So you want to build a website but don't want to spend weeks learning code. Fair enough. I timed myself building five different websites using an AI website builder last week. My fastest? Eight minutes and twelve seconds. My slowest? Fourteen minutes (I got distracted picking colors—classic).
Here's the thing nobody tells you: the AI does 90% of the heavy lifting. Your job is just to describe what you want clearly enough that it doesn't spit out something that looks like a geocities page from 2003.
Let me show you exactly how this works.
Key Takeaways:
- You can build a complete, professional website in under 10 minutes with the right prompts
- The secret is being specific about your business, audience, and desired sections—not generic descriptions
- Three copy-paste prompts below work for 80% of website types (SaaS, portfolio, business)
In This Article
- What You'll Actually Build
- The 10-Minute Challenge (With Timer)
- Minute 0-2: Describe Your Vision
- Minute 2-5: Review and Refine
- Minute 5-8: Customize Key Sections
- Minute 8-10: Polish and Ship
- 3 Prompts That Work Every Time
- FAQ
What You'll Actually Build
Before we start the clock, let's be clear about what "website" means here. We're talking about a real, functional website with:
- A hero section that doesn't look like a template
- Multiple sections (features, testimonials, pricing—whatever you need)
- Responsive design that works on mobile
- Actual styling that looks like you hired a designer
This isn't a janky prototype. It's a site you could actually show to customers. The kind of thing that used to take a freelancer two weeks and $3,000 to build.
If you're completely new to building with AI, you might want to start with vibe coding for beginners first. But honestly? This tutorial is designed for non-technical founders, so you should be fine either way.
The 10-Minute Challenge
Here's how we're breaking this down:
| Time Block | What You're Doing | Expected Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 0:00 - 2:00 | Write your prompt | Complete description of your website |
| 2:00 - 5:00 | Review AI output | Full website generated, identify tweaks |
| 5:00 - 8:00 | Customize sections | Fix colors, copy, or layout issues |
| 8:00 - 10:00 | Final polish | Ready to deploy or export |
Start your timer when you begin typing your prompt. Stop when you're satisfied with the result. No cheating by "thinking about it" beforehand—that's not how real work happens anyway.
Minute 0-2: Describe Your Vision to AI
This is where most people mess up. They write prompts like "make me a website for my business." Then they're shocked when the AI generates something generic.
The AI isn't psychic. It needs context.
What to include in your prompt:
- What your business actually does (not your mission statement—what you sell)
- Who your customers are (specific beats vague every time)
- What sections you need (hero, features, pricing, contact—list them)
- Color preferences (even "professional blue" is better than nothing)
- Any specific elements (email signup form, testimonials, FAQ)
Here's an example of a bad prompt vs. a good one:
Bad: "Create a website for a software company"
Good: "Build a modern landing page for a SaaS startup that helps small businesses manage their inventory. Include a hero section, 3 feature cards, pricing table, and email signup form. Use a professional blue and white color scheme."
See the difference? The second prompt gives the AI something to work with. It knows the industry, the target customer, the sections, and even the visual direction.
Want to try this yourself?
For more detailed prompt patterns, check out our AI landing page prompts guide—it covers 50+ templates that actually work.
Minute 2-5: Review Your AI-Generated Site
Okay, the AI just generated your site. Now what?
Take a breath. Don't immediately start nitpicking. First, scroll through the whole thing and ask yourself:
- Does it capture the vibe? (Does it feel like my brand?)
- Are all the sections there? (Check against your prompt)
- Is the structure logical? (Hero → Value Prop → Features → Social Proof → CTA)
Most AI-generated sites get about 70-80% right on the first try. That's actually pretty amazing when you think about it. Your job now is to identify the 20-30% that needs adjustment.
Common issues to look for:
- Placeholder text that's too generic
- Color combinations that clash
- Mobile layout breaking on certain sections
- Missing sections you asked for (rare, but happens)
Don't try to fix everything at once. Make a mental list of the top 3 things that bother you. That's what we tackle next.
Minute 5-8: Customize Key Sections
Here's where your website goes from "AI-generated" to "this is actually mine."
The Three-Fix Rule: Focus on three things maximum. More than that and you'll spend all day tweaking instead of shipping.
Usually, those three things are:
- The headline - Generic AI headlines are the #1 tell. Make it specific to your value proposition.
- The colors - AI picks safe colors. If your brand has specific colors, now's the time to update them.
- One section that feels off - Maybe the pricing table layout is weird, or the testimonials look fake.
For each fix, just describe what you want changed. For example:
"Change the hero headline to 'Stop Losing Inventory. Start Growing Revenue.' and make the primary color #2563EB instead of the current blue."
