Creating Your First Site with Cravo

Learn how to create your first website with Cravo and Craft.do in just a few minutes.

Overview

Cravo transforms your Craft.do documents into beautiful, fast websites. This guide walks you through the complete process from connecting your Craft account to publishing your first site.

What you'll need:

  • A Craft.do account (free or paid)
  • A Cravo account
  • 5-10 minutes

Step 1: Choose Your Starting Point

When you click "Create New Site" in the Cravo dashboard, you'll see two options:

Option A: Start with a Template (Recommended)

Perfect for new users. Cravo provides pre-designed templates optimized for common use cases:

  • Blog – Clean, readable layout for articles and posts
  • Docs – Sidebar navigation ideal for documentation
  • Portfolio – Showcase your work professionally

Option B: Connect an Existing Document

Already have a Craft document you want to publish? Connect it directly without using a template.

📸 PLACEHOLDER: Screenshot
A screenshot of the "Create New Site" wizard showing the two options (Template vs. Connect Existing). Highlight the template cards with clear labels.

Step 2: Duplicate a Craft Template

If you chose a template:

  1. Click on your preferred template card
  2. You'll see a link to the Craft template document
  3. Click "Duplicate to your space" in Craft
  4. The template will be copied to your Craft workspace

📸 PLACEHOLDER: Screenshot
Side-by-side view: (1) Cravo template selection screen, (2) Craft.do duplicate button location

🎬 PLACEHOLDER: Video (15-20 seconds)
Screen recording showing the flow: clicking template → redirecting to Craft → clicking duplicate button → seeing the document in your space

Step 3: Generate Your API Credentials

To allow Cravo to read your Craft documents, you need to create an API connection:

  1. In Craft, open your duplicated template document
  2. Click the Share button (top right)
  3. Select "Publish and Share"
  4. Scroll down and click "Create API Access"
  5. Copy the Base URL and Secret Key

⚠️ Important: Keep your Secret Key private. Never share it publicly.

📸 PLACEHOLDER: Screenshot
Craft.do Share panel with the "Create API Access" button highlighted, showing where the Base URL and Secret Key appear.

🎬 PLACEHOLDER: Video (20-30 seconds)
Full walkthrough: Opening Share panel → Creating API Access → Copying credentials

Step 4: Connect to Cravo

Back in the Cravo wizard:

  1. Paste the Base URL in the first field
  2. Paste the Secret Key in the second field
  3. Click "Verify Connection"

If successful, you'll see a green checkmark and your document's title.

📸 PLACEHOLDER: Screenshot
Cravo connection screen with both fields filled and the green "Connected" status visible

Step 5: Configure Your Site

Now customize your site settings:

Site Name

The display name shown in your browser tab and dashboard.

Site Address

Your site's URL on Cravo. Choose something memorable:
https://your-site-name.cravo.site

Homepage

Select which page from your Craft document should be the homepage.

📸 PLACEHOLDER: Screenshot
Configuration screen showing the Site Name, Site Address, and Homepage dropdown fields

Step 6: Launch Your Site! 🚀

Click "Create Site" and Cravo will:

  1. Fetch all content from your Craft document
  2. Build your site structure
  3. Generate your live website

You'll be redirected to your dashboard where you can see the sync progress.

📸 PLACEHOLDER: Screenshot
Dashboard view showing a newly created site with "Syncing..." status badge, then changing to "Ready"

🎬 PLACEHOLDER: Video (10 seconds)
Animation of the sync status changing from "Fetching content from Craft..." to "Ready" with a success toast notification

What's Next?

Congratulations! Your site is now live. Here's what to explore next:

Troubleshooting

"Invalid API Key" Error

  • Double-check that you've copied the complete Secret Key
  • Ensure there are no extra spaces before or after the key
  • Verify the API access is still active in Craft

"Document not found" Error

  • Make sure you've published the document in Craft (Share → Publish)
  • Check that you're using the correct Base URL

Sync takes too long

  • Large documents with many images may take longer
  • Check your internet connection
  • If it exceeds 2 minutes, try refreshing the page

Need more help? Contact us at support@cravo.life