How to prompt an AI website builder
Write a build specification that defines the job, routes, content, behavior, and boundaries.
Describe the product before the appearance
Lead with what the website does, who uses it, and what a successful visit produces. Give the builder a decision model before stylistic adjectives.
Include business model, content ownership, transaction boundaries, and what is explicitly out of scope.
A local storefront site that presents verified inventory categories and drives in-person visits. No checkout, shipping, payment, or simulated availability.
Starting with ‘Create a stunning, premium, futuristic website.’
Specify routes as jobs
List stable routes and state the question each must answer. Require direct loading, internal linking, breadcrumbs where useful, and page-specific metadata.
Ask for reusable templates and centralized data when content repeats.
/builders helps someone compare approaches; /builders/[slug] explains fit, tradeoffs, and migration concerns for one platform.
Requesting ‘multiple pages’ without naming them or explaining why they exist.
Define interactions and states
For every tool or form, list inputs, validation, output, persistence, copy behavior, and empty or error states. Say what data is temporary and what is durable.
Require visible feedback for every action.
The builder selector explains its recommendation using the exact answers that influenced the score and provides a recovery path when no option fits.
Saying ‘add an interactive calculator’ without defining the formula or result.
Give visual rules and anti-patterns
Name the visual metaphor, typography roles, density, recurring structures, and image policy. Also say what would make the result feel generic.
Ask the builder to preserve a coherent grammar across all templates.
Use browser rails, URL labels, page grids, and publication stamps; avoid purple gradients, stock robots, glass panels, and rounded-card repetition.
Providing five inspiration brands with conflicting visual systems and no priorities.