Create a Business Website in Minutes with Durable
Create a Business Website in Minutes with Durable
In this step-by-step guide, I’ll walk you through how I created and launched a professional business website in minutes using Durable, the AI-powered website builder. Below I cover everything I did: signing up, generating a site, customizing design, editing content, adding pages, previewing, connecting a domain, and monitoring performance — with practical tips so you can reproduce the same results quickly.
Step 1: Sign up and generate your site
Getting started with Durable is easy and free — no credit card required. From the homepage you simply type your business type or idea into the search bar and click Generate Website. For this walkthrough I used “marketing agency” and then supplied my business location and name.
Durable uses those onboarding answers to build a complete website in seconds: homepage, headline, CTA, supporting copy, and starter pages. This AI-generated site is a foundation — everything it creates is 100% editable.
Tip: Durable’s free plan lets you build and preview the site, but to publish to a custom top-level domain you’ll need a paid plan. I upgraded to the starter (Pro) plan at $12/month for a free domain for one year, unlimited pages and traffic, SEO, and built-in analytics.
Step 2: Quick tour of the editor
Before editing, get familiar with the interface. The visual editor keeps everything on screen and avoids code. Key areas:
- Hover toolbar: appears when you hover over a section — options to restyle, move, duplicate, or delete.
- Add section: insert pre-built blocks like banners, galleries, forms, and more.
- Admin toolbar (top): access pages, dashboard, preview, and publish options.
- Preview switch (upper right): see desktop, tablet, and mobile before publishing.
Everything can be edited by clicking directly on elements. Hover highlights the element with a blue border and clicking opens a settings panel on the right.
Step 3: Sitewide customization — template, colors, fonts
Durable gives you sitewide controls under Customize. Use these to change template, color scheme, fonts, and more — great for quick, large-scale edits.
- Change template: try one of the pre-made templates to instantly remap your content into a different layout. You can preview and revert if needed.
- Color palettes: either edit the AI’s custom colors or pick a recommended palette. I picked a yellow palette that refreshed the whole site in seconds.
- Typography: set global heading and body fonts, or pick curated font packs. I swapped the body font to a tech-style mono to match my brand personality.
Always save your changes — click Save in the upper right so you don’t lose progress.
Step 4: Edit content and media
Editing content is as simple as clicking an element. When you click, the right-side panel allows you to change text, regenerate copy with AI, adjust call-to-actions, or style the element.
To change a background image or video:
- Open the element’s Style tab and go to Background.
- Choose Remove, Regenerate with AI, Change (select stock), or Upload your own asset.
- Insert the new image or video and click Done, then Save your work.
I tried a stock video, then replaced it with a custom image that better matched my brand.
To swap icons, click the icon, choose Change, search the icon library by keyword (I used “writing”) and insert the one that fits your content. These small visual matches help your copy and graphics feel cohesive.
Step 5: Rearrange, remove sections & add pages
Sections are modular. Hover to reveal the section toolbar and you can restyle, move up/down, duplicate, or delete. If a section is placeholder content (like AI-generated reviews), delete it to keep the site honest.
To add pages (turn a single-page site into a full website):
- Click Pages in the top toolbar and choose Add Page.
- Select a page type (About, Services, Contact, FAQ, etc.).
- Provide a title — Durable creates the URL slug — and it auto-generates the page content and layout.
For my contact page I removed the map (I’m 100% digital), removed extra CTA buttons, and left the form prominent. Durable automatically added the new page to navigation.
Step 6: Configure header and navigation
Edit header behavior by hovering over the header, opening the three-dot menu, and selecting Edit Website Header. From there you can:
- Update logo and fonts
- Configure header CTA button (link to internal page, external URL, email, or phone)
- Show or hide pages from header and footer navigation via page settings
- Reorder navigation items
I set the header CTA to link internally to my Contact page and removed the duplicate Contact item from the nav to avoid confusion.
Step 7: Preview, test forms, and publish
Before publishing, use the Preview switch to check Desktop, Tablet, and Mobile views. This helps you catch layout issues (for example, a row of six images may look fine on desktop but be overwhelming on tablet and mobile).
