Quick Start Guide

Get your first website live in 5 minutes. This guide covers the essentials — creating a project, refining with AI, and publishing.

Step 1: Create Your Account

1. Go to pagesmith.ai and click Get Started
2. Sign up with email or Google
3. You'll land on your dashboard

No credit card required. Free tier includes 1 project.

Step 2: Start a New Project

From your dashboard:

1. Click Create New Project
2. Describe what you want to build:

A landing page for a productivity app called FocusFlow.
Clean, modern design with a hero section, features grid,
pricing table, and contact form.

3. Click Generate and watch the AI build your site

The AI generates a complete Astro project with:

• All pages and components
• Responsive design
• SEO meta tags
• Proper HTML structure

Step 3: Preview Your Site

Once generated, you'll see:

• Live preview in the center panel
• AI chat on the left for changes
• File browser for code access

Toggle between desktop, tablet, and mobile views to check responsiveness.

Step 4: Refine with AI

Make changes by describing what you want:

Add content:

Add a testimonials section with 3 customer quotes between
the features and pricing sections.

Modify design:

Change the hero background to a subtle gradient from
blue-600 to indigo-700. Make the headline larger.

Update text:

Change the main headline to "Stay Focused, Ship More"
and update the subheadline to describe time-blocking features.

Each change updates your preview in real-time.

Step 5: Publish Your Site

When you're ready to go live:

1. Click the Publish button
2. Your site deploys to our global edge network
3. Get a live URL like your-project.pagesmith.site

Sites deploy in under 30 seconds. Every publish creates a new version you can roll back to.

Step 6: Add a Custom Domain (Optional)

To use your own domain:

1. Go to Settings → Domains
2. Enter your domain (e.g., focusflow.com)
3. Add the DNS records shown
4. SSL is automatic

See Custom Domains for detailed setup.

What's Next

Your site is live. Here's what to explore:

Edit Further

• AI Editor — Master AI commands for faster editing
• Visual Editor — Point-and-click editing for text and layout
• Article Editor — Create blog posts and documentation

Add Features

• Database — Add dynamic data with SQLite
• Templates — Start from pre-built designs

Learn More

• Key Concepts — Understand SSG, SSR, and Astro
• Use Cases — Step-by-step tutorials for specific projects
• Tips & Tricks — SEO, performance, and design best practices

Common First Questions

Can I edit the code directly?

Yes. Click the Code tab to see and edit all files. Changes sync with the visual preview.

How do I add a new page?

Ask the AI: "Add a new About page with team bios and company history." Or create a new file in src/pages/.

Can I export my site?

Yes. Go to Settings → Export to download a complete Astro project. Host it anywhere.

What if I break something?

Use History to restore any previous version. Every change is saved.