Create and Publish a Draft PhotoBiz Website

Watch: How To Create A New Website with Draft Websites

This video walks you through creating a Draft Website and switching it to your Live Website.

How to Create and Publish a Draft Version of Your PhotoBiz Website

Overview

The Draft Website feature lets you redesign an existing PhotoBiz 9 website while your current website stays live. You can use a Draft Website to rebrand your business, change templates, rebuild your pages and navigation, or create an updated version of your website without replacing what visitors currently see.

You can start with the PhotoBiz AI Website Creator or skip the guided setup and build from a template. When your new website is ready, you can publish it to your connected domain. Your Draft Website becomes your new Live Website, and your previous Live Website is saved as your Draft Website.

Before You Begin

You need an existing PhotoBiz 9 website to use Draft Websites.

Check the website selector in the upper-left corner of the Website Builder whenever you work on your website. It will show whether you are currently editing the LIVE WEBSITE or DRAFT WEBSITE.

Your two website versions have separate pages, navigation, templates, and design settings. Changes you make to those parts of the Draft Website do not change the appearance of your Live Website.

Content Shared by Both Websites

Your Live Website and Draft Website use content from the same PhotoBiz account, including:

Clipboard images
Files in the Documents section
ECommerce products and services
Client Galleries
Blog posts
Forms and Contracts
Scheduler services

You can use this content in either website version. Changes to shared content are not limited to the Draft Website.

For example, if you edit an existing product, Client Gallery, blog post, form, contract, or Scheduler service while building your draft, review how that change may affect your Live Website.

STEP ONE

The Website Builder will open and display the version of your website you are currently editing.

STEP TWO

Click LIVE WEBSITE in the upper-left corner of the Website Builder to open the website selector. Then click DRAFT WEBSITE.

Opening the Draft Website does not take your current website offline. Visitors will continue to see your Live Website at your connected domain while you build and edit the draft.

STEP THREE

Choose how you want to start your Draft Website.

To generate a starting website, complete the prompts in the PhotoBiz AI Website Creator. It will create pages and content based on the information and images you provide. Continue to STEP FOUR.

To build without the AI Website Creator, click SKIP SETUP. Your selected template will load without generated website content or SEO information. Continue to STEP SIX to build and review your draft.

For help with the guided setup, see Get Started With PhotoBiz AI Website Creator.

STEP FOUR

If you used the PhotoBiz AI Website Creator, the CREATING YOUR SITE screen will appear after you submit your selections.

The initial Draft Website takes approximately 12 minutes to generate. You can stay on this screen or close it and continue using other areas of your account. PhotoBiz will email you when the draft is ready.

Your Live Website remains online during this process.

STEP FIVE

When your draft is ready, the WEBSITE CREATED SUCCESSFULLY screen will appear.

If you stayed on the CREATING YOUR SITE screen, the confirmation will appear automatically. If you closed that screen, click VIEW MY WEBSITE in the confirmation email to return to it.

Click PREVIEW WEBSITE to inspect the initial draft. Click GO TO BUILDER to open the Draft Website in the Website Builder and begin making changes.

STEP SIX

Build and review the Draft Website's pages, images, text, navigation, template, and design. Changes to these parts of the Draft Website remain in the draft and do not replace your Live Website until you publish.

If you used the PhotoBiz AI Website Creator, review the metadata it generated for your new pages and the alt text created for images used during setup. Make sure this information accurately describes your business, services, location, and images.

If you skipped the guided setup, add your own website content, image alt text, and SEO information.

Before publishing, review the Draft Website on desktop and mobile devices. Check:

Navigation, page order, and page visibility
Text, images, buttons, and links
Forms and notification settings
ECommerce products and checkout
Client Galleries and Scheduler links
SEO titles, meta descriptions, and image alt text
Tracking codes
301 redirects
Footer details and contact information
Terms of Use and Privacy Policy pages

Consider adding relevant schema markup to important pages. Schema gives search engines additional information about your pages and business.

