Publishing a Canva invitation as a website
Vishra, Vishful Studio. . About 6 minutes to read.
A printed card says when and where. A website invitation can hold the whole plan, open on any phone and change when the plan does. Canva can publish one, and here is how I would set it up.
Start from the right kind of design
This matters more than anything else in this guide. Canva publishes different design types in different ways:
- A Website design is built for this. Each page can become an item in a navigation menu, it can adjust its layout for phones, and it gets the full set of address options when you publish.
- A Presentation can also be published as a website, but it behaves like a slideshow: guests tap anywhere that is not a link to move to the next page.
- A 5 by 7 card design may or may not offer it. Open the Share menu and look for Website (sometimes it sits under More). If it is not there, copy your artwork into a Website design instead.
If you are designing from scratch, start with a Website design and think of each page as one part of the invitation.
What to put on each page
Keep it to what a guest needs, in the order they need it:
- The invitation. The same wording as a card: who, what, when, where. See what goes where for the order.
- The plan. Times, the full address, parking, what to wear, and anything for children.
- Reply. A button to your RSVP form and the date you need answers by.
Give each page a title if you want it in the menu. Canva leaves pages without a title out of the navigation, which is handy for a thank-you page you only link to.
Publishing, step by step
- Preview on a phone size first. Use Preview to see the mobile view. Website designs have a Resize on mobile option that adjusts the layout for small screens. Canva says the preview is an approximation, so check the real thing on your own phone after publishing too.
- Open the publish panel. In a Website design, select Publish Website. From a Presentation or another design, it is Share, then Website.
- Choose the address. Under Site address, pick the domain from the dropdown and edit the Subpath if you want a readable ending, like the honoree’s name.
- Check the settings. Turn on Navigation menu if you have more than one page. Under Advanced settings you can turn off Search engine visibility, which I recommend for a private party.
- Publish, then test the link. Open it on your phone, tap every button, and send it to one friend before it goes to everyone.
Free address or your own domain
Canva Free accounts can publish up to five websites on Canva’s free domain, which ends in .canva.site. Connecting a domain you already own needs a paid Canva plan. For a birthday or a holiday party, the free address is fine; nobody types it, they tap it. Plans and limits change, so check Canva’s current plan page if a custom domain matters to you.
Changing the design does not change the live site by itself. After any edit, publish again, then reload the link on your phone to confirm the change went through.
Collecting replies
A Canva website shows information; it does not keep a guest list for you. The simple route is a free online form with three questions (name, attending, how many) and a button on your Reply page that links to it. Select the button, add a link from the toolbar, and paste the form’s address. Put the reply-by date right next to the button, not only on the first page.
Small extras that help guests
- A countdown. The countdown link maker gives you a link with your date in it. You can try adding it with Canva’s Embeds app, or simply link a button to it.
- Add to calendar. The calendar link tool makes Google and Outlook links and an .ics file for Apple Calendar, with the time and address filled in.
- A QR code on paper. If you also print cards, the QR code maker puts the website link on the back, with guidance on how big to print it.
The guide on countdowns and calendar links walks through those two in more detail.