Updated: Jun 13, 2025
Getting started with the v2 Website Builder (in beta)
The new v2 Website Builder is currently in beta and available to all users on paid plans. While the original v1 Website Builder remains fully accessible, v2 introduces upgraded features, new templates, enhanced design flexibility, and a modern drag-and-drop interface — all designed to make it easier than ever to build a beautiful, high-performing website directly within beehiiv.
Watch and learn: How to use the beehiiv v2 Website Builder (Beta)
Begin by checking out this helpful video tutorial that explores many of the exciting features of the new Website Builder. After the video, this article will guide you through the onboarding process, key features and functions, switching themes, and publishing your site. If you're already set up, be sure to review our customization article for further guidance.
New v2 Website Builder onboarding experience
During the beta period, you can access the v2 Website Builder from the same location as the v1 builder. From the left panel, go to Website > Builder v2.
First, select a template
Upon entering the beta version for the first time, you'll be prompted to select a template as the first step in the onboarding experience. Your selection will automatically apply a preconfigured theme to your website, which you can customize at any time.
We’ll be adding more templates throughout the beta period.
The available templates include:
- Standard
- Capital
- Putty
- Wireframe
- Tradecast
- Alpha
- Aura
- The Atlas Collective
- Newsroom
Click on each template to scroll and preview its features. Once you've reviewed the options, select a template and click Next to continue.
Next, choose the theme colors
After selecting a template, you’ll move on to choosing your color palette. You’ll be presented with a set of default theme colors designed to complement your selected template for a cohesive, polished look.
You can customize these colors to better match your brand, or quickly apply one of the Sample Color Palette Presets with a single click.
Theme colors include:
- Core Color: The background color of your site.
- Primary Color: Used for text on the background, typically applied to buttons, links, and other key elements.
- Secondary Color: Accent color for text elements like hyperlinks.
- Tertiary Color: Used for borders and dividers.
- Accent Color: Applied to buttons, callouts, and other highlights.
Once your color palette is selected, you’ll be able to apply these colors across different elements of your site after finalizing your template.
If you're happy with the default colors, you can move forward without making any changes. To customize, click on any color swatch to open the color picker. From there, you can manually adjust the color or enter a six-digit hex code. When you're ready, click Next to continue.
Then, choose the theme fonts
In the next step of onboarding, you’ll select your theme fonts. A set of default fonts will be preselected to match your chosen template, helping to ensure a clean, cohesive design.
You can use these defaults as-is, select from Sample Font Combination Presets, or customize them to better reflect your brand.
You can set fonts for the following:
- Heading Font: Used for titles and section headers.
- Body Font (Text): Applied to paragraphs and general content.
- Button Font: Used for call-to-action buttons.
If you're happy with the default fonts, simply click Start Building to move forward. Otherwise, you can choose from a set of curated font pairings or manually select fonts that better reflect your brand. When you're ready, click Next to proceed.
Activating your website pages
This step displays the default pages included in your website. From here, you can choose which pages you want to activate and make visible to visitors. You can enable or disable these pages at any time through the navigation panel.
Once you’ve made your selections, click Next to continue to the final step of onboarding.
Decide whether to auto populate content or use your own
On the final screen of onboarding, you’ll choose whether to display Your Posts or Placeholder Posts. This setting determines whether your website will pull in real content from your publication or use sample content to help visualize the design.
Not sure which to choose?
- Select Placeholder Posts if you're just getting started. This option displays sample content that helps you design your site before you have actual posts ready. You can replace the placeholder content with your own at any time.
- Select Your Posts if you already have published content. This option will auto-populate your site with your existing posts, saving you setup time.
Once you've made your selection, click Start Building to enter the Website Builder.
Key features of the new v2 Website Builder
Once you’ve completed the onboarding process and set your theme, you’ll enter the v2 Website Builder. Here, you can replace the placeholder content with your own (if you didn’t do this in the onboarding) and further customize your site.
Your chosen template will appear in the center, with 4 primary areas for customization and control:
- Top Navbar: Positioned above the template preview, this bar includes essential tools such as Publish options (on the far right), allowing you to preview and launch changes quickly.
- Navigation Panel: Located on the left, this panel houses the Pages, Layers, and Modals tabs, enabling you to manage your website’s structure and organization.