Important Settings to Review Before Publishing

Some settings from your Live Website do not automatically carry over to your Draft Website.

Tracking codes: Code saved in your Live Website's TRACKING section, such as Google Analytics or a Facebook Pixel, is not copied to the Draft Website. Add any tracking code you want to continue using to the Draft Website's TRACKING section before publishing so you do not lose visitor data.

301 redirects: Redirects configured on your Live Website are not copied to the Draft Website. Recreate any redirects you still need before publishing.

Missing pages: If a page exists on your Live Website but not on your Draft Website, visitors using an old link, Google search result, or bookmark may receive a Page Not Found (404) error after you publish. Recreate the page or add a 301 redirect to an appropriate replacement page.

For help setting up redirects, see How to Create 301 Redirects in PhotoBiz.

What Happens When You Publish Your Draft Website

Publishing switches the roles of your two website versions:

Your Draft Website becomes the new Live Website at your connected domain.
Your previous Live Website becomes the Draft Website.
Both website versions remain saved in your PhotoBiz account.
Your connected domain updates to display the newly published website.

Your previous website remains accessible through the website selector as the new Draft Website.

Always check the website selector before making additional changes or publishing again.

STEP SEVEN

While viewing DRAFT WEBSITE, click PUBLISH in the top navigation.

The PUBLISH DRAFT panel will open on the right side of the screen.

Review the BEFORE YOU PUBLISH: A FEW THINGS TO CHECK section carefully. PhotoBiz will remind you to review your tracking codes, 301 redirects, and any pages from your current Live Website that are missing from the Draft Website.

FINAL STEP

Enter your PhotoBiz account password under CONFIRM YOUR PASSWORD.

Select the confirmation checkbox acknowledging that publishing will swap the Draft Website with your current Live Website, your domain will update immediately, and your previous Live Website will be saved as the new Draft Website.

Click YES, PUBLISH MY DRAFT.

When the PUBLISH SUCCESSFUL message appears, click CLOSE to return to the Website Builder. The website selector will display LIVE WEBSITE, confirming that you are viewing the newly published version.

Click VIEW SITE to open your website at its connected domain. Test the pages, navigation, links, forms, checkout, and other features your visitors will use.

Click YES, RESET MY WEBSITE. Although the button uses the word “reset,” this action switches the two website versions as described in the confirmation panel.

When the PUBLISH SUCCESSFUL message appears, click CLOSE to return to the Website Builder. The selector will display LIVE WEBSITE, confirming that you are viewing the newly published version.

Click VIEW SITE to open the website at your connected domain. Test its pages, navigation, links, forms, checkout, and other features that your visitors will use.

What Your Visitors See

While you create and edit your Draft Website, visitors continue to see your current Live Website at your connected domain.

After you publish, the connected domain displays your newly published website. Your previous Live Website becomes the Draft Website and is no longer the version visitors see at your domain.

Access Your Previous Website

After publishing, open the website selector in the upper-left corner of the Website Builder and click DRAFT WEBSITE.

This opens the version of the website that was live before you published.

Check the website selector before making changes. Publishing this Draft Website would switch the two versions again.

Reset Your Draft Website and Start Over

If you no longer want to use your current Draft Website, you can reset it and create a new draft using the PhotoBiz AI Website Creator.

Resetting your Draft Website permanently deletes the content and customizations in the current draft. This action cannot be undone. Your current Live Website is not affected.

Make sure DRAFT WEBSITE is selected in the upper-left corner of the Website Builder. Click SETTINGS, then click RESET DRAFT WEBSITE.

Review the warning carefully. Select the checkbox confirming that you understand all content in your Draft Website will be permanently deleted and cannot be undone. Then click YES, RESET MY DRAFT WEBSITE.

The RESET DRAFT WEBSITE confirmation panel will open on the right side of the screen. This is the final confirmation before the draft is deleted.

