To make a website in Canva, select Templates on the homepage, search for website and choose Customize this template, or pick Website and Create a blank Website. Add pages and sections, edit your text and images, set titles in Settings, then select Publish and choose a free Canva domain or your own.
A Canva website won't replace a full WordPress site with a blog and shop, but for a one-page offer, an event, a portfolio or a simple brochure site, it's quick and you already know the editor. You design the pages like any other Canva design, then publish to a web address. The bits that need care are the settings behind the Publish button, because they decide how your site appears in Google.
Start from a website template or a blank page
You've got two starting points. For a template, go to Templates on the homepage side bar, type website in the search bar, preview one you like and select Customize this template. For a blank site, go to Templates, choose Website from the recommended categories and select Create a blank Website.
Canva says you can publish most design types as a website, but they don't all behave like websites. Videos play in a video player and other designs open in presenter view, like a slideshow. If you want a normal scrolling page, start with a Website template or use Magic Resize to convert your design to the website format.
Build your Canva site, step by step
- Swap in your own text, photos and colours, using the side panel tabs for extra elements.
- Select Add section at the bottom of the editor to add a new block to the same page.
- Select Add page for a new page. Each one becomes a separate scrollable page on the site.
- Link pages by highlighting text, selecting the link icon and choosing Pages in this document.
- Check the mobile view with the preview icon while you edit. Side-by-side elements may stack on a phone.
- Open the dropdown next to Publish, select Settings and fill in your site and page details.
- Select Publish, then View website to see it live.
Page and section limits
| Limit | What Canva allows |
|---|---|
| Pages per website | Up to 45 |
| Sections per page while designing | Up to 20 |
| Sections per page you can publish on Canva Free | Up to 10 |
| Sections per page you can publish on Pro, Business, Enterprise, Nonprofits and Education | Up to 20 |
That publishing difference catches people out. On Canva Free you can happily design a long page with more than 10 sections, then find you can't publish it until you remove some or move to a premium plan. If you're on Free, plan your long pages as two shorter ones.
Settings that decide how Google sees you
Canva splits settings into site-wide and per-page. On the Site tab you set the favicon (Canva recommends a square image of 280 x 280 pixels, as a JPG or PNG up to 25MB), the website title, and whether search engines can see the site at all. There are also switches for password protection, a navigation menu, resizing on mobile and the social media link preview.
For each page you can set a page title, a custom URL path such as about or contact, and a page description. Canva recommends 150 to 160 characters for that description and warns against reusing the same titles or descriptions across pages. That's good SEO advice for any website, not only Canva ones.
From the Publish panel you can also connect Google Analytics and add a cookie consent banner. If you're collecting any visitor data, set up the banner before you share the link.
Choosing a domain
| Option | Good for | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Free Canva domain | Testing, personal projects, quick event pages | Fine to start with |
| Buy a new domain | A memorable business address | Bought through Canva's domain option |
| Connect a domain you own | Using your existing brand name | Needs DNS setup |
One exception: if you built from a mobile website or Link in Bio template, Canva says the site publishes to a canva.link address only. To get the domain options, resize to a Website template first.
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The footer you can't remove on Free
This is the catch I'd want to know before I started. Canva says that on Canva Free, a 'Designed with Canva' footer appears at the bottom of your published website, including Canva's Privacy Policy, and it can't be removed on the Free plan. For a hobby page or a quick test that's fine, and plenty of people won't notice it. For a business site you're sending clients to, it's worth deciding up front whether you're happy with it, as removing it means upgrading to Canva Pro.
What I'd do
I'd happily use a Canva website for landing pages, event pages and link-in-bio style pages, and keep my main business site on a platform built for blogging and SEO. Fill in every page title and description before publishing, check the phone view, and remember that edits only go live when you republish. My Canva review covers where Canva fits in a small business toolkit, and if you're building client sites at scale, my piece on how agencies streamline website building covers a different approach.
Frequently asked questions
Can you make a website in Canva for free?
Yes. Canva Free can publish to a free Canva domain, with up to 10 sections per page and a 'Designed with Canva' footer.
How many pages can a Canva website have?
Canva says you can add up to 45 pages, with up to 20 sections per page while designing.
Can I use my own domain with Canva?
Yes. You can buy a new domain or connect one you already own, which needs DNS setup.
Does a Canva website work on mobile?
Yes. Use the preview icon to check the mobile view while editing, and turn on Resize on mobile in site settings.
Can I edit a Canva website after publishing?
Yes. Edit the design, then publish again so the changes show on the live site.
