After you become familiar with how SiteBuilder works, don't hesitate to get started. SiteBuilder is as flexible as you are: You'll be able to create, customize, and delete pages — or an entire web site — anytime.

The steps below will give you a quick look at the steps required to create a site with SiteBuilder. For detailed instructions, see "Getting Started Creating a Site."

Step 1: Save SiteBuilder to Your Computer

Before you can begin using SiteBuilder, you'll need to save your own copy of the software.

Downloading will simply copy the SiteBuilder tools to your PC so you can work with them just like any other program you might use regularly, such as a word-processing or email program. Unlike a lot of software, though, SiteBuilder is free, and you can download it as many times as you like. Read about SiteBuilder system requirements.

If you haven't already, download SiteBuilder now:

1. Visit the SiteBuilder download page.
   
2. Click the Download Now — Free button.

   

3. When the download is complete, open the downloaded file (called ysitebulder.exe) on your computer and follow the installation instructions.

Need some help? See installation tips.

Step 2: Open SiteBuilder

When you're finished downloading SiteBuilder, you'll have the option to open your new software immediately, but you'll need to know how to open it again later!

You can open SiteBuilder again from your computer by clicking the SiteBuilder start button.

Look for an image like the one at right on your computer's desktop. This button represents a shortcut to your tools. Just double-click on it (click on it twice quickly with your mouse) to open SiteBuilder.

Can't find the button? You can also open SiteBuilder from your computer's Start menu.

1. Click the "Start" button (usually located in the lower-left corner of your screen).
2. Choose "Programs."
3. Select "Yahoo!," then "SiteBuilder."
4. You'll see an icon like the one above labeled "SiteBuilder." Select this option to open SiteBuilder.

When you open SiteBuilder, the files you worked on when you closed it during your previous work session will usually open automatically, but you can easily open a site or page saved on your computer anytime. Learn how to open a site or open a page.

Step 3: Create a Brand-New Site — or Continue Working on One You Already Published!

New to site building? The Site Creation Wizard will help get you up and running in no time. (To continue working on a site you published from another computer, see below.)

To get started, click Create a New Site in SiteBuilder's Help pane.

The wizard will guide you through naming your site; choosing a starter page design (or a blank canvas, if you prefer); and picking out a few pages and links between them to get you started.

Remember that this is just the foundation: You'll be able to customize your design as much as you please, and you can add and delete pages whenever you like!

For step-by-step instructions, see "Creating a Basic Site."

Already started a site on another computer?

When you work on your site, you'll save drafts of your pages on your local computer — but as soon as you publish, you not only make your site available to potential visitors on the Internet but also copy your work to your Web Hosting account.

You can access your account from anywhere you connect to the Internet — which means you access your site, too! If you published your site at the office, you can easily continue working on it at home on another computer by using SiteBuilder's Import tool.

Before you begin, be sure to download and open SiteBuilder on the computer you'll be using (see steps 1 and 2), then make sure you're still connected to the Internet.

To begin importing a site you already began, select Import Yahoo! Site... from SiteBuilder's File menu.

You'll be asked to sign in to your Web Hosting account with your Yahoo! ID and password. Next you'll create a folder on your computer to store drafts of your site, then choose the site you want to import.

Each step is accompanied by a Help button — just click for assistance!

Learn more about creating and importing sites.

Step 4: Customize Your Pages

You can return to your pages now and alter virtually everything about them: Add text and images, change colors, create links — you can make your pages as simple or as complex as you like.

To start working with a page, double-click its name in the Site Contents pane, which appears on the right side of your SiteBuilder control panel.

To add text, click the Insert Text button on your SiteBuilder toolbar.

You'll see a box into which you can type your text. You'll be able to move this box around the page, change its size, or delete it, and you can use the other buttons and menus on the toolbar to change your text size, color, and more.

In fact, you can add and change all kinds of elements from the toolbar. (Hold your mouse over any button to find out what it does.) To add an image, click the Insert an Image button.

For step-by-step instructions on adding text, images, links, and more, we suggest viewing our SiteBuilder tutorials! You'll find links to these animated guides within SiteBuilder and here in the online help center. Learn more about adding text and images.

Step 5: Publish Your Site

When you're ready to show your pages to the world, you'll copy them from your computer to your Web Hosting account. This process is called publishing, and it's as simple as the click of a button. When you publish your web pages, you make them available on the World Wide Web.

To publish your pages anytime, just click the Publish button on your SiteBuilder toolbar.

Sign in with your Yahoo! ID and password, then follow the simple instructions that follow. That's all there is to it! You can now visit your web address to see your new site online.

Learn more about publishing.

Not happy with your first try? Remember that you can edit, update, and republish your pages — even replace your work with a whole new site — as often as you like.

Next Steps

Your web site doesn't end with the first time you publish: To keep your visitors coming back, we recommend that you keep your site fresh by updating your content regularly.

Keep in mind that Yahoo! offers dozens of ways to make your site successful. For more information, explore the rest of the SiteBuilder User Guide or browse our Web Hosting guides.