Prompting Best Practices

The AI is good, but it is not a mind reader. Better prompts give it better ingredients.

Think of your prompt like a brief to a designer who is fast, helpful, and very literal. If you say "make a website", it will make guesses. If you say who the website is for, what it should do, and what style you want, the first draft is much stronger.

The big rule: give the AI context before you ask it to create. If it does not know your services, audience, proof, tone, offers, locations, or current website, it has nothing solid to work from.

The Best First Prompt Formula

Use this shape:

Build a website for [business name].
We help [audience] achieve [outcome] through [service or offer].
The main goal of the website is [what visitors should do].
Include these sections: [section list].
Use this style: [style words].
Use these brand details: [colours, logo, tone, images].
Use these proof points: [testimonials, results, certifications, locations].
Make it work well on mobile.

Give The AI Context First

Before asking for the final website, feed the AI the useful business details you already have.

Good context can include:

Your current website URL
Competitor or inspiration website URLs
Sales proposals
PDFs, brochures, menus, or service guides
Brand guidelines
Existing website copy
Testimonials, reviews, or case studies
Screenshots of pages you like
Notes about your audience, offer, pricing, locations, and tone

Use plain instructions like this:

Use the attached proposal and my current website at [URL] to understand my business.
First, identify the services, audience, proof points, tone, and main conversion goal.
Then build a clearer, more modern website that keeps the accurate business details and improves the structure, copy, and mobile experience.

Context beats cleverness

The AI can make smart guesses, but guesses are still guesses. Real details from your business help it write more accurate copy, choose better sections, and avoid inventing claims.

Use Existing Websites As Research

If you already have a website, give the AI the URL and tell it what to do with it.

Useful ways to ask:

"Review my current website at [URL] and rebuild it with clearer copy, stronger calls to action, and a more premium design."
"Use [URL] to understand the services and business details. Do not copy the old layout. Create a cleaner, modern version."
"Look at these inspiration sites: [URL], [URL], [URL]. Use them for style direction, but keep the content about my business."
"Compare my current site with this competitor site: [URL]. Improve the clarity, trust, and mobile experience without making false claims."

If a website is behind a login, blocked, or hard to access, upload screenshots, paste the important copy, or attach a PDF instead.

Example: Restaurant Website Research

Use this when you want the AI to inspect a restaurant's existing website and build from the real details.

Research this restaurant website first: [restaurant website URL].

Find and use the real business details from the site, including:
- Restaurant name
- Cuisine type
- Location and address
- Opening hours
- Menu highlights
- Booking or reservation link
- Phone number and contact details
- Delivery, takeaway, or ordering options
- Private dining, events, catering, or special offers
- Reviews, awards, press mentions, or other proof
- Brand tone, atmosphere, and visual style

Then create a modern restaurant website that is easy to use on mobile.
The main goal is to help visitors view the menu, understand the atmosphere, and book a table.
Include sections for hero, menu highlights, about, opening hours, location, reviews or proof, booking CTA, and contact.
Do not invent opening hours, prices, awards, reviews, or menu items. If something is not available on the website, leave it out or mark it as unknown.

Example: SaaS Website Research

Use this when you want the AI to research an existing SaaS company website and turn it into a clearer product page.

Research this SaaS company website first: [SaaS website URL].

Find and use the real business details from the site, including:
- Product name
- What the product does
- Target customers
- Main pain points it solves
- Core features
- Use cases
- Pricing or plan information if public
- Integrations
- Testimonials, case studies, customer logos, or proof
- Security, compliance, or reliability claims
- Demo, signup, trial, or booking link
- Brand tone and visual style

Then create a clearer, more conversion-focused SaaS website.
The main goal is to help visitors understand the product quickly and take the next step.
Include sections for hero, problem, product overview, key features, use cases, proof, integrations, pricing or plan guidance if available, FAQ, and CTA.
Do not invent customer logos, testimonials, security certifications, pricing, integrations, or metrics. Only use claims that appear on the site or in my notes.

Use Proposals, PDFs, And Docs

Sales proposals and business documents are gold. They often contain the exact offer, audience, benefits, objections, process, proof, and pricing the AI needs.

When attaching documents, tell the AI what each file is for:

I attached our sales proposal and services PDF.
Use them to understand what we sell, who we sell to, the outcomes we promise, and the objections customers usually have.
Create a website that explains the offer simply, builds trust, and encourages visitors to book a call.
Do not invent testimonials, statistics, guarantees, or certifications. Only use claims that appear in the files or in this prompt.

Good files to upload:

Sales proposals: Best for offer, pricing, process, and outcomes.
Service brochures: Best for services, packages, and FAQs.
Brand guides: Best for colours, tone, logo usage, and style.
Case studies: Best for proof and results.
Old website copy: Best for keeping accurate details while improving structure.

