Publishing Your Website

Publishing is what makes your website visible to the world. Until you publish, your edits are saved as a draft that only you can see. Once you hit publish, anyone who visits your web address will see your site.

Understanding Website Versions

TribeNest uses a versioning system that gives you full control over what goes live. Here's how it works:

• Every time you activate a new theme, a new version is created
• You can edit any version without affecting what's currently live
• Only the version you publish becomes the active, live website
• Your previous versions are kept so you can switch back at any time

On the My Website page, the active version is marked with an Active badge and displayed prominently at the top.

How to Publish

You can publish your website from inside the editor:

1. From your dashboard, go to My Website in the sidebar
2. Click Edit Website on the version you want to publish
3. Make any final changes you'd like
4. Click the Save button to save your latest edits
5. Click the Publish button (the rocket icon with "Publish" text) in the top-right corner
6. You'll see a confirmation message, and you'll be taken back to the My Website page

Your website is now live. Visitors can see it at your web address immediately.

Switching Between Versions

Want to go back to a previous design? You can publish a different version at any time.

1. Go to My Website in the sidebar
2. Find the version you want to make live
3. Click Edit Website on that version
4. Click Publish in the editor toolbar

The newly published version becomes active, and the previous one is deactivated (but not deleted).

What Happens When You Publish

When you publish a version:

• That version becomes the active website visible to all visitors
• Any previously active version is automatically deactivated
• Your website updates instantly -- there's no delay
• All your pages (home, store, contact, etc.) are published together as one package

Before You Publish Checklist

Run through this quick checklist before going live:

1. Review every page. Switch between all your pages in the editor and make sure the content is correct
2. Check mobile view. Toggle to the mobile preview to ensure your site looks good on phones
3. Update your theme settings. Make sure your colors, font, and favicon are set the way you want
4. Save your work. Always save before publishing so your latest changes are included
5. Preview text and images. Look for placeholder text or sample images that need to be replaced with your own content

Updating Your Live Website

If your site is already published and you want to make changes:

1. Go to My Website and click Edit Website on the active version
2. Make your changes in the editor
3. Click Save

Since this version is already active, your saved changes go live right away. There's no need to publish again.

Next Steps

Now that your site is live, learn how to track your visitors in Website Analytics, or set up a custom web address in Managing Domains.