Build your first site with AI

You know what your business needs online, and you want an AI tool to build it. This guide takes you from a blank screen to a first version of your site that you can click through, check on your phone, and improve one step at a time.

Before you start

• A short written plan: who the site is for, the one thing visitors should do, and the pages you need. The “Plan your project before you build” guide walks you through it in half an hour.
• Your real content: business name, a short description, services and prices, contact details, opening hours or service area.
• Your logo and five to ten good photos, if you have them.
• An email address to sign up to an AI website tool, and an afternoon.
• For enquiries or bookings: the intended receiving account, follow-up owner, and any existing form or booking tool. Mark unresolved setup clearly.

Want to do it yourself?

Difficulty

6 out of 10

Estimated completion time

2–4 hours for a first version

Skills you’ll need: Describe your business clearly, edit text and images, and test links and mobile layouts. Expect several revisions.

I’ll do it myselfI’d rather get help

How this helps your brand

A clear first website gives customers one place to understand your offer and take the next step. Testing its contact or booking route helps turn interest into an enquiry your business can actually handle.

1. 1

   Step 1: Pick one AI website tool

   There are two kinds of tool that can build a site from a description.

   AI app builders, like Lovable, Bolt, or Replit, write the whole site for you from a chat. They’re very flexible, and you change things by asking in plain words.

   Site builders with AI, like Wix, Squarespace, or Shopify, use AI to set up a site you then edit by clicking. They’re less flexible, but you can make small changes without the AI.

   • Want to click and type to make changes yourself? Choose a site builder.
   • Want something more custom, and happy to describe changes in a chat? Choose an AI app builder.
   • Selling products online? Look at a builder made for shops, like Shopify.

   Tip: Most tools have a free trial or free plan. Check the pricing page for what it costs to put the site on your own domain, as that’s often a paid feature.

2. 2

   Step 2: Describe the site in one message

   Your first message shapes everything that follows. Paste the prompt at the end of this guide and fill in the brackets with your plan and your real content.

   Be specific about the feel you want. “Modern” means little. “Warm and friendly, like a local café, with lots of photos” gives the AI something to work with. Name one or two websites you like and say what you like about them.

   Include what happens after the main action. For an enquiry-generating site, specify the form or booking provider, receiving inbox or record system, required fields, and the person responsible for follow-up. Ask the builder to identify missing access or unsupported connections instead of drawing a form that only looks complete. The “Add a contact or booking form” guide covers this setup.

   Tip: Use your real words, not “add text here”. A first version built on real content shows you real problems, like a heading that’s too long.

   Illustrated exampleGive the AI a clear starting point

   Business

   Northline Studio · home interiors

   Who it is for

   Local homeowners planning a renovation

   Main action

   Request a quote

   Pages

   Home, Services, About, Contact

   Real content

   My services, project photos, hours, and contact details

   Feel

   Warm, simple, and easy to read on a phone

3. 3

   Step 3: Click through the first version

   Don’t ask for changes straight away. Spend ten minutes using the site as a customer would, and write down everything that’s wrong or missing in one list.

   Use a recognisable test enquiry with contact details you control. Check the on-screen response, open the actual stored submission or booking, and confirm the intended recipient can find all its details. If an automation is part of the plan, inspect its run and final record or notification too. A success message alone does not prove capture. Resolve this route before treating an enquiry-generating site as ready.

   • Can you tell what the business does within five seconds of opening the home page?
   • Does every button and menu link go somewhere sensible?
   • Are your name, phone number, prices and hours exactly right? AI tools sometimes invent details.
   • Does the main action, like calling or booking, work?

   Illustrated exampleCheck the first version like a customer

   ● ● ● Example website

   NorthlineServices · About · Contact

   1A home that feels like you.Thoughtful interiors for local homeowners.Request a quote 2

   3 Your real services, hours, and contact details

   1 A clear offer2 One main action3 Correct details

4. 4

   Step 4: Fix things one at a time

   Work through your list in order of importance. Ask for one change per message, and check it before you ask for the next. When you ask for five things at once, it’s hard to tell what went wrong if something breaks.

   Be exact. “Make the home page better” sends the AI guessing. “Move the phone number to the top right, and make it a button that calls when tapped” gets you what you want.

   Tip: If the AI keeps undoing your earlier changes or making things worse, stop and go back to a saved version. The “When AI keeps making it worse” guide covers what to do.

5. 5

   Step 5: Check it on your phone

   Most of your customers will see your site on a phone. Open the preview on yours and go through your checklist from step 3 again.

   Look for text that’s too small to read, buttons that are hard to tap, and anything that runs off the edge of the screen. Ask the AI to fix each problem, one at a time.

6. 6

   Step 6: Save a version you’re happy with

   Most AI tools keep a history of versions. When the site is in good shape, find that history and name or bookmark the current version, something like “First version ready”. If a later change goes wrong, you can come back here.

   You now have a working first version. The next step is putting it live on your own web address, which the “Put your site live on your own domain” guide covers.

Please build a simple website for my business.

Business: [your business name and what you do, in one or two sentences]
Who it’s for: [your main type of customer]
The one thing visitors should do: [call, book, ask for a quote, or buy]
Pages: [for example Home, Services, About, Contact]
My content: [paste your services, prices, opening hours, service area, and contact details]
The feel I want: [for example warm and friendly, or clean and professional]
Sites I like: [one or two links, and what you like about each]

Use only the details I’ve given you. If anything is missing, use a clear placeholder like [ADD PHOTO] instead of making it up, and list everything you still need from me. Make sure it works well on phones.

When you’re done, tell me in plain English what you built and what I should check first.

If the main action collects enquiries or bookings, explain and implement its actual destination and connection, including any account or private configuration needed. Mark missing access as unfinished. Provide an end-to-end test using details I control: visible confirmation, captured record, intended recipient, and any planned automation output. Do not mark a decorative form as working, invent credentials, or add a marketing subscription without an explicit choice.