If you’ve ever created social media content, presentations, posters, hero images, and other engaging visuals for your business, you’ve probably considered using Canva graphic design tool. However, this company has recently expanded its operations to join the website builder market. The great news is that just by using drag-and-drop tools for editing website templates, you can now create Canva websites without any coding knowledge and without spending a fortune. But if you’re considering using Canva for website design, it’s important to weigh both the pros and cons of this approach. It is also crucial to understand how it compares to other website design platforms and custom-coded websites.
In this article, our digital marketing agency will dive deep into analyzing the process of using Canva for website design. By reading, you’ll learn how to create a mobile-friendly Canva website, use website Canva templates with WordPress, and convert a Canva design to a functional website. We’ll also discuss whether the Canva website is a professional option for your business and how much you can expect to pay to get the most out of this fresh web design tool. So let’s start!
Table of Contents:
- The Most Effective Approach to Canva Website Creation Process
- How to make a Canva website mobile-friendly?
- Can you create a blog with Canva?
- Is Canva good for website design?
- If you’re in one of these situations, a Canva website is a perfect solution…
- How much it costs to create Canva websites?
- Is it unprofessional to use Canva?
The Most Effective Approach to Canva Website Creation Process
Thanks to the simplicity of Canva drag-and-drop tools and easy-to-use menu, creating a Canva website is a pretty straightforward process. By following these steps, you’ll be able to create a Canva website that is both visually appealing and functionally sound:
Find the website template that you like
A good starting point for using Canva for website design is finding a website template that will serve as a solid foundation for further customizations. Look for pre-made themes that already include photos, font styles, layouts, and other design elements relevant to your industry. For this purpose, you can utilize the search function and filters provided in Canva. For example, if you want to create a cannabis website design, you might want to type in terms such as “cannabis,” “medical dispensary,” and similar. That will help you speed up the process of finding the perfect website Canva template for your business.
In case you can’t find any template that matches your niche, go for the one you love the most or select the blank website Canva template. In the next step, you’ll learn how to fully customize it to suit your needs.
Customize website Canva template to match your brand identity
Once you choose your Canva website template, a design editing tool will appear. Remember, the key to successful Canva website design lies in attention to detail and patience. Although this website design platform makes it possible to launch a website within minutes of work, there are plenty of options and tools you shouldn’t miss experimenting with. Doing so will allow you to create a high-quality Canva website that goes hand in hand with your brand identity system. And consistent branding across multiple digital marketing channels is crucial for increasing brand awareness. Here is how to start customizing the website Canva template you’ve previously selected:
Start the customization process by choosing a website layout.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution to this. Thinking about the goals you want to accomplish with your Canva website and looking for inspiration in competitors’ web designs might get you closer to finding a perfect layout. It is also important to consider the amount of text and photos you plan on including. To get a better idea of various layout styles, navigate to the Design tab and choose the Layout option. The number of quick layouts there is impressive.
Customize the Hero Section
It is the section that visitors usually first see upon landing on your website. Again, think about your primary goal and the target audience. That will help you create a compelling message and hero image that resonates with your audience and encourages them to take action. Canva provides almost limitless options for customizing the hero section of your website. All you’ll need is inspiration, which you can get by checking our website hero ideas.
Adjust the color palette on your Canva website to make it in accordance with your brand guidelines.
You can do it either by manually adjusting the color of each design element or by utilizing the option for quickly choosing a complete color palette. If you want, you can add a background image. There is a filter that allows you to find various design elements containing the color of your choice.
Carefully Choose Fonts to Achieve the Desired Tone On Your Website.
Our advice is to pay close attention to their readability and stick to a maximum of three different fonts. Canva provides a wide array of fonts you can choose from. Whether you want to achieve a professional or creative look for your website, you’ll most likely find the one that you like. And by subscribing to Canva Pro, you’ll also get an option to import brand fonts.
Add images to boost the visual appeal of your Canva website.
Within the design editor, you’ll be able to find stock photos you can use for free. You’ll see lists of recommended and trending photos, but you can also use the search function to narrow the choice quickly. Keep in mind that a wider range of photos is available to Canva Pro users. However, if you want to include your own photos (which is preferable if you are promoting a unique product), it’s possible to import them into Canva within a few clicks.
Add Icons That Lead to Your Social Media Pages in order to Connect Your Marketing Channels.
