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Martijn Assie
Martijn Assie

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Your First Avada Website in 30 Minutes

#wordpress #webdev #themes #tutorial

Think building a professional website takes weeks?? Think again!! With Avada you can go from zero to a fully functional website in just 30 minutes - and I'm going to show you EXACTLY how.

No fluff, no theory, just step-by-step instructions that actually work. Set a timer if you want... Let's GO!!!

Before We Start: What You Need

Quick checklist before we dive in:

  • ✅ WordPress installed on your hosting (takes 5 minutes with most hosts)
  • ✅ Avada theme purchased and downloaded from ThemeForest
  • ✅ Your logo (or just your business name for now)
  • ✅ A rough idea of what your site is about

Got all that?? Perfect. Clock starts NOW.

Minutes 0-5: Install and Activate Avada

Step 1: Upload the Theme

  1. Go to Appearance → Themes in your WordPress dashboard
  2. Click Add New → Upload Theme
  3. Choose the Avada.zip file from your download
  4. Click Install Now
  5. Click Activate

Step 2: Register Your License

After activation, you'll see the Avada welcome screen:

  1. Go to Avada → Registration
  2. Enter your ThemeForest purchase code
  3. Click Submit

Done!! You now have full access to all Avada features, demos, and updates.

Pro tip: Find your purchase code in ThemeForest under Downloads → License Certificate.

Minutes 5-10: Import a Prebuilt Website

This is where the magic happens... Why build from scratch when Avada includes 110+ professionally designed websites??

Step 1: Browse the Website Library

  1. Go to Avada → Websites
  2. Browse categories: Business, Creative, Shop, Blog, Portfolio, etc.
  3. Click Preview on any demo to see it live
  4. Pick one that matches your industry or style

Step 2: Import Your Chosen Demo

Found one you like?? Here's how to import:

  1. Click on your chosen demo
  2. Select what to import:
    • All (recommended for first-timers)
    • Or pick specific: Pages, Posts, Sliders, Widgets, etc.
  3. Click Import
  4. Wait 2-3 minutes while Avada does its thing

BOOM!! You now have a complete professional website. Visit your site - it looks exactly like the demo!!!

Minutes 10-15: Add Your Logo and Branding

Time to make it YOURS...

Replace the Logo

  1. Go to Avada → Options → Logo
  2. Upload your logo for:
    • Default Logo - Main header logo
    • Retina Logo - Upload 2x size for sharp displays
    • Mobile Logo - Optional smaller version
  3. Click Save Changes

Set Your Brand Colors

  1. Go to Avada → Options → Colors
  2. Change Primary Color to your brand color
  3. This automatically updates buttons, links, and accents throughout the site!!
  4. Adjust Header Background and Footer Background if needed
  5. Click Save Changes

Refresh your site - already looking like YOUR brand instead of a generic demo :)

Minutes 15-22: Edit Your Key Pages

Now let's replace the demo content with YOUR content...

Edit the Homepage

  1. Go to Pages → All Pages
  2. Find your Homepage (usually called "Home" or similar)
  3. Click Edit with Avada Builder

You're now in the visual editor!! Here's how to change things:

To edit text:

  • Click on any text element
  • Type your own content
  • Click the checkmark to save

To change images:

  • Click on any image element
  • Click Edit
  • Upload your own image or choose from media library

To delete sections you don't need:

  • Hover over the section
  • Click the trash icon

To move sections:

  • Drag and drop to reorder

Spend about 5 minutes making the homepage yours. Don't aim for perfect - aim for DONE!!

Edit the About Page

  1. Go to Pages → All Pages → About (or similar)
  2. Click Edit with Avada Builder
  3. Replace the demo team photos and bio with yours
  4. Update the company story text

Edit the Contact Page

  1. Find and edit your Contact page
  2. Update the address, phone, email
  3. The contact form already works - just make sure submissions go to YOUR email under Avada → Options → Contact Form

Minutes 22-27: Set Up Your Menu

Your navigation is crucial - let's make sure it's right!!

Customize the Menu

  1. Go to Appearance → Menus
  2. You'll see the demo menu structure
  3. Remove pages you don't need (drag to "Remove" area)
  4. Rename pages if needed (click the arrow to expand options)
  5. Reorder by dragging
  6. Click Save Menu

Typical Simple Menu Structure:

  • Home
  • About
  • Services (or Products)
  • Contact

That's it!! Keep it simple for now. You can always add more later.

Minutes 27-30: Final Touches and Launch Checks

Almost there!!! Let's make sure everything is ready...

Update Site Title and Tagline

  1. Go to Settings → General
  2. Change Site Title to your business name
  3. Change Tagline to a short description
  4. Click Save Changes

Set Your Homepage

  1. Go to Settings → Reading
  2. Select A static page
  3. Choose your Homepage from the dropdown
  4. Click Save Changes

Quick Launch Checklist

Run through this fast:

  • ✅ Logo showing correctly?
  • ✅ Colors match your brand?
  • ✅ Homepage content updated?
  • ✅ Contact info correct?
  • ✅ Menu links all work?
  • ✅ Mobile view looks good? (resize your browser to check)

DONE!!! You Have a Website!!!

Stop the clock. You now have a professional website that would have cost $2,000+ from a web designer!!

Sure, it's not perfect yet. But it's LIVE, it's YOURS, and it works. That's infinitely better than the "perfect" website still sitting in your head :)

What to Do Next (Not Today!)

Don't overwhelm yourself. Bookmark these for later:

Tomorrow or this week:

  • Add more content to pages
  • Set up Google Analytics
  • Install an SEO plugin (Yoast or Rank Math)

This month:

If you're building a store:

When things break:

Common "I'm Stuck" Questions

Q: The demo import failed!
A: Usually a server timeout. Go to Avada → Status and check for red items. Most hosts need max_execution_time increased to 180. Contact your host if unsure.

Q: My images look blurry!
A: The demo uses placeholder images. Replace them with your own high-resolution photos. Avada recommends at least 1920px wide for full-width images.

Q: How do I edit the header/footer?
A: Go to Avada → Options → Header or Footer. For advanced customization, check Avada → Layouts for the Layout Builder.

Q: Can I use a different demo later?
A: Yes! Go to Avada → Websites and import a different one. But be careful - importing "All" will overwrite your current content. Better to import only specific elements you need.

Q: Something looks different on mobile!
A: Avada is responsive by default, but you can fine-tune. In Avada Builder, look for the device icons to customize specifically for tablet or mobile views.

You Did It!!!

30 minutes ago you had nothing. Now you have a professional website ready for the world to see!!

Is it the most advanced, customized, perfectly optimized site ever?? No. But it EXISTS. It WORKS. And that puts you ahead of 90% of people who are still "planning" their website...

Now go tell someone about your new site. Share it. Be proud of it. And improve it bit by bit over time.

Welcome to the Avada family - you're going to love what this theme can do!!!

Questions about your setup? Hit me in the comments - I've probably solved the same problem before :)

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