How to Use Velo by Wix to Build Advanced Websites

If you’re building a site with Wix and need more power and flexibility, Velo by Wix is the answer. Velo is Wix’s built-in development platform: it lets you add custom JavaScript and advanced features to any Wix site. Wix powers over 220 million websites worldwide, and Velo is included with any paid Wix plan at no extra cost. You can start using it immediately once your site is published. In other words, Velo turns your regular website into a dynamic web app: you can create interactive forms, member-only areas, or custom tools directly within Wix. (Note: Velo was formerly known as "Corvid by Wix" – it’s the same platform under a new name.)

Why Use Velo?

Wix is one of the most widely used site builders (powering over 220 million websites), and Velo comes included with any paid Wix plan. Velo offers several key benefits for businesses:

• Save Money: You can avoid thousands of dollars in development costs. Instead of paying ~$75/hour for a developer, you build functionality yourself in the Wix Editor.
  
  
• Full Control: Build any feature you need – from custom forms to user interactions – without being limited by the template. Velo gives you complete control over your site's behavior.
  
  
• No Extra Hosting: All your code runs on Wix’s servers. You don’t need to set up or manage your own hosting or database. Wix automatically handles scaling and security, so you can focus on your site, not infrastructure.
  
  
• Faster Development: Prototypes and new features can be built and tested in real time. The built-in IDE provides instant preview and debugging, speeding up development.
  
  
• Easy Integration: Easily connect your site to other services (like CRM or payment processors) using Velo's HTTP functions and APIs.

These advantages make Velo a huge win for growing businesses. As one satisfied developer put it: “I thought I'd need to hire a full development team, but with Velo, my Wix site now does things I didn't think were possible!”.

Velo unlocks functionality beyond the standard drag-and-drop builder. Instead of hiring a developer for ~$75/hour, Wix includes powerful tools right in the Editor. This makes building advanced features much cheaper and more accessible – as one review notes, Velo is a “cheaper and beginner-friendly way to get into web development”. In practice, this means you can quickly add database-driven content, dynamic pages, and integrations without leaving the Wix platform.

Getting Started with Velo

Getting started is surprisingly simple. First, open your site in the Wix Editor and click the Dev Mode toggle in the top menu to enable Developer Mode. That’s it – you’re now in Velo mode! When Dev Mode is on, the Editor adds a new Code Panel at the bottom and a Properties & Events panel on the side. These panels let you write and manage your code and site elements.

Now you can build custom functionality step by step:

• Enable Dev Mode: As described above, toggle on Dev Mode in the Editor. The Code Panel should now appear at the bottom.
  
  
• Select elements: Give any page element (text, button, form, etc.) a unique ID in the Properties panel. IDs let you target those elements in code.

Write code: In the Code Panel, write JavaScript using Wix’s $w selector to reference elements by their ID. For example, to change a text element with ID message, you could write:

js
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$w('#message').text = 'Hello World';

•  (Put this inside the default onReady function in the Code Panel.) The $w API lets you manipulate almost any element on the page.
  
  
• Test and publish: Click Preview in the Editor to run your code in real time. If it works, click Publish so visitors can see the changes.

These steps blend the familiar Wix editor with code. For example, after enabling Dev Mode, you might simply use $w('#button').onClick() to program how a button behaves. The built-in IDE (code editor) provides autocomplete and error checks, which makes writing code much easier.

Key Velo Features

Once you have Velo enabled, your Wix site can do amazing things. Here are some powerful capabilities:

• Databases & Dynamic Pages: Velo includes Wix Data, a built-in database system. You can create data collections (for things like products, articles, or team members) and then design one page layout to display each item. This lets you scale efficiently – add hundreds of items to your collection and get an automatic page for each one.
  
  
• Front-End & Back-End Code: Velo supports both client-side and server-side coding. You write standard JavaScript on the page, and you also get a full server-side runtime (Node.js) with web modules. That means you can run secure backend functions (for example, processing payments or sending emails) directly on Wix’s servers.
  
  
• APIs & Integrations: The platform provides many built-in APIs and integrations for common tasks (user auth, email, media, e-commerce, etc.). You can also install npm packages or make HTTP requests to third-party services. In practice, this means you could pull in data from external sources or add custom widgets – all with code.
  
  
• Developer Tools & Hosting: Wix handles hosting, scaling, and security for you. All the work is hosted on Wix’s cloud, so you never have to set up or maintain servers. If your site needs more resources, Wix automatically scales up, and you can view server logs to debug if needed.
  
  
• Interactive Interfaces: Using the $w API, you can control page elements in three main ways: by changing their properties (text, images, values), using methods (like .show() or .scrollTo()), and triggering animations. For example, you could hide/show elements, animate them, or program user interface behavior that wasn’t possible in the basic editor.

Example: Suppose you run a small business and want a custom booking widget. You could set up a Wix Data collection of available time slots, then use Velo code to display those slots in a custom form. When a user submits the form, your code could save the booking to your collection. Velo makes this entirely possible without any external platform – it’s all on your Wix site.

What Can You Build with Velo? (Examples)

To spark some ideas, here are a few things a small business or agency might build using Velo:

• Custom Forms & Calculators: For instance, a finance consultant created a mortgage calculator on their Wix site using Velo. Users input details and get an instant estimate – something not possible with standard Wix elements alone.
  
  
• Member Portals: A fitness coach used Velo to set up a member-only section with login, where clients can access exclusive workout videos and meal plans. Velo handles the user account creation and gating of content.
  
  
• Dynamic Directories: A local tourism site built a dynamic directory of restaurants. They manage restaurant info in a database collection and Velo generates pages for each entry automatically. This bypassed the normal 100-page limit on Wix by using dynamic pages.
  
