A step-by-step guide on how to make your own customized Flash website with Wix’ free website builder. Whether you are a business owner or an artist, a non-profit organization or a wedding photographer, Wix has all you need to get a stunning site online, from start to publish. Read reviews about Wix and other website builders to choose the best builder for your site. 
This is a guest post by Emily Sokolow, who is a copywriter and SEM specialist for Wix.com. She has created free websites for freelancer friends, family-member businesses, and her black miniature pinscher, Betsy.

wix

How to Make a Flash Website with Wix

1. Click “Create” at the top of Wix.com

create wix

2. Select a template (or start from scratch)

template wix

Scroll through Wix’ impressive gallery of sleek and modern template designs. Web templates are like sample sites that can be tweaked and altered for your own use. All of Wix’ templates are fully-customizable, and were designed by Wix’ own team of awesome pro web designers for maximum usability and flawless style. Roll over the template and select “Edit”:

Since it’s spring, we’ll use “My Organic Garden” from the “Lifestyle” template category:

Lifestyle template

Or, select “View” for a full preview of your template’s design and layout. Click “Edit” from the top right corner.

template edit wix

3. Signup / Login

wix login

Wix’ whole philosophy is to make the creation process as smooth as possible, and the log-in is no exception. There is no e-mail confirmation to wait for, and no lengthy form to fill out – and it’s free. With an account you get full access to the online editor and a huge selection of neat design elements and tools you can add to your site.

Using the Wix editor

wix editor

Now you’re ready to customize your template!

1. Customize text

Double-click on any text to edit.

customize template

Change the text, and edit the color, font, size and even drag your text to a new place on the page.

2. Update contact forms + links

Go to the Contact page of your template through the Page Manager on the right.

contact forms wix

Contact form – Click on a field in the contact form -> Email. Enter your email address. Click OK. Now a visitor can send a message directly from your website.

contact form wix

Social network links – Click an icon and paste the URL of your social network profiles.

Social network wix

This template also has a Google Map widget. To replace with your own address click on the map -> Change address.

Change address wix

3. Add your own pictures

Click on a single picture -> Replace. Click on a photo gallery -> Manage photos. You can swap the pictures in a template with other free pictures from Wix’ own Pics gallery, purchase through Fotolia or upload files from your computer.

add pictures wix

4. Save and give your site a name

You can change it later.

site name wix

5. Publish!

Hit “Publish” by clicking the green button and instantly see your site online.

Publish wix

Anytime you want to make changes just log back into your account at Wix.com. Make your edits and hit “Save” again. When you hit refresh on your live site you’ll see the changes instantly.

Your URL + Wix Premium Upgrades

Your free website’s web address will look like this: www.wix.com/username/sitename. Wix provides free website hosting on its own servers so you can log in to the editor and make changes to your site anytime. For an extra level of customization, you can connect your Wix site to your own domain by upgrading to a Premium package. Starting at $4.08/month, it’s a great way to “claim” your site.

Wix Help + Resources

A full explanation of how to do everything in Wix either by customizing a template or building your site from scratch, is found in the Wix Support wiki (http://www.wix.com/support/). You can also access Help from directly inside the editor, so you can actually build as you go without interrupting your workflow.