Test the contact form — Durable stores form submissions in your account so you don’t need extra form tools. I submitted a test message and received the confirmation; the lead was saved to Contacts in the dashboard.
Publishing options (available once you upgrade from free):
- Custom domain: buy and register a new domain through Durable (Pro users may get the first year free).
- Durable subdomain: quick free option using a durable-powered URL (not ideal for branding/SEO).
- Use an existing domain: Durable guides you through DNS/CNAME updates if your domain is with a third-party registrar.
Tip: If you plan to look professional and improve discoverability, opt for a custom domain and consider the Pro plan. If you want to get online instantly, the durable subdomain works as a temporary solution.
Coupon I used in the video: BEN30 (mentioned as a discount code during the walkthrough).
Step 8: Monitor performance and use Durable’s AI features
Once live, your Durable dashboard is your business hub. Click the Home icon to access analytics, contacts, blog posts, domain settings, and more.
Key dashboard features:
- Website: manage site, connect domain, view analytics, and adjust index settings.
- Contacts: all form submissions are saved here for easy lead management.
- Invoices: available on Business plans — send invoices directly from Durable.
- Studio (Beta): generate images with AI by entering a prompt and selecting styles/dimensions.
- AI Chats: categorized chat assistants (General, Marketing, Finance, Sales, Research) to brainstorm, write copy, or plan strategy.
These integrated tools help you run more of your business directly from Durable — from lead capture to marketing ideas and visuals.
Conclusion & final thoughts
Durable lets you go from idea to live website in minutes without technical skills. The AI-generated starting point plus a visual editor means you can get online fast and iterate quickly. If you’re serious about growing your business, consider upgrading to a Pro or Business plan for a custom domain, unlimited pages, analytics, and invoicing features.
If you follow these steps, you’ll have a professional, searchable, and editable website up and running in very little time. Good luck building your site — and happy launching!
In this step-by-step guide, I’ll walk you through how I created and launched a professional business website in minutes using Durable, the AI-powered website builder. Below I cover everything I did: signing up, generating a site, customizing design, editing content, adding pages, previewing, connecting a domain, and monitoring performance — with practical tips so you can reproduce the same results quickly.
Step 1: Sign up and generate your site
Getting started with Durable is easy and free — no credit card required. From the homepage you simply type your business type or idea into the search bar and click Generate Website. For this walkthrough I used “marketing agency” and then supplied my business location and name.
Durable uses those onboarding answers to build a complete website in seconds: homepage, headline, CTA, supporting copy, and starter pages. This AI-generated site is a foundation — everything it creates is 100% editable.
Tip: Durable’s free plan lets you build and preview the site, but to publish to a custom top-level domain you’ll need a paid plan. I upgraded to the starter (Pro) plan at $12/month for a free domain for one year, unlimited pages and traffic, SEO, and built-in analytics.
Step 2: Quick tour of the editor
Before editing, get familiar with the interface. The visual editor keeps everything on screen and avoids code. Key areas:
- Hover toolbar: appears when you hover over a section — options to restyle, move, duplicate, or delete.
- Add section: insert pre-built blocks like banners, galleries, forms, and more.
- Admin toolbar (top): access pages, dashboard, preview, and publish options.
- Preview switch (upper right): see desktop, tablet, and mobile before publishing.
Everything can be edited by clicking directly on elements. Hover highlights the element with a blue border and clicking opens a settings panel on the right.
Step 3: Sitewide customization — template, colors, fonts
Durable gives you sitewide controls under Customize. Use these to change template, color scheme, fonts, and more — great for quick, large-scale edits.
- Change template: try one of the pre-made templates to instantly remap your content into a different layout. You can preview and revert if needed.
- Color palettes: either edit the AI’s custom colors or pick a recommended palette. I picked a yellow palette that refreshed the whole site in seconds.
- Typography: set global heading and body fonts, or pick curated font packs. I swapped the body font to a tech-style mono to match my brand personality.
Always save your changes — click Save in the upper right so you don’t lose progress.