  
• External API Integration: An e-commerce store owner used Velo to fetch live shipping rates from an external courier API. When customers check out, Velo code pulls in the latest shipping cost options in real-time.
  
  
• Advanced Search Filters: A realtor’s agency site uses Velo to implement multi-criteria search and filtering of property listings (by price, neighborhood, features). Velo queries the data collection and displays matching results on the fly.

These examples show how Velo can turn a basic site into a powerful web application tailored to your business needs.

Advanced Velo Tips

• Site Code vs Page Code: In the Velo Sidebar, Site Code files (backend/public files) apply to your whole site, while each page has its own Page Code file. Use Site Code for functions or APIs you want to reuse site-wide, and Page Code for scripts specific to that page.
  
  
• Organizing Code: You can create new .js files under Site Code. For example, make a utils.js in the Backend folder to hold shared functions, and scripts.js in Public for front-end helpers. Import these in your page code as needed.
  
  
• Element Events: Besides writing code manually, you can hook into an element’s events via the Properties panel. For instance, select a button, go to Events and add an onClick event – Wix will generate a function stub in the code for you.
  
  
• Testing & Debugging: Use Preview Mode to test code. Add console.log() statements and open the Developer Console (in Preview, click the Dev Mode icon). This helps debug logic. Velo also underlines syntax errors as you type, and you can use debugger for breakpoints.
  
  
• Version Control: Every time you publish, Wix saves that version. You can also manually save versions. If something breaks, you can restore a previous version of your site’s code. It’s not Git, but it gives some peace of mind.
  
  
• Mobile Limitations: Note that Velo code executes on published sites and in desktop Preview. The mobile editor preview doesn’t run your code. Always test on a live site (you can password-protect it if needed) to ensure mobile behavior works.
  
  
• SEO and Metadata: Velo’s APIs let you update SEO tags dynamically. For example, using wixSeo.setMetaTags() in code, you can change a page’s meta description based on database content – useful for dynamic pages.
  
  
• Security: Keep secret keys or sensitive info in backend code, not front-end. Backend code isn’t visible to users. Use Wix’s Secrets Manager for API keys. All Velo operations follow Wix’s security (including automatic sanitization against common attacks), so it’s quite safe out of the box.
  
  
• Performance: Don’t overdo front-end code for heavy tasks. If you need to process a lot of data, consider moving that logic to a backend web module. Also, remove any test console.log in production – unnecessary logging can slow things slightly.
  
  

Pricing and Billing

Velo itself doesn’t cost extra – it’s built into Wix. However, remember that if you need advanced usage (like connecting external databases or many data collections), you might need a higher-tier Wix plan. Business Premium plans unlock most of these features. Essentially, you pay for Wix, not for Velo.

If you’re doing it yourself, the only “cost” is your time to learn and implement. If you hire a developer or an agency (like BrandSwaggin) to do Velo work, then you’d pay their fees. Many small businesses start on their own for simple tweaks and later hire pros for complex projects – it’s flexible.

Managing Velo Projects

When adding a lot of custom code, treat it like a software project:

• Plan Your Features: Decide what you want to achieve with code and break it into small tasks (e.g., “add custom signup form” or “integrate Google Maps API”).
  
  
• Keep Code Organized: Use comments to document your code’s purpose. Group related functions in the same file. A little organization goes a long way as your codebase grows.
  
  
• Test Thoroughly: Always use Preview to test. If possible, have someone else try to break the feature on the published site (e.g., submit a form with unexpected data) to catch bugs.
  
  
• Monitor: After publishing, use Wix’s monitoring tools (Logs, Monitoring Dashboard) to keep an eye on errors or performance issues. Velo lets you log to the console on live sites (viewable in your Dashboard’s Logs).
  
  
• Iterate: Use site visitor feedback. If users encounter issues or you see a way to improve, go back into Dev Mode and refine the code.

FAQ: Is Velo Right for Me?

Q: Is Velo free?
A: Yes! Velo is included on all Wix sites (even free ones). You don’t pay extra to use Dev Mode or add custom code. However, some advanced Velo capabilities (like external database integrations) require a paid Wix plan. For most small business sites, you can do a lot on a standard plan.

Q: Do I need to know coding to use Velo?
A: Velo uses JavaScript, so having basic coding knowledge helps. Wix provides many learning resources and examples to get you started. If you’re completely new to coding, you might take a Wix Velo tutorial or work with a developer. The good news is, you can always use Velo selectively – you might not need to code entire pages, just small features.

Q: What if I break something?
A: Wix’s Dev Mode has version history and an “undo” like the regular editor. Plus, Velo code is sandboxed – if there’s an error, it usually won’t bring down your whole site; the rest of your site still works. You can test in Preview mode before publishing live.

Q: Can a professional build things in Velo for me?
A: Absolutely. In fact, BrandSwaggin offers Velo development services (as mentioned above). This way, you get the benefits of Velo’s power without personally writing the code. It’s a great option if you have a vision for a feature but need help implementing it.

Conclusion

In summary, Velo by Wix dramatically expands what’s possible on your website. For small and mid-size businesses, it means you can deliver advanced online experiences without a huge budget. Industry reviews echo this: one author calls Velo a “cheaper and beginner-friendly” way to build custom web features, and Wix itself is rated the “best website builder” for growing brands. By using Velo, you essentially future-proof your site – start simple, and add dynamic content, integrations, and interactivity as your needs grow.

If you prefer not to code yourself, or want an expert’s touch, remember that BrandSwaggin can help as your white-label Velo partner. We can turn your ideas into custom features on your Wix site, while you focus on your business.

Ready to supercharge your Wix site? Enable Dev Mode and give Velo a try, or reach out to our team for a free consultation. We’re excited to help you unlock new possibilities with Wix Velo and take your site to the next level!