SITE DESIGNER FAQ

SiteDesigner FAQ

About SiteDesigner

Question:
What is SiteDesigner?
Answer:
SiteDesigner is a template-based website creation tool that allows you to create a professional website quickly and easily without using coding languages or complicated web design software.
Question:
Why is SiteDesigner right for me?
Answer:
SiteDesigner is the most powerful feature-rich website design tool available. Its ease-of-use helps you build a professional-looking website from hundreds of templates. Simply choose your favorite design and you are on your way to creating an attractive, user-friendly website.
Question:
How much does it cost?
Answer:
SiteDesigner is free with every hosting plan from HostMySite.com. You may upgrade your SiteDesigner plan to SiteDesigner Plus, BusinessDesigner, and ShopDesigner through your Control Panel after you complete your trial and activate your full account.
Question:
Once I upgrade my free SiteDesigner account to SiteDesigner Plus, Shop Designer, or Business Designer, do I have the option to downgrade later?
Answer:
All upgrades to your SiteDesigner account are final. Each upgrade level from your free version of SiteDesigner has an additional monthly charge. Once you upgrade to a higher level package, you do not have the option to downgrade your account. The only way to downgrade your account is to have HostMySite deactivate your current SiteDesigner account and create a new SiteDesigner account. Deactivating your account will not affect any sites you have already published, but will erase any current unpublished work you have saved in your current SiteDesigner account.

Trial Accounts

Question:
Why do I have to have a trial account before I can activate my free account?
Answer:
Using the trial account will allow you the opportunity to become familiar with SiteDesigner and all of its features so you can decide if SiteDesigner is right for you.
Question:
How do I sign up for a trial account?
Answer:
From the SiteDesigner page, click the Order Now link and follow the instructions to sign up for your trial account.
Question:
Can I use my trial account to create a live website at my domain?
Answer:
You may use your trial account to create a website. However, you must activate the SiteDesigner trial account to the full version and have an active hosting account with HostMySite.com in order to publish your site.
Question:
How do I do to activate the full version of my full SiteDesigner account so I can publish my site?
Answer:
Log into the Control Panel with your SiteDesigner username and password. Click the DesignMySite menu option and then click Activate Free Version and follow the instructions to activate the full version of your SiteDesigner account.
Question:
Is my work from my trial account saved when I activate my free account?
Answer:
Yes, all of the designs you created during the trial will be automatically included in your full version for you to update or publish to your website.

Working in SiteDesigner

Question:
How do I publish my site?
Answer:
You can only publish your site if you have activated your free version of SiteDesigner and have an active hosting account with HostMySite.com. To publish your site, go to the General Settings section in the Page Manager section and click the 'Publish' button in the top right of the screen.

SiteDesigner automatically creates new files or overwrites any existing files (if the name of the new file you are uploading matches the file name of the existing file) so you do not have to manually upload your files.

Note: When you choose to 'Full Publish' you will overwrite the content of your entire site. If want to upload a particular page, use the 'Update' selection.
Question:
Can I edit my content after I publish?
Answer:
Yes, you can edit the content on your site at any time using SiteDesigner. Log into your SiteDesigner account, make your changes and publish your work using the 'Update' selection.
Question:
I had a website on your servers before I created a new one with SiteDesigner. I published my new site, but I still see my old site in my browser. What do I do?
Answer:
Your browser may have 'cached' or stored your previous site. To view your new site, either clear your browser's cache and cookies, or make sure your browser is set to check for new updates of each page on every visit.

SiteDesigner does not overwrite other index pages. If your previous site used an index page (default document) other than default.htm, you will need to change your default document. Windows customers can log into the Control Panel and update the list of default documents to include default.htm and move it to the top of the list. Linux customers will need to contact us to add default.htm to the list of default documents for their website.
Question:
Will I need my own graphic designer to create images and logos?
Answer:
There are many stock images for you to use in SiteDesigner and many are included in the templates. If you have your own images you would like to use for your website, you can upload them to SiteDesigner. In the Business Designer and Shop Designer packages, you can modify those images using SiteDesigner's online image editor.
Question:
Can I put my own designs on my website?
Answer:
You can customize any template using text and your own graphics.
Question:
What options do I have in SiteDesigner's online image editor?
Answer:
There are a number of image editing features built into SiteDesigner that let you modify your images:

  • Flip: turns your image upside down
  • Flop: creates a mirror image of the current image
  • Crop: cuts down the image size to the specified area
  • Resize: increases or decreases the image size
  • Rotate: rotates the image either clockwise or counterclockwise
  • Brightness: increases or decreases the image brightness
  • Contrast: increases or decreases the image contrast
  • Raise: gives the image an embossed effect
  • Frame: adds a gray frame effect around the image
  • Border: adds a colored border around the image
  • Annotate: overlays text on the image
  • Save As: exports the image into other image formats and changes its name
  • Composite: select an image to overlay on top of the current image
Question:
Will search engines be able to see my website?
Answer:
Yes. SiteDesigner has a Search Engine Optimizer to allow you to quickly add meta-tag information like keywords, page titles, and descriptions to your website. The meta-tag information is what search engines use to identify and rank your website. The meta-tag information will help search engines to index your website better.
Question:
Can I change the main information of my site (main title, subtitle, email address)?
Answer:
You can change the main information for your website in the General Settings section of SiteDesigner.
Question:
Can I choose a new template for my website?
Answer:
Yes, you can change your template at any time in the General Settings section of SiteDesigner.
Question:
What types of webpages can I have on my site?
Answer:
SiteDesigner lets you choose from nine different kinds of webpages for your website. Please note that if you change the type of a page after you add content, that content will be lost. The different types are:

  • Text Page: a page with just text content
  • Customizable Form: a page with a survey, poll, registration, or other customized form
  • Feedback Form: a feedback form page
  • Under Construction: add the text "UNDER CONSTRUCTION" on specified pages
  • Page name with no link: leaves the page name in the navigation bar, but removes the link to it
  • Shop Page: a store front page for your payment options, shipping options, products, and layout
  • Photo Album: an online photo album where you edit and organize your pictures
  • Guest Book: an online guestbook page
  • External Link: adds a page that is a link to another URL
 

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