diff --git a/packages/app-website-builder/src/BaseEditor/defaultConfig/Content/ContentPreviewConfig.tsx b/packages/app-website-builder/src/BaseEditor/defaultConfig/Content/ContentPreviewConfig.tsx
index 4654de3ff43..ca61eae7a8f 100644
--- a/packages/app-website-builder/src/BaseEditor/defaultConfig/Content/ContentPreviewConfig.tsx
+++ b/packages/app-website-builder/src/BaseEditor/defaultConfig/Content/ContentPreviewConfig.tsx
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import { Breadcrumbs } from "./Breadcrumbs/index.js";
 import { DocumentPreview } from "./Preview/DocumentPreview.js";
 import { AddressBar } from "./AddressBar/AddressBar.js";
 import { BreakpointSelector } from "./AddressBar/BreakpointSelector.js";
+import { SampleFrontendBanner } from "./SampleFrontendBanner.js";
 
 export const ContentPreviewConfig = () => {
     const { Ui } = EditorConfig;
@@ -16,6 +17,11 @@ export const ContentPreviewConfig = () => {
                 element={<BreakpointSelector />}
             />
             <Ui.Content.Element name="addressBar" element={<AddressBar />} />
+            <Ui.Content.Element
+                name="sampleFrontendBanner"
+                after="addressBar"
+                element={<SampleFrontendBanner />}
+            />
             <Ui.Content.Element name="iframe" element={<DocumentPreview />} />
             <Ui.Content.Element
                 name={"breadcrumbs"}
diff --git a/packages/app-website-builder/src/BaseEditor/defaultConfig/Content/Preview/Iframe.tsx b/packages/app-website-builder/src/BaseEditor/defaultConfig/Content/Preview/Iframe.tsx
index 0e372d9b539..e6af9d8241c 100644
--- a/packages/app-website-builder/src/BaseEditor/defaultConfig/Content/Preview/Iframe.tsx
+++ b/packages/app-website-builder/src/BaseEditor/defaultConfig/Content/Preview/Iframe.tsx
@@ -16,6 +16,11 @@ interface IframeProps {
     showLoading: boolean;
     viewportManager: ViewportManager;
     onConnected: (messenger: Messenger) => void;
+    /**
+     * Rendered on top of the preview instead of the loader. Used to explain why the preview is
+     * empty, while keeping the iframe mounted so that a late connection still resolves on its own.
+     */
+    overlay?: React.ReactNode;
 }
 
 export const Iframe = observer(({ url, timestamp, ...props }: IframeProps) => {
@@ -49,14 +54,15 @@ export const Iframe = observer(({ url, timestamp, ...props }: IframeProps) => {
     return (
         <PreviewContainer key={iframeUrl}>
             <ConnectEditorToPreview iframeRef={iframeRef} onConnected={props.onConnected} />
-            {props.showLoading ? (
-                <OverlayLoader
-                    size="lg"
-                    variant="accent"
-                    text="Loading preview..."
-                    className={"bg-neutral-base"}
-                />
-            ) : null}
+            {props.overlay ??
+                (props.showLoading ? (
+                    <OverlayLoader
+                        size="lg"
+                        variant="accent"
+                        text="Loading preview..."
+                        className={"bg-neutral-base"}
+                    />
+                ) : null)}
             {/* Content wrapper - sized by iframe content */}
             <div
                 id={"preview-body"}
diff --git a/packages/app-website-builder/src/BaseEditor/defaultConfig/Content/Preview/NoFrontendConnected.tsx b/packages/app-website-builder/src/BaseEditor/defaultConfig/Content/Preview/NoFrontendConnected.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..95ee0cb658c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/app-website-builder/src/BaseEditor/defaultConfig/Content/Preview/NoFrontendConnected.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,104 @@
+import React, { useCallback } from "react";
+import { Button, EmptyState, Text } from "@webiny/admin-ui";
+import { ReactComponent as BookIcon } from "@webiny/icons/menu_book.svg";
+import { ReactComponent as RefreshIcon } from "@webiny/icons/refresh.svg";
+import { ReactComponent as RocketIcon } from "@webiny/icons/rocket_launch.svg";
+import { FRONTEND_SETUP_DOCS_URL, SAMPLE_FRONTEND_DOMAIN } from "../sampleFrontend.js";
+import { usePreviewDomain } from "../usePreviewDomain.js";
+import type { PreviewConnectionError } from "./usePreviewConnection.js";
+
+interface NoFrontendConnectedProps {
+    // The origin the editor tried to load the preview from.