There are many logo style variations for each social media platform available on Canva, so you can choose the one that best suits the overall look of your website. It is best to keep these social media images subtle, so put them near the bottom of your page.
Add hyperlinks and CTA buttons to drive visitors’ actions
By designing powerful CTA buttons for your Canva website, you can encourage visitors to take a specific action, such as making a purchase or filling out a form. Drag-and-drop tools in the Canva website editor provide a variety of options. By clicking on the “buttons” filter, you’ll be able to find pre-made buttons in different shapes, colors, styles, texts, and more.
When you’re satisfied with how your call-to-action buttons look, you can add hyperlinks to make them clickable. All you have to do is highlight the button to which you want to add a hyperlink and then navigate to the top right corner, where you can find the chain icon. Click on it and add a link to another page of your website or an external link.
Check how your Canva website looks across various devices
You can check how your website looks on mobile and desktop devices by clicking on the Preview button in the top right corner. It is crucial to find any flaws in the design that might diminish the quality of the user experience on your website and test all the links you’ve added. All the website Canva templates we tested were mobile-responsive, so you shouldn’t have much trouble crafting an optimal user experience for mobile users using Canva.
Publish your website
If you’re done customizing a website Canva template, it is now time to launch your website. You’ll need to choose a domain. You can either go for a free domain provided by Canva, purchase a new one through Canva, or use an existing domain that you own.
Let’s say you choose a free domain to give you a better idea of how the process of publishing your website looks. You’ll get an option to customize your URL. Make sure to find the one that resonates with your target audience. In the field below, you’ll see how your website will look in the browser tab. There you can change the icon and displayed name. After you’re done, you’ll see an empty field where you can describe your website within 160 characters. Your first instinct might be to rush this process and publish your Canva website as fast as possible, but it is crucial to remain focused. Experts from our SEO company advise you to include highly-relevant keywords you want to rank for in search engines.
How to make a Canva website mobile-friendly?
By using Canva for website design, you can easily create mobile-friendly websites. The crucial part is selecting the right options in the menu that appears after you click on the “Publish Website” button. You’ll see a box next to the “Resize on mobile” text; make sure to tick it. Just below, there is a dropdown menu containing two options – “Without navigation” and “With navigation.” Select the second one. That should be it; your website will be mobile-friendly upon publishing.
However, if you’re still unsatisfied with the overall look and feel of your Canva website on mobile devices, you might need to redesign certain elements. Consider slightly changing the layout, button sizes, and placement, the way images are cropped, and similar. To prevent these problems, you can focus on a mobile-first approach when using Canva for website design.
Can you create a blog with Canva?
If you plan on using Canva for website design, you might be wondering whether this platform allows you to create a blog. Running a blog on your business website is an excellent way to engage with your customers and establish your company as an industry leader. It seems like Canva’s team was well aware of this before entering the website builder market. That’s why they enabled users to easily create Canva websites that support blogging options.
Creating a blog on this website design platform is as simple as choosing the website Canva template that resonates with your style preferences and then using drag-and-drop tools to customize details. Here is how to find blog templates for your future Canva website:
- When on Canva’s homepage, navigate to the Design Spotlight dropdown menu
- Click on the Websites item in the menu list
- Scroll a bit to find the Browse all templates button
- From there, you’ll be able to find Blog Website templates
- Choose the template you want to start editing
An even simpler option is to utilize the internal search feature and type in “Blog website.” Canva should then provide you with more than 30 templates and an option to create a blank blog website. Keep in mind that you’ll need to log in to your Canva account in order to start customizing templates and save them later on.
However, keep in mind that running a blog on the Canva website is not as easy and effective as running one on the WordPress website. Instead of entirely relying on your content marketing strategy on your Canva website, create a visually appealing, one-page Canva website design that supports a very specific goal, such as promoting a new product. You can then link to your new Canva website from WordPress blog articles.
Is Canva good for website design?
Canva is a good option for website design, particularly for those who are new to design or are looking for a user-friendly tool to create professional-looking websites. Here is why:
- It provides user-friendly drag-and-drop tools
- Plenty of options for extensive customization
- Easy-to-follow process for publishing a website
- A wide range of website templates and design elements
- It doesn’t require coding knowledge
- Great collaboration tools for your team
If you’re in one of these situations, a Canva Website is a Perfect Solution
If you recognize yourself in at least one of the following statements, using Canva for website design might be a solution:
- You’re just starting out with your business, and you need a one-page website design
- You want a website that will allow you to effectively drive customer’s actions
- You lack coding knowledge or resources to hire professional developers
- You want to build a separate landing page for a unique product
- You want to showcase your portfolio, skills, or hobby
- You want to become an education creator and earn by creating Canva templates
- Your business is looking for a cost-effective way to start a digital journey
How much it costs to create Canva websites?
