap, or another registrar, you can connect it during publishing. Canva walks you through changing your domain's DNS settings to point to Canva's servers. It takes 24 to 48 hours to work.
What happens if I stop paying for Canva Pro?
Your website stays published and live. You lose access to the extra templates and design assets that come with Pro, but you can still edit your site and make changes. You just cannot add new Pro elements to it.
Can I add a shopping cart or take payments on a Canva website?
No. Canva does not support shopping carts, payment processing, or user accounts. If you need to sell products or take payments, you need a platform like Shopify, WooCommerce, or Wix instead.
How do I add a contact form that actually works?
Click "Elements" in the left sidebar, search for "form", and drag a contact form onto the page. Edit the fields to match what you want to ask. When someone fills it out and clicks submit, Canva sends the responses to your email address.
Can I see how many people visit my Canva website?
Canva does not have built-in analytics. If you need to track visitors, you can connect Google Analytics to your site by adding a tracking code during publishing, though this requires some technical setup.