+    origin: string;
+    status: PreviewConnectionError;
+    onRetry: () => void;
+}
+
+const COPY: Record<PreviewConnectionError, { title: string; description: string }> = {
+    unreachable: {
+        title: "No frontend detected",
+        description:
+            "The editor renders your pages inside your own frontend, and nothing is currently running at"
+    },
+    unresponsive: {
+        title: "Frontend didn't connect",
+        description:
+            "Something is running, but it never connected to the editor. Make sure the Website Builder SDK is set up in the app running at"
+    }
+};
+
+export const NoFrontendConnected = ({ origin, status, onRetry }: NoFrontendConnectedProps) => {
+    const { previewDomain, setPreviewDomain } = usePreviewDomain();
+
+    const loadSampleFrontend = useCallback(() => {
+        setPreviewDomain(SAMPLE_FRONTEND_DOMAIN);
+    }, [setPreviewDomain]);
+
+    const openInstructions = useCallback(() => {
+        window.open(FRONTEND_SETUP_DOCS_URL, "_blank", "noopener,noreferrer");
+    }, []);
+
+    const copy = COPY[status];
+
+    // No point in offering the sample frontend when it's the domain that just failed to connect.
+    const canLoadSampleFrontend = previewDomain !== SAMPLE_FRONTEND_DOMAIN;
+
+    return (
+        <div
+            className={
+                "w-full h-full absolute inset-0 z-40 flex items-center justify-center overflow-auto bg-neutral-base"
+            }
+        >
+            <EmptyState
+                type={"layout"}
+                title={copy.title}
+                description={
+                    <>
+                        {copy.description} <span className={"font-semibold"}>{origin}</span>.
+                    </>
+                }
+                actions={
+                    <>
+                        <Button
+                            variant={canLoadSampleFrontend ? "secondary" : "primary"}
+                            size={"md"}
+                            icon={<BookIcon />}
+                            text={"Read the instructions"}
+                            onClick={openInstructions}
+                        />
+                        {canLoadSampleFrontend ? (
+                            <Button
+                                variant={"primary"}
+                                size={"md"}
+                                icon={<RocketIcon />}
+                                text={"Load sample frontend"}
+                                onClick={loadSampleFrontend}
+                            />
+                        ) : null}
+                        <Button
+                            variant={"ghost"}
+                            size={"md"}
+                            icon={<RefreshIcon />}
+                            text={"Try again"}
+                            onClick={onRetry}
+                        />
+                    </>
+                }
+            />
+            {canLoadSampleFrontend ? (
+                <Text
+                    as={"div"}
+                    size={"sm"}
+                    className={
+                        "absolute bottom-0 left-0 right-0 px-lg py-md-plus text-center text-neutral-strong"
+                    }
+                >
+                    The sample frontend lets you build pages and see them here in the editor.
+                    Viewing or previewing them outside the editor needs a frontend of your own, and
+                    locally uploaded images and content-bound data won&apos;t render in the sample
+                    either.
