← Back to Documentation

Preview and Publish

This guide explains the complete publishing workflow, from previewing your changes to making them live for the world to see.

The Publishing Workflow

New Salon uses a draft-to-publish workflow:

Edit → Preview → Publish → Live
  1. Edit - Make changes in the editor
  2. Preview - See changes as visitors will
  3. Publish - Push changes to your live site
  4. Live - Changes visible to all visitors

Preview Mode

Entering Preview

Click the Preview button in the top toolbar, or press Ctrl/Cmd + P.

What Preview Shows

Preview mode displays your page exactly as visitors will see it:

  • Navigation works as on live site
  • Links are clickable
  • Animations and interactions play
  • No editing UI visible

Device Preview

Test on different screen sizes:

  1. In preview mode, click the device icons
  2. Choose Desktop, Tablet, or Mobile
  3. Content reflowsfor that screen size

Exiting Preview

  • Click Exit Preview
  • Press Escape
  • Click the X button

Publishing Your Site

First Publish

The first time you publish:

  1. Click the Publish button
  2. Confirm your site URL
  3. Review the site preview
  4. Click Publish Now

Your site is now live at: yourusername.new.salon.io/sitename

Publishing Updates

After making changes to a published site:

  1. The Publish button shows "Publish Changes"
  2. Click to open the publish dialog
  3. Review the summary of changes
  4. Click Publish Changes

Changes typically appear within seconds.

What Gets Published

When you publish:

  • All page content and layouts
  • Images and media
  • Site settings (navigation, SEO, etc.)
  • Theme and styling changes

What Doesn't Get Published

  • Draft/hidden pages (unless you choose to include them)
  • Editor preferences
  • Account settings

Publish Dialog

The publish dialog shows:

Site Information

  • Site URL - Where your site will be accessible
  • Last published - When you last published
  • Status - Current publication state

Changes Summary

A list of what's changed since last publish:

  • Pages modified
  • New pages added
  • Settings changed
  • Media uploaded

Options

  • Include hidden pages - Publish pages marked as hidden
  • Clear cache - Force refresh for all visitors

Draft vs. Published

Understanding the two states:

| State | Visibility | Editable | |-------|------------|----------| | Draft | Only you (in editor) | Yes | | Published | Everyone with the URL | No (until updated) |

You can freely make draft changes without affecting your live site.

Automatic Saves vs. Publishing

Auto-Save

New Salon automatically saves your work:

  • Changes save within seconds
  • Saving... indicator in toolbar
  • Saved confirms save complete

Auto-saved changes are drafts—not visible to the public.

Manual Publish

Publishing is always manual:

  • You control when changes go live
  • Review before publishing
  • No accidental publishes

Quick Publish Shortcut

For fast publishing: Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + P

This opens the publish dialog directly.

Publishing Multiple Pages

When you have changes on multiple pages:

  1. Click Publish
  2. All changed pages are listed
  3. You can select/deselect pages
  4. Click Publish Selected or Publish All

Scheduling Posts (Pro Feature)

With a Pro subscription:

  1. Click Publish
  2. Select Schedule
  3. Choose date and time
  4. Click Schedule Publish

The page publishes automatically at the scheduled time.

Rolling Back Changes

Undo Recent Changes

Before publishing:

  • Use Ctrl/Cmd + Z to undo
  • Changes are not yet live

Restore Previous Version

After publishing:

  1. Go to Settings > Version History
  2. Browse previous versions
  3. Click Restore on the version you want
  4. The restored version becomes your current draft
  5. Publish to make it live

Publishing Best Practices

Before Publishing

  • [ ] Preview on all device sizes
  • [ ] Test all links and navigation
  • [ ] Check for placeholder content
  • [ ] Verify images load correctly
  • [ ] Review SEO settings

Publishing Schedule

Consider when to publish:

  • Avoid peak hours if making major changes
  • Schedule for your audience's timezone
  • Allow time for testing after publish

Communicating Changes

  • Update your changelog
  • Notify users of major changes
  • Share on social media

Troubleshooting

"Publish" button is disabled

  • Check your internet connection
  • Ensure you have made changes
  • Verify account is in good standing

Changes not appearing after publish

  • Clear your browser cache
  • Try an incognito window
  • Wait a few minutes for CDN propagation
  • Check you're viewing the correct URL

Publish failed

  • Check your internet connection
  • Try again in a few minutes
  • Contact support if persistent

Next Steps

Preview and Publish - Salon Docs