Enter your PhotoBiz account password under ENTER PASSWORD TO RESET DRAFT WEBSITE. Select the checkbox confirming that you understand the action will permanently delete all content in the Draft Website and cannot be undone.

Click YES, RESET MY DRAFT WEBSITE again to complete the reset.

Your Draft Website will reset immediately. After the reset is complete, you can create a new Draft Website and go through the PhotoBiz AI Website Creator again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will creating a Draft Website change my current website?

No. Creating a Draft Website does not change the pages, navigation, template, or design displayed on your Live Website. Your current website remains available at your connected domain while you work on the draft.

Some account content is shared between both versions. Changes to existing products, Client Galleries, blog posts, forms, contracts, Scheduler services, Clipboard images, or Documents may affect content used by your Live Website.

Can visitors see my Draft Website?

Your Draft Website is not the website displayed at your connected domain. Visitors who open your domain will continue to see your Live Website until you publish the draft.

Do I have to use the PhotoBiz AI Website Creator?

No. When you start your Draft Website, you can complete the PhotoBiz AI Website Creator prompts or click SKIP SETUP to build from your selected template without generated website content or SEO information.

How long does it take to create a Draft Website with PhotoBiz AI?

The initial Draft Website takes approximately 12 minutes to generate. You can remain on the CREATING YOUR SITE screen or close it and continue using your account. PhotoBiz will email you when the draft is ready.

Does the PhotoBiz AI Website Creator add SEO information?

Yes. The PhotoBiz AI Website Creator generates metadata for the pages it creates and alt text for images used during the creation process.

Review this information before publishing to make sure it accurately describes your business and images. You can also add relevant schema markup to important pages.

Can I switch between my Live Website and Draft Website?

Yes. Click the website selector in the upper-left corner of the Website Builder, then click LIVE WEBSITE or DRAFT WEBSITE.

Always check the selector before making changes so you know which website version you are editing.

Can I use my existing Clipboard images, Documents, and other account content in the draft?

Yes. Both website versions have access to your Clipboard images, Files in the Documents section, ECommerce content, Client Galleries, blog posts, Forms and Contracts, and Scheduler content.

Because this content is shared between both versions, review changes to existing items for their effect on your Live Website.

Do my tracking codes automatically carry over to the Draft Website?

No. Code saved in the Live Website's TRACKING section is not copied to the Draft Website.

Before publishing, add any tracking code you want to continue using, such as Google Analytics or a Facebook Pixel, to the Draft Website's TRACKING section.

Do my 301 redirects carry over to the Draft Website?

No. Redirects set up on your Live Website must be recreated for the Draft Website.

Review your existing URLs before publishing and recreate any redirects you still need.

What happens if a page from my Live Website is missing from the draft?

After publishing, an old link, Google search result, or bookmark that points to a page that no longer exists may return a Page Not Found (404) error.

Recreate the page in your Draft Website or create a 301 redirect to an appropriate replacement page before publishing.

What happens to my current website when I publish the draft?

Your Draft Website becomes the Live Website displayed at your connected domain.

Your previous Live Website becomes the Draft Website and remains saved in your PhotoBiz account. Publishing does not delete your previous website.

Can I delete my Draft Website and start over?

Yes. While viewing DRAFT WEBSITE, click SETTINGS, then click RESET DRAFT WEBSITE. PhotoBiz will require two confirmations before the reset is completed, including entering your account password in the final confirmation panel.

Resetting permanently deletes the content and customizations in the current Draft Website and cannot be undone. Your Live Website remains online and is not changed.

Let Our Designers Redesign Your Website

If you would rather have a professional designer redesign your website, the PhotoBiz Custom Website Design service may be a better fit.

Our design team can create a custom website that reflects your brand, photography, services, and business goals. This is a helpful option if you are planning a complete website redesign or rebrand but do not want to build the new website yourself.

Need Help?

Support Hours: Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm EST

Phone: 866.463.7620

Support Channels: Phone, Live Chat, Support Ticket

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