+                </Text>
+            ) : null}
+        </div>
+    );
+};
diff --git a/packages/app-website-builder/src/BaseEditor/defaultConfig/Content/Preview/Preview.tsx b/packages/app-website-builder/src/BaseEditor/defaultConfig/Content/Preview/Preview.tsx
index 2ae468ddafd..903e5c97df0 100644
--- a/packages/app-website-builder/src/BaseEditor/defaultConfig/Content/Preview/Preview.tsx
+++ b/packages/app-website-builder/src/BaseEditor/defaultConfig/Content/Preview/Preview.tsx
@@ -1,9 +1,8 @@
-import React, { useCallback, useEffect, useMemo, useState } from "react";
-import type { Messenger } from "@webiny/website-builder-sdk";
+import React, { useEffect, useMemo, useState } from "react";
 import { ViewportManager } from "@webiny/website-builder-sdk";
 import { mouseTracker } from "@webiny/website-builder-sdk";
 import { useDocumentEditor } from "~/DocumentEditor/index.js";
-import { Iframe } from "./Iframe.js";
+import { PreviewFrame } from "./PreviewFrame.js";
 import { DropZoneManager } from "./DropZoneManager.js";
 import { DropZoneManagerProvider } from "./DropZoneManagerProvider.js";
 import { KeyboardShortcuts } from "./KeyboardShortcuts.js";
@@ -82,21 +81,20 @@ export const Preview = () => {
         };
     }, []);
 
-    const onConnected = useCallback((messenger: Messenger) => {
-        previewEvents.onConnected(messenger);
-    }, []);
-
     return (
         <>
             <ApplyTheme />
             <DropZoneManagerProvider dropzoneManager={dropzoneManager}>
                 <AwaitIframeUrl>
                     {({ url }) => (
-                        <Iframe
+                        <PreviewFrame
+                            // A new URL or timestamp means a new page load, so the connection with
+                            // the frontend has to be established from scratch.
+                            key={`${url}|${iframeTimestamp}`}
                             url={url}
                             timestamp={iframeTimestamp}
                             viewportManager={viewportManager}
-                            onConnected={onConnected}
+                            previewEvents={previewEvents}
                             showLoading={loadingPreview}
                         />
                     )}
diff --git a/packages/app-website-builder/src/BaseEditor/defaultConfig/Content/Preview/PreviewFrame.tsx b/packages/app-website-builder/src/BaseEditor/defaultConfig/Content/Preview/PreviewFrame.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..030a7c66b5f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/app-website-builder/src/BaseEditor/defaultConfig/Content/Preview/PreviewFrame.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+import React, { useCallback, useMemo, useState } from "react";
+import type { Messenger, ViewportManager } from "@webiny/website-builder-sdk";
+import { Iframe } from "./Iframe.js";
+import { NoFrontendConnected } from "./NoFrontendConnected.js";
+import type { PreviewEvents } from "./PreviewEvents.js";
+import { usePreviewConnection } from "./usePreviewConnection.js";
+
+interface PreviewFrameProps {
+    url: string;
+    timestamp: number;
+    showLoading: boolean;
+    viewportManager: ViewportManager;
+    previewEvents: PreviewEvents;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Owns everything that belongs to a single load of the preview: the handshake with the frontend,
+ * and the resulting connection status. The parent remounts this component on every page load, so
+ * the connection state always starts over with the iframe.
