Shadowing Practice: Wonderful website design - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
C1
From portfolios to event pages,
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From portfolios to event pages,
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a website turns your work into something people can connect with.
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Something that represents who you are and what you stand for.
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But launching a site can be slow and complex.
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In this lesson, I'll introduce you to everything Canva Websites has to offer so you can make a beautiful,
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interactive, mobile-ready website in minutes.
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even if you've never touched a line of code.
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And with the Visual Suite,
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you can design and launch your website without ever leaving Canva.
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Let's get started.
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First, let's find a starting point.
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Canva has a wide range of website templates ready to go,
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so you don't have to start from scratch.
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You can search more specifically, too.
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Let's check out multi-page designs,
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which are great for more complex websites.
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I'll search multi-page and scroll through the results to find one that fits.
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Here's the one I want.
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I'll open it to preview.
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You can see each page laid out clearly
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and can explore the layouts to get a feel for the flow and visual consistency.
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Once I'm done previewing, I'll head back to find the template we'll work on today.
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I'm looking for something more simple.
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I'll type event into the search bar and explore from there.
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There are so many to choose from,
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but this one looks like a good starting point.
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I can preview it to see more.
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Perfect.
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Let's start customizing.
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At the bottom here, you can select Add Section.
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You can also add any page type,
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perfect for complex websites that need multiple pages.
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For now, I'm going to add a new section.
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Now I want to add in a really impactful image.
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So let's select brand, then photography to choose from some approved shots.
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This one is really eye-catching for a beauty business, right?
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And I already know it's brand approved.
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I'll drag it in, just like that.
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Now let's resize it to fit this section and center it.
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These icons over here will help you easily change the layout,
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adding, deleting, or duplicating sections.
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And we can use these arrows here,
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moving this section so it's the first thing people see when they open the website.
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You can also adjust how much space a section takes up by grabbing this handle icon and dragging it like this.
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Okay, that's looking good.
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Once your structure is in place and your content feels right,
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it's time to make it yours.
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From here, you can bring in your brand identity,
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tap into Canva's smart design tools,
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and turn your site into something truly memorable.
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I've already used our Brand Kit to keep the look and feel consistent,
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but now I've added one final section so it needs some attention to match the rest of the website.
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In the Brand Kit panel,
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you'll find your brand's logos,
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colors, and fonts, making it super easy to style your site.
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There's also brand approved imagery.
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Here's a set of images I'd love for this section.
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They've been set up in the brand kit,
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so I can just drag it in as one element.
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Now let's adjust the colors so that they work with the rest of the website.
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Just hit shuffle until you get a combination that's on brand and designed to look good.
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We have some generic placeholder copy,
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but let's use MagicWrite to get into our brand's tone of voice.
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Select the paragraph, then change voice,
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apply brand voice, and replace.
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If you need more help,
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our Branding Your Business course has a whole lesson on setting up a brand kit.
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That's way better.
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Finally, let's add a little finishing touch.
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Under brand, there are some fun graphics to choose from.
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Let's add this one, then resize it slightly, and place it here.
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Perfect.
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This is starting to come together,
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but a good website is interactive.
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A CTA, or a call to action,
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helps visitors do things like make a booking,
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complete a purchase, or contact you directly.
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Let's make this button a CTA,
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prompting people to reserve a spot for this event.
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Now let's add a link.
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You can link to external sites if you need to,
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but in this case we want to link users to our sign up below.
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select the button then right-click link hover over enter link
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and select section six it'll take us further down the website you can also link to external sites if you need to.
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The button's look can be customized too,
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so we'll remove the underline,
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change the fill color, and change the outline color.
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Now let's test it.
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Select the button and click the link.
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Perfect.
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This section could use a map.
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Let's go to Apps, then search for Google Maps.
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I'll search for our event location,
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new house, and add it.
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Let's resize this to suit the section,
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then right-click, hit Layer, and send to back so it sits under this little floral element.
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In the Elements tab, you can also add a form for collecting feedback,
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sign-ups, or contact details.
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Let's add in one to collect RSVPs.
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We'll just drag it in, then resize it.
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Looking good!
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Your site's now uniquely yours.
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Branded, interactive, and built to connect.
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So let's bring it to life.