The AI will handle the implementation. You don't need to touch code.
If you're building a startup landing page specifically, we have a deeper dive on building startup landing pages with AI that covers conversion optimization tricks.
Minute 8-10: Final Polish and Go Live
You're in the home stretch. This is about catching details, not making major changes.
Quick polish checklist:
- Does the mobile version look good? (Resize your browser or use preview mode)
- Are there any typos in the copy?
- Do the buttons actually say what they do? ("Get Started" beats "Click Here")
- Is there a clear call-to-action above the fold?
If everything checks out, you're done. Export it, deploy it, or connect it to your hosting.
The perfectionism trap: I've seen people spend 4 hours "polishing" a site that was ready in 10 minutes. Don't be that person. Ship it. You can always iterate later—that's the beauty of digital.
3 Copy-Paste Prompts That Work Every Time
Here are three battle-tested prompts for the most common website types. Copy them, customize the bracketed parts, and go.
1. SaaS Landing Page
Build a modern landing page for a SaaS startup that helps [YOUR TARGET CUSTOMER] [SOLVE SPECIFIC PROBLEM]. Include a hero section, 3 feature cards, pricing table, and email signup form. Use a professional [COLOR] and white color scheme.
Example in action:
2. Portfolio Website
Create a portfolio website for a freelance [YOUR PROFESSION]. Include a full-width hero with a striking image, a masonry-style gallery section, an about section with my bio, and a contact form. Use a minimal [LIGHT/DARK] theme.
Example in action:
3. Business Website
Build a professional business website for a [TYPE OF BUSINESS]. Include a hero section emphasizing trust and expertise, a services grid with [NUMBER] services, team section with [NUMBER] team members, testimonials, and contact section. Use [COLOR 1] and [COLOR 2] colors.
Example in action:
Common Beginner Mistakes (And How to Fix Them)
Look, I've watched dozens of people try AI website builders for the first time. These are the traps they all fall into:
Mistake #1: Being too vague
- Bad: "Make it look modern"
- Good: "Use large white space, sans-serif fonts, and a minimal color palette"
Mistake #2: Trying to do everything in one prompt If you need a complex site, break it into pieces. Build the landing page first, then add sections. Our prompt chaining tutorial covers this workflow in detail.
Mistake #3: Ignoring mobile from the start Always mention "responsive" or "mobile-friendly" in your initial prompt. Fixing mobile layout after the fact is annoying.
Mistake #4: Perfectionism before shipping Your first version doesn't need to be perfect. It needs to exist. Ship it, get feedback, iterate.
What's Next: Taking Your AI Website Further
You've got a website. Now what?
If you're building something more complex, here's where to go next:
- Want to dive deeper into AI-powered building? Check out our complete guide to vibe coding
- Need more prompt templates? We've got 300+ tested prompts for every component type
- Building something bigger? Learn the complete app building workflow
The 10-minute website is just the beginning. Once you get comfortable with this workflow, you'll start building dashboards, admin panels, and full web apps the same way.
But for now? You just built a website in 10 minutes. That's pretty damn cool.
You Might Also Like
- Vibe Coding for Beginners: Your First App in 15 Min - Start here if you want to understand the fundamentals
- Build a Startup Landing Page with AI - Deeper dive into landing pages that convert
- AI Landing Page Prompts: 50+ Templates - More prompts for different industries and styles
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need coding skills to use an AI website builder?
Nope. The whole point is that you describe what you want in plain English, and the AI handles the code. You won't see a single line of HTML unless you want to. If something breaks, you just describe the problem and ask the AI to fix it.
How long does it really take to build a website with AI?
Honestly? 5-15 minutes for a basic landing page. More complex sites with multiple pages might take 30-60 minutes. Compare that to traditional development (weeks) or even drag-and-drop builders (hours), and it's a no-brainer.
Can AI really build a professional website?
Yes—with a caveat. The AI gets you 80% there instantly. The other 20% depends on how specific your prompts are and how much you customize. A generic prompt gives you a generic site. A detailed prompt gives you something that looks custom.
What happens after I build my site?
You can export the code (React, HTML, whatever you need), deploy it to hosting platforms like Vercel or Netlify, or keep iterating in the builder. The site is yours—do whatever you want with it.
Is an AI website builder good enough for a real business?
For landing pages, marketing sites, and portfolios? Absolutely. Many startups launch with AI-built sites and only hire developers when they need complex features like user authentication or payment processing. Start lean, iterate as you grow.
Written by the Fardino Team. We build AI tools for frontend developers. Try Fardino free →