+ */
+export const PreviewFrame = ({ url, timestamp, showLoading, ...props }: PreviewFrameProps) => {
+    const [connected, setConnected] = useState(false);
+    const { status, retry } = usePreviewConnection({ url, connected });
+
+    const onConnected = useCallback(
+        (messenger: Messenger) => {
+            setConnected(true);
+            props.previewEvents.onConnected(messenger);
+        },
+        [props.previewEvents]
+    );
+
+    const overlay = useMemo(() => {
+        if (status !== "unreachable" && status !== "unresponsive") {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        return <NoFrontendConnected origin={new URL(url).origin} status={status} onRetry={retry} />;
+    }, [status, url, retry]);
+
+    return (
+        <Iframe
+            url={url}
+            timestamp={timestamp}
+            viewportManager={props.viewportManager}
+            onConnected={onConnected}
+            showLoading={showLoading}
+            overlay={overlay}
+        />
+    );
+};
diff --git a/packages/app-website-builder/src/BaseEditor/defaultConfig/Content/Preview/usePreviewConnection.ts b/packages/app-website-builder/src/BaseEditor/defaultConfig/Content/Preview/usePreviewConnection.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..5dbddfdce1a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/app-website-builder/src/BaseEditor/defaultConfig/Content/Preview/usePreviewConnection.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,127 @@
+import { useCallback, useEffect, useMemo, useState } from "react";
+import { Commands } from "~/BaseEditor/index.js";
+import { useDocumentEditor } from "~/DocumentEditor/index.js";
+
+/**
+ * `connecting` - the preview was just (re)loaded, and we're still waiting for the handshake.
+ * `connected` - the frontend sent `preview.ready`, which means the editor can talk to it.
+ * `unreachable` - nothing is listening on the preview domain, usually because no frontend is running.
+ * `unresponsive` - something is listening, but it never sent `preview.ready`, which means it's not a
+ * Webiny frontend, or the Website Builder SDK is not set up in it.
+ */
+export type PreviewConnectionStatus = "connecting" | "connected" | "unreachable" | "unresponsive";
+
+export type PreviewConnectionError = Extract<
+    PreviewConnectionStatus,
+    "unreachable" | "unresponsive"
+>;
+
+// How long we wait for the frontend's `preview.ready` message. This has to be generous, because a
+// dev server that was just started compiles the page on the first request.
+const HANDSHAKE_TIMEOUT_MS = 15000;
+
+// How often an unreachable preview domain is re-checked, so that starting a dev server while the
+// editor is open reloads the preview on its own.
+const REACHABILITY_CHECK_INTERVAL_MS = 4000;
+
+/**
+ * Checks whether anything is listening on the given origin. The response is opaque (`no-cors`),
+ * which is all we need: we only care about whether the browser managed to open a connection.
+ * A refused connection rejects almost immediately, which is what makes this a useful early signal.
+ */
+const isReachable = async (origin: string) => {
+    try {
+        await fetch(origin, { method: "HEAD", mode: "no-cors", cache: "no-store" });
+        return true;
+    } catch {
+        return false;
+    }
+};
+
+interface UsePreviewConnectionParams {
+    // The full preview URL. Only its origin is used for reachability checks.
+    url: string;
+    // Whether the frontend has completed the handshake with the editor.
+    connected: boolean;
+}
+
+interface UsePreviewConnectionResult {
+    status: PreviewConnectionStatus;
+    retry: () => void;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Tells us whether the editor is actually talking to a frontend, and if not, why not.
+ *
+ * There are two signals at play. The handshake (`preview.ready`) is the authoritative one: it only
+ * arrives from a frontend that has the Website Builder SDK set up. The reachability check is there
+ * for speed: waiting out the handshake timeout to tell someone that they have no frontend running
+ * is a poor first experience, and a refused connection gives us that answer in milliseconds.
+ */
+export const usePreviewConnection = (
+    params: UsePreviewConnectionParams
+): UsePreviewConnectionResult => {
+    const { url, connected } = params;
+    const editor = useDocumentEditor();
+    const [status, setStatus] = useState<PreviewConnectionStatus>("connecting");
+
+    const origin = useMemo(() => new URL(url).origin, [url]);
+
+    const retry = useCallback(() => {
+        editor.executeCommand(Commands.RefreshPreview);
+    }, [editor]);
+
+    useEffect(() => {
+        if (connected) {
+            setStatus("connected");
+            return;
+        }
+
+        let disposed = false;
+
+        isReachable(origin).then(reachable => {
+            // When the origin is reachable, we keep waiting. Only a missing handshake can tell us
+            // that whatever answered isn't a frontend the editor can drive.