Step 4: Edit content and media
Editing content is as simple as clicking an element. When you click, the right-side panel allows you to change text, regenerate copy with AI, adjust call-to-actions, or style the element.
To change a background image or video:
- Open the element’s Style tab and go to Background.
- Choose Remove, Regenerate with AI, Change (select stock), or Upload your own asset.
- Insert the new image or video and click Done, then Save your work.
I tried a stock video, then replaced it with a custom image that better matched my brand.
To swap icons, click the icon, choose Change, search the icon library by keyword (I used “writing”) and insert the one that fits your content. These small visual matches help your copy and graphics feel cohesive.
Step 5: Rearrange, remove sections & add pages
Sections are modular. Hover to reveal the section toolbar and you can restyle, move up/down, duplicate, or delete. If a section is placeholder content (like AI-generated reviews), delete it to keep the site honest.
To add pages (turn a single-page site into a full website):
- Click Pages in the top toolbar and choose Add Page.
- Select a page type (About, Services, Contact, FAQ, etc.).
- Provide a title — Durable creates the URL slug — and it auto-generates the page content and layout.
For my contact page I removed the map (I’m 100% digital), removed extra CTA buttons, and left the form prominent. Durable automatically added the new page to navigation.
Step 6: Configure header and navigation
Edit header behavior by hovering over the header, opening the three-dot menu, and selecting Edit Website Header. From there you can:
- Update logo and fonts
- Configure header CTA button (link to internal page, external URL, email, or phone)
- Show or hide pages from header and footer navigation via page settings
- Reorder navigation items
I set the header CTA to link internally to my Contact page and removed the duplicate Contact item from the nav to avoid confusion.
Step 7: Preview, test forms, and publish
Before publishing, use the Preview switch to check Desktop, Tablet, and Mobile views. This helps you catch layout issues (for example, a row of six images may look fine on desktop but be overwhelming on tablet and mobile).
Test the contact form — Durable stores form submissions in your account so you don’t need extra form tools. I submitted a test message and received the confirmation; the lead was saved to Contacts in the dashboard.
Publishing options (available once you upgrade from free):
- Custom domain: buy and register a new domain through Durable (Pro users may get the first year free).
- Durable subdomain: quick free option using a durable-powered URL (not ideal for branding/SEO).
- Use an existing domain: Durable guides you through DNS/CNAME updates if your domain is with a third-party registrar.
Tip: If you plan to look professional and improve discoverability, opt for a custom domain and consider the Pro plan. If you want to get online instantly, the durable subdomain works as a temporary solution.
Coupon I used in the video: BEN30 (mentioned as a discount code during the walkthrough).
Step 8: Monitor performance and use Durable’s AI features
Once live, your Durable dashboard is your business hub. Click the Home icon to access analytics, contacts, blog posts, domain settings, and more.
Key dashboard features:
- Website: manage site, connect domain, view analytics, and adjust index settings.
- Contacts: all form submissions are saved here for easy lead management.
- Invoices: available on Business plans — send invoices directly from Durable.
- Studio (Beta): generate images with AI by entering a prompt and selecting styles/dimensions.
- AI Chats: categorized chat assistants (General, Marketing, Finance, Sales, Research) to brainstorm, write copy, or plan strategy.
These integrated tools help you run more of your business directly from Durable — from lead capture to marketing ideas and visuals.
Conclusion & final thoughts
Durable lets you go from idea to live website in minutes without technical skills. The AI-generated starting point plus a visual editor means you can get online fast and iterate quickly. If you’re serious about growing your business, consider upgrading to a Pro or Business plan for a custom domain, unlimited pages, analytics, and invoicing features.
If you follow these steps, you’ll have a professional, searchable, and editable website up and running in very little time. Good luck building your site — and happy launching!
Written by Ben Cummings
Founder of blogwithben.com
Ben is the Co-Founder of Sage Wave Media, LLC which is the parent company of Blog With Ben. He enjoys teaching, blogging, startups, a hoppy IPA, and college basketball. Whenever he's not blogging, you can find him cruising around sunny San Diego with his amazing family.
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