- Attributes Panel: Found on the right, this panel dynamically updates to display settings and customization options based on the selected tab or element in the Layers tab on the left panel.
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Canvas: This is the central workspace where your template preview is displayed. You can edit your site content directly and switch between Desktop and Mobile views to ensure your design is responsive. Clicking anywhere on the canvas will highlight the corresponding page or element in the navigation panel on the left while displaying its customization options in the attributes panel on the right.
Options in the top navbar
Across the top of the Website Builder is the top navigation bar (navbar), here’s a breakdown of what you’ll find in it, from left to right:
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beehiiv icon and menu: Click the beehiiv icon in the upper left corner to return back to your account dashboard or access shortcuts like Version History, Site Settings, or Report a bug.
From the Version History modal, you can see your most recent version history, and if needed, revert back to a previous version of your site by selecting the version you prefer and clicking Revert to version.
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+ Insert element icon: The main vein to creating your website. Access building blocks and features for your site pages through this primary tool. (More details on this below.)
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Home/page info: Displays your publication URL at the top.
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Settings Icon: Access more in-depth website settings, including SEO, GDPR, social media links, pixels, testimonials, and more.
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Website Icon: Open your publication’s live site.
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Publish options: Click the Publish arrow to view all publishing options.
Using the navigation and attributes panels
The navigation panel on the left serves as a site map, organizing all aspects of your website into 3 tabs: Pages, Layers, and Modals. Selections made in the navigation panel will display their corresponding controls and customization options in the attributes panel on the right.
Pages: This tab includes a set of default pages prebuilt for your publication site, such as the Home page, Subscribe page, and Recommendations page. You can also create custom pages from scratch to fit your needs by clicking on New Page.
Layers: Depending on the page you’re editing, the Layers tab allows you to zoom in on specific elements of the page for more detailed customization.
Modals: Use this tab to access various modals, Login, Signup, and Recommendations, which can be linked throughout your site. Simply select a modal, then use the attributes panel on the right to configure when and where it appears on specific pages.
How to switch to a different template
As new templates are added to the Website Beta, you may want to explore different designs.
Switching to a new template is simple:
- Click the Settings icon in the top navbar.
- From the left panel menu, select Themes.
- Click the Switch Templates button.
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You’ll be redirected to the template selection page. After choosing a new template, you’ll go through the onboarding flow to choose your theme colors and fonts.
Tech Note: Switching templates will overwrite any previous theme styling, and it cannot be restored. - On the final screen, you'll be asked whether you want to Auto Populate Data. This determines whether your newsletter template will include placeholder content (visual examples) or pull in your existing posts.
- Select No if you're just starting out — placeholder content helps with design until you have more real content. Afterward, you can replace placeholder content with your own whenever you’re ready.
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Select Yes if you already have a solid set of posts — auto-populating will save time by filling in your actual content.
Once you've made your selection, click Switch Templates to proceed.
- A confirmation message will ask you to verify your choice. Click Switch Templates to proceed
How to enable or disable pages
In the Website Builder, pages can be enabled or disabled. Enabled pages appear on your published website, while disabled pages remain hidden. To ensure a page is accessible on your live site, it must be enabled before publishing. Otherwise, attempting to view a disabled page will result in a 404 error.
On the Pages tab, enabled pages are shown in black text, whereas disabled pages appear in gray text.
To enable or disable a page, click the 3 dots icon next to the page name and select Enable or Disable from the dropdown menu.
How to publish your site
Before publishing, be sure to remember:
- You can switch between Desktop and Mobile views on the canvas anytime to ensure your site looks great on all devices.
- Additionally, make sure to enable your completed pages in the Pages panel before publishing. If a page is not enabled, trying to view it on your live site will result in a 404 error.
- When you're ready to make your website live, click Publish in the top navbar to access the publishing options.
- Select the aspects of the site you wish to publish, choose from:
- This page only: Choose this to publish your changes on the current page only.
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All Pages: Choose to publish All Pages or click Select Pages to open a dropdown list. Check the pages you’d like to publish, then click the arrow to return. A number will indicate how many pages you've selected. Ensure the Pages box is checked to include them in the update.
Tech Note: If you don’t select specific pages or check All Pages, only the page currently open in the editor will be published.
- Click Preview Draft Site to review your changes.
- When everything looks good, click Publish to Live Site and visit your website URL to confirm that your updates are live.