+            if (!disposed && !reachable) {
+                setStatus("unreachable");
+            }
+        });
+
+        const handshakeTimeout = setTimeout(() => {
+            if (!disposed) {
+                // `unreachable` describes the problem more accurately, so don't overwrite it.
+                setStatus(current => (current === "connecting" ? "unresponsive" : current));
+            }
+        }, HANDSHAKE_TIMEOUT_MS);
+
+        return () => {
+            disposed = true;
+            clearTimeout(handshakeTimeout);
+        };
+    }, [origin, connected]);
+
+    useEffect(() => {
+        if (status !== "unreachable") {
+            // We only poll while nothing is listening. A domain that answers but doesn't complete
+            // the handshake would otherwise reload the preview over and over.
+            return;
+        }
+
+        let disposed = false;
+
+        const interval = setInterval(async () => {
+            const reachable = await isReachable(origin);
+            if (!disposed && reachable) {
+                // The user started their frontend, so reload the preview for them.
+                retry();
+            }
+        }, REACHABILITY_CHECK_INTERVAL_MS);
+
+        return () => {
+            disposed = true;
+            clearInterval(interval);
+        };
+    }, [status, origin, retry]);
+
+    return { status, retry };
+};
diff --git a/packages/app-website-builder/src/BaseEditor/defaultConfig/Content/SampleFrontendBanner.tsx b/packages/app-website-builder/src/BaseEditor/defaultConfig/Content/SampleFrontendBanner.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..719fd006123
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/app-website-builder/src/BaseEditor/defaultConfig/Content/SampleFrontendBanner.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+import React, { useCallback } from "react";
+import { Alert } from "@webiny/admin-ui";
+import { FRONTEND_SETUP_DOCS_URL, SAMPLE_FRONTEND_DOMAIN } from "./sampleFrontend.js";
+import { usePreviewDomain } from "./usePreviewDomain.js";
+
+/**
+ * Shown while the preview points to Webiny's hosted sample frontend, so it's always clear that the
+ * page isn't rendering in the user's own frontend, and how to change that.
+ */
+export const SampleFrontendBanner = () => {
+    const { previewDomain, unsetPreviewDomain } = usePreviewDomain();
+
+    const openInstructions = useCallback(() => {
+        // Opened in a new tab so the user doesn't lose the page they're editing.
+        window.open(FRONTEND_SETUP_DOCS_URL, "_blank", "noopener,noreferrer");
+    }, []);
+
+    if (previewDomain !== SAMPLE_FRONTEND_DOMAIN) {
+        return null;
+    }
+
+    return (
+        <div data-affects-preview={"height"}>
+            <Alert
+                type={"info"}
+                variant={"subtle"}
+                className={"rounded-none border-solid border-b-sm border-neutral-dimmed"}
+                actions={
+                    <>
+                        <Alert.Action text={"Learn more"} onClick={openInstructions} />
+                        <Alert.Action text={"Disconnect"} onClick={unsetPreviewDomain} />
+                    </>
+                }
+            >
+                You&apos;re on Webiny&apos;s sample frontend — pages render only inside the editor.
+            </Alert>
+        </div>
+    );
+};
diff --git a/packages/app-website-builder/src/BaseEditor/defaultConfig/Content/sampleFrontend.ts b/packages/app-website-builder/src/BaseEditor/defaultConfig/Content/sampleFrontend.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..8af8136445f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/app-website-builder/src/BaseEditor/defaultConfig/Content/sampleFrontend.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+/**
+ * A hosted Website Builder frontend, so that users who don't have a frontend of their own running
+ * yet can still see their pages render in the editor.
+ */
+export const SAMPLE_FRONTEND_DOMAIN = "https://wb-demo.webiny.com";
+
+/**
+ * Instructions on how to create a frontend and connect it to the editor.
+ */
+export const FRONTEND_SETUP_DOCS_URL = "https://webiny.link/wb-frontend";