If you wonder how much money using Canva for website design costs, there are several factors to include in the equation. Let’s start by analyzing three levels of the Canva pricing plan:
- Canva Free – This plan offers more than 250,000 free templates for various purposes – from templates for social media posts to website Canva templates. You’ll also have access to drag-and-drop tools. It is a great way to start your journey and determine whether using Canva for website design can benefit your business. However, there are also many limitations to the free plan. For example, you’ll only have 5GB of cloud storage and lack some useful tools the Canva Pro plan includes. But with this plan, you’ll still be able to design beautiful Canva websites and publish up to five on a free Canva domain.
- Canva Pro – With Canva Pro, you’ll get full access to the creative library containing premium templates, premium stock photos, and other visual elements. You’ll also be able to use tools for branding, removing image backgrounds, resizing designs, and more. Canva Pro offers 1TB cloud storage, 24/7 customer support, and an option to schedule posts to your social media pages on up to 8 platforms. For $119.99/year, you can utilize Canva’s full potential when creating website designs. Another important consideration is that you’ll be able to host an unlimited number of websites on Canva’s free domain with a Pro plan.
- Canva for Teams – A great option if you have a web design team. Besides all the features the previous two plans contain, you’ll also get the necessary tools to enhance collaboration between team members and establish a smooth workflow. It costs $149.90/year for the first five members, but it is fully scalable to meet the size of your web design team.
The domain name and Hosting Costs
As mentioned before, there are three options when it comes to the domain name. You can use either Canva’s free domain, purchase a domain through Canva or purchase one from a third-party service provider. We advise you to avoid using a free domain and instead buy a professional-looking domain for your website. With Canva, you can purchase a domain name for around $19 to $25 per year. If you already have a domain name, you can connect it to your Canva website. But keep in mind that in order to do so, you’ll need to be subscribed to the Canva Pro plan.
Also, if you want to boost your average PageSpeed score and create a better user experience for your visitors, you’ll need to find an adequate hosting solution. Depending on the size of your website, it might cost you from $3 to $250+ per month. But considering that Canva websites are usually not meant to be big, you won’t have to spend a fortune to buy a reliable hosting plan.
Using Canva for Website Design – The Total Price?
So what is the total cost for a Canva website? Theoretically, you can create one for free. Not many other page builders offer this deal to their users. But unless you are using Canva for practicing web design, we advise you to at least buy a domain name and Canva Pro plan. This way, your potential customers will be able to easily find your business online, and you’ll also have much more templates and design elements to choose from during the website creation process. When all sums up, for just around $140 annual cost, you can have your own professional-looking Canva website you can use as an important asset in your digital marketing strategy.
Is it unprofessional to use Canva?
From hero section images to business event pages, Canva allows you to create visually stunning designs without requiring specialized skills. But is using Canva for website design actually an unprofessional option for your business?
As far as our web design agency in Chicago is concerned, using Canva as your web design tool is not unprofessional, especially if you’re creating a Canva website with a specific goal in mind or as a piece of your content marketing strategy. In cases where you don’t want to risk losing potential customers’ focus from the desired action due to your main website’s complexity, one-page Canva websites can save the day. These will allow you to provide visitors with just the right amount of information and control their behavior in a way that will secure more conversions.
Although websites created with page builders still can’t compete with custom-coded websites, especially when it comes to SEO, Canva websites usually prove as a valuable asset to companies.
Should Canva be Used for Professional Website Design
Using Canva for website design is a great way to impress visitors and help your business stand out online. It offers a wide range of professional-looking templates and design elements that make it easy to create visually appealing designs for your website. And thanks to the user-friendly interface and drag-and-drop tools, you can achieve the desired website look quickly and easily. That makes Canva an excellent choice for both beginners and those with decades of experience creating websites.
You can start turning your web design ideas into reality today by creating a Canva account. We’re sure you’ll find many opportunities with this fantastic tool.
