Step by step

1. Open 'Setting up' under Website in the left nav

   In the left-hand navigation, find the Website group and click the entry labelled 'Setting up'. This takes you to the onboarding screen where your setup checklist lives.

2. Wait for the onboarding screen to load your checklist

   The screen loads your organisation's details and works out a live checklist from your actual records. It also generates a signed private preview link for your site, valid for one week, so you can view it before it goes public.

3. Read the checklist — it reflects your real data

   Every step in the checklist is judged from actual records such as your users, members, officer terms, and pages — not from boxes you tick manually. The 'Choose a plan' step is judged by whether a paid plan is active on your account.

4. Notice the 'Choose a plan' step and its link

   If no plan is active, the 'Choose a plan' step will show as not done and a 'Do this' link will appear beside it. You can follow that link at any time, but you do not need to do so yet.

5. Click 'Open a private link to it' to preview your site

   The button labelled 'Open a private link to it' is available at any point on this screen. Click it to open your site in a new tab on its real web address. The link is private and not visible to search engines.

6. Let the preview link sign you in to view the site

   Following the link validates the HMAC signature and the token's expiry. If valid, a preview cookie is set in your browser — its lifetime matches the token's remaining lifetime — and you are redirected to your site's home page. Your site displays in full rather than showing a holding page.

7. Read your site, return to the onboarding screen, and click 'I have read it'

   After reviewing your site, come back to the onboarding screen.

8. Follow the 'Choose a plan to publish' button to the subscription screen

   While your account is on the free plan, a button labelled 'Choose a plan to publish' appears in place of the launch controls. Click it to go to the subscription screen.

9. Wait for the subscription screen to load

   A brand-new organisation with no payment history will land on the 'Choose a subscription' view where the available plan cards are shown.

10. Review the available plan buttons

    You will see buttons for the plans your platform has configured — options may include a website plan or a complete plan, each available monthly or yearly. If your platform has not set up online payments, you will see a message saying you will be invoiced directly and no buttons will appear.

11. Press the plan button that suits your organisation

    Once the session is ready, your browser is sent directly to the Stripe-hosted payment page.

12. Complete payment on the Stripe Checkout page

    Your browser is now on the Stripe-hosted checkout page. After the payment flow completes, the return URL brings you back to the subscription screen.

What happens next

Once payment completes, a webhook updates your organisation's subscription plan and status. When you return to the 'Setting up' screen, the 'Choose a plan' step will show as done and the 'Launch the website' button will become active, ready for you to publish your site.

Good to know

The private preview link is valid for one week from the time it was generated. The preview cookie set when you follow the link lasts for the token's remaining lifetime.

The checklist is recalculated from your live records every time the page loads, so it always reflects the current state of your organisation rather than anything you have manually confirmed. If you add a page or update your officers, the relevant checklist steps will update on your next visit.