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With just a few clicks,
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you'll be able to test your website,
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set up SEO and privacy,
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and share it with the world.
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Here's how to do it.
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Time to test everything out.
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Click the preview button, then full screen,
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and scroll through the site like a real visitor.
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Toggle between desktop and mobile views to check responsiveness.
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Canva adjusts your design automatically for each device,
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but it's worth double checking that everything looks as it should.
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Let's try out our button on mobile.
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Perfect.
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Let's get ready to publish.
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First, let's check the settings.
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Here, we can add in a favicon.
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Favicons are a nice visual touch for your site,
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and they show up in search engines and browser tabs.
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Let's also change the title and add a meta description,
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a short summary of a website's content,
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which It appears in search engine results.
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It's worth including a target keyword for SEO purposes.
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I'll copy and paste in one I've prepared.
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These elements help search engines to understand your content.
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But, if your site is just for a specific audience,
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say employees only, you can uncheck this box to hide your website from search engines.
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You can also add a password protection to restrict access.
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Keep Mobile Resize on to optimize your site for phones.
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Let's turn on Social Link too.
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That'll help make links to your site look good when shared on social media.
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This is looking clean, functional, and professional.
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Something you'd be excited to share.
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Speaking of sharing...
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Once you're happy with your design,
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interactivity, and previews, it's time to get this site published.
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You can edit the site address here.
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Let's just add launch here.
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This will become part of your site's web address.
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Want your own domain name?
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Canva's domain routing for websites lets you publish your site to a range of domain types,
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like a free Canva domain,
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a domain purchased through Canva,
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or your own custom domain from another provider.
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Once you're happy with the setup, hit Publish.
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Give it a moment to load.
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Once it's ready, here's where you can copy the URL to share with everyone.
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Now is the moment we've been waiting for.
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Let's hit View Website.
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And there it is.
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polished, professional, and is completely aligned with the brand's look and feel.
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Want to see how your content is performing?
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Insights lets you track engagement and with multi-page designs you can even view insights for each page individually.
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It's a powerful way to see what's landing and where you might want to improve.
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So you've learned how to design,
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brand, customize, publish, and track a website that's not only beautiful but built to perform.
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With Canva's Visual Suite, every step from layout to links,
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brand assets to SEO happen in one powerful intuitive flow.
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Thank you.
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About This Lesson
In this lesson, learners will explore the fascinating world of website design through a YouTube video tutorial that highlights the capabilities of an innovative design tool. As you watch, you'll learn how to create visually engaging websites using templates and design features that make the process simple and user-friendly. This session emphasizes the importance of customization, branding, and effective visual storytelling. By practicing with this material, you will enhance your English speaking practice skills while gaining insights into the art of website creation.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Portfolio - A collection of work, typically used to showcase a person's skills or achievements.
- Template - A pre-designed layout that serves as a guide for creating new content.
- Multi-page design - A website structure consisting of multiple interconnected pages.
- Customizing - The process of making changes to a design to reflect personal preferences or brand identity.
- Section - A distinct part of a webpage that holds specific content, such as images or text.
- Image resizing - The act of adjusting the dimensions of an image to fit within a given space on a website.
- Visual consistency - A design principle that ensures all parts of the website align in style and layout for a harmonious look.
- Brand identity - The visible elements of a brand, like colors and logos, that distinguish it from others.
Practice Tips
To effectively utilize the shadowing technique while watching the video, try the following tips:
- Slow it Down: If the speaker's pace is too fast, consider adjusting the video speed settings. Slowing down the video will help you grasp the content better and improve your shadow speak skills.
- Repeat Key Phrases: Upon hearing new vocabulary or phrases, pause the video and repeat them. This will reinforce your memory and improve your pronunciation.
- Focus on Intonation: Pay attention to how the speaker modulates their voice, especially during important points. Emphasizing these intonations as part of your english speaking practice will make your own speech more engaging.
- Use Visuals: As you watch, take note of the visual elements being discussed. Try to describe them in English to practice both speaking and comprehension.
- Record Yourself: After shadowing the speaker, record your own version of the content. Listening back will help you identify areas for improvement in fluency and clarity.
- Engage with Others: Discuss the content with peers who are also learning English. Sharing insights can enhance your understanding while practicing your speaking skills.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.
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