How to build a website with AI
Today you can build a website by describing it in words: artificial intelligence writes the text, the layout and the code in a few minutes. There are three ways to do it — an AI website builder, an assistant like ChatGPT or Claude that writes the code for you, or an agency that uses AI on your behalf — and the real difference is how much you have to handle yourself afterwards. Below you’ll find which one to choose, what it really costs and how to write a request that works the first time.
The three ways, compared
The difference isn’t the quality of the AI — often the same model sits underneath — but who takes care of everything that comes after the code.
1. An AI website builder
createforme, Wix, Hostinger, Squarespace, Durable and others
How it works. You describe your business, the AI builds the site, and you edit and publish it from the same place. Hosting, address and updates are included.
Who it’s for. Business owners who want a website today without learning anything technical.
The catch. You pay a subscription for as long as the site is online, and you’re limited to the features the builder offers.
2. Asking ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini for the code
a general AI assistant, plus a service to publish on
How it works. You ask the assistant to write the website’s code, then you copy it, test it and put it online yourself on a hosting service.
Who it’s for. People who know what an HTML file, a domain and hosting are, and have time to test and fix things.
The catch. Every change is another round of copy and paste; if something breaks, only you will notice. Photos, forms that actually send and publishing are all on you.
3. An agency or a freelancer
a professional who today often uses AI too
How it works. You explain what you need; they design, write and publish. You approve.
Who it’s for. Businesses with special needs (management systems, complex bookings, large catalogues) or owners who don’t want to deal with it at all.
The catch. It costs more and takes longer — weeks instead of minutes — and every change usually goes back through them.
What it really costs
With an AI website builder you pay a monthly subscription, usually between 10 and 50 euros or dollars, which includes hosting and updates. On createforme you can create and preview your first site for free; to publish it, the Starter plan costs €22.90 a month, and your own domain is included in the Agency plan.
With ChatGPT or Claude the assistant can cost nothing or around twenty a month, plus hosting and a domain — and above all your time to test, fix and publish.
With an agency a simple website for a small business usually starts at a few hundred and goes up to a few thousand, plus maintenance. These are rough ranges: quotes depend on how many pages you need and what the site has to do.
How to write a request that gets a good website
AI doesn’t know your business: it only knows what you tell it. The difference between a generic website and one that feels made to measure is almost entirely in the request.
Too vague
“Make me a website for my pub.”
One that works
“I run a 40-seat pub in York, near the Minster. We serve Yorkshire ales and a Sunday roast; open every day from noon, food until 9pm. I’d like a website with our menu and prices, our story (the pub has been in the family since 1978), photos of the food, directions from the station and a button to book a table on WhatsApp. Warm style, wood and brick.”
What’s worth including:
- Who you are and where — the type of business and the town.
- What you offer, with real details — services, products, prices if you want to show them.
- What sets you apart — how long you’ve been going, how you work, what people say about you.
- What visitors should do — call you, book, message you, buy.
- Tone and colours — even two words: “elegant and understated”, “bright and cheerful”.
The most common mistakes
- Leaving the sample content. Sample names, reviews and figures must be replaced with real ones before you publish: a made-up review on a real website is misleading advertising.
- Not checking it on a phone. Most visits to a small business website come from there.
- Forgetting what the law requires. In the UK a limited company must show its registered name, number and office on its website, and in the UK and EU you need a privacy notice if you collect personal data — even through a contact form — plus consent for non-essential cookies. In the US, California requires a privacy policy on commercial websites that collect personal information from its residents.
- Thinking the website is enough for Google. For a local business your Google Business Profile — with hours, photos and reviews — matters at least as much: link the two.
Try it on your business
Write your request here, in your own words: you can create and preview your first site for free.
Websites by trade
What the website needs, trade by trade, with a real example:
Frequently asked questions
Can you build a website with AI for free?
Creating and previewing it, yes, almost everywhere. Keeping it online for free forever with a professional look, hardly ever: free plans usually don’t allow your own domain, show the service’s branding or, like ours, don’t publish. On createforme you can create and preview your first site for free; publishing it with the Starter plan costs €22.90 a month.
Can I build a website with ChatGPT or Claude?
Yes, both will write a website’s code if you ask. Everything else is on you: testing it, fixing it, finding hosting, buying a domain and publishing. createforme uses Claude to build websites, but it also does the rest: preview, click-to-edit, publishing and forms that actually send.
Do I own a website built with AI?
It depends on the service: read the terms. On createforme the sites you create are yours, code included, and from the Starter plan up you can download the project as a .zip file and take it anywhere.
Does the AI write the text too?
Yes, based on what you tell it. The more real details you give — prices, hours, what makes you different — the more the text sounds like you. Always reread it: AI can’t know what’s true about your business unless you tell it.
Can a website made with AI rank on Google?
Google doesn’t care how a website was made, but whether it’s useful and trustworthy for the searcher. A website built with AI ranks like any other if it has real, specific text, loads fast on a phone and is linked to a Google Business Profile.