This is a beginner's guide to building your first website on a Mac. If you've created websites before, you can probably skip this one. But if this is your first time, stick around. By the end of this guide you'll understand how to build and publish a responsive website built entirely on your Mac, with no code required.
Building a website on your Mac has never been easier, but with so many apps and online services it can feel a little overwheleming to know where to start.
Getting Started
The good news is that you can start building your website straight away with Elements. Everything you need to design and preview your website runs natively on your Mac. no setup or external accounts are required.
However, when you're ready to publish your site to the world, you'll need two additional things: web hosting and a custom domain. Let's dive into each part in detail.
1. Hosting for your website
Hosting is where your website’s files live. Elements exports a static site that can be uploaded to any hosting provider, giving you complete control. You can host your site with your own provider, or use popular services like Netlify, GitHub Pages, or Cloudflare Pages.
2. A custom domain name
A domain name is your website’s address on the web (for example, realmacsoftware.com). You can purchase one from registrars such as Namecheap, Google Domains, or Hover, then connect it to your hosting provider once your site is ready.
3. A way to design and build your website
This is where RapidWeaver Elements comes in. It’s a modern Mac website builder that lets you visually design your site, add pages and content, and publish everything directly from macOS. Built on Tailwind CSS, it gives you full creative control without writing code.
Build a website on your Mac
Once you’ve got your hosting and domain ready, it’s time to start building. The great thing about RapidWeaver Elements is that everything happens right on your Mac — you can design, preview, and publish your entire website without switching between multiple apps or accounts.
Launch Elements and choose File → New Project. You’ll see a clean, blank canvas ready for your first page. Every site in Elements starts with a simple structure that you can expand as you go.
To save time and get inspired, pick one of the pre-built templates included with Elements. There are options for portfolios, agencies, blogs, and more. Each template is fully customizable — you can change colors, typography, layout, and images to match your style or brand.
Publishing Your Website
When you’re happy with your design, choose File → Export Site to generate a fully static website. Then upload those files to your hosting provider and connect your custom domain. In just a few clicks, your new website will be live for the world to see.