Example First Prompts

Build a clean local business website for Brightline Plumbing, a plumbing company in Manchester.
The goal is to get homeowners to call or request an emergency appointment.
Include a hero, emergency services, common repairs, service areas, reviews, pricing guidance, FAQ, and contact form.
Use a trustworthy, practical tone. Make the phone number prominent on mobile.

Create a premium portfolio website for Ava Stone, an interior designer working with boutique hotels and high-end residential clients.
Use a calm editorial style, large project imagery, short confident copy, and a contact CTA.
Include sections for featured projects, services, design process, press mentions, and an enquiry form.

Build a product page for a paid workshop called Client Pipeline Sprint.
The audience is agency owners who need more qualified sales calls.
The goal is to get visitors to apply.
Include a hero, who it is for, outcomes, what is included, schedule, proof, FAQ, and application CTA.
Use direct, confident copy. Avoid hype.

Ask ChatGPT Or Claude To Prepare Your Prompt

You can use another AI assistant to turn your messy notes into a clean Website Builder prompt.

Use one of these prompts.

Version 1: I Am Giving You The Context Now

Use this when ChatGPT, Claude, or another AI tool does not already know much about the business.

I want to use an AI website builder to redesign or improve my website.

Please turn the information below into a clear, detailed website-builder prompt.

The prompt should include:
- The business name and what we do
- The target audience
- The main goal of the website
- The services, offer, or products to include
- The page sections you recommend
- The tone and visual style
- The proof points, reviews, results, or credentials to use
- What to avoid inventing
- Mobile and conversion notes

If I provide a current website URL, analyse it and include what should be kept, improved, removed, or reorganised.
If I provide proposals, PDFs, or notes, extract the important business details from them.

Return only the final prompt I can paste into the AI Website Builder.

Here is my information:
[Paste your website URL, notes, proposal text, services, audience, goals, and any extra details here.]

Version 2: You Already Know This Company

Use this when ChatGPT or Claude already has memory, a project, uploaded files, or previous conversations about your company or client.

I want to use an AI website builder to redesign or improve the website for [my company / this client].

Use all the information you already have about [company or client name], including saved memory, project files, previous conversations, documents, notes, and business context.

Your job is to create a clear, detailed website-builder prompt I can paste into AI Website Builder.

Before writing the final prompt, check whether you are missing any important details. If needed, ask me short clarifying questions about:
- The current website URL
- LinkedIn profile or company page
- Booking link, contact link, or main CTA destination
- Target audience
- Main offer or services
- Locations served
- Proof points, reviews, results, or credentials
- Brand style, colours, or tone
- Anything that must not be invented

Once you have enough context, return the final website-builder prompt.

The final prompt should include:
- The business name and what the company does
- The target audience
- The main website goal
- The recommended page sections
- The copy style and visual direction
- The real proof points and business details to use
- Any URLs, booking links, LinkedIn links, or contact details that should appear
- What the AI Website Builder should keep, improve, remove, or reorganise
- Clear instructions not to invent testimonials, statistics, guarantees, certifications, or pricing
- Mobile and conversion notes

Return only the final prompt once your clarifying questions are answered.

Then paste the improved prompt into AI Website Builder.

Weak Prompt vs Better Prompt

Weak prompt	Better prompt
Make a website.	Build a five-section website for a family law firm in Leeds. The goal is consultation bookings. Use a calm, professional tone and include services, process, reviews, FAQ, and contact.
Make it nicer.	Improve the hero section so the offer is clearer, the CTA stands out more, and the page feels more premium without changing the logo or colours.
Add more stuff.	Add a proof section below the services with three testimonials and a short "why choose us" block focused on speed, trust, and results.
Fix mobile.	On phone view, reduce hero height, make the CTA visible sooner, and stack the service cards in one column.

Ask For A Plan First

If the website has lots of pages, services, audiences, or moving parts, ask the AI to plan before it builds.

Before changing the site, suggest a page structure for a [business type] website whose goal is [goal].
Include the sections you recommend and what each section should say.

Once the structure looks good, ask it to build from that plan.

Use Screenshots Properly

Screenshots are great, but give the AI instructions.

Good screenshot prompts:

Use the attached screenshot as visual inspiration for spacing, typography, and the hero layout.
Do not copy the brand name or exact wording.
Keep the site for my business: [business details].

Use this screenshot only for the pricing card style.
Keep the rest of the website the same.

Tips:

Use a clear, high-quality screenshot.
Use a full-page screenshot for overall style.
Use a close crop for one specific section.
Say what to copy and what not to copy.

Give Real Content For Important Claims

The AI can draft copy, but you should provide anything that must be true:

Prices
Locations
Legal wording
Guarantees
Case studies
Testimonials
Certifications
Opening hours
Contact details

Review before publishing

Always check generated claims before publishing. If a number, testimonial, or credential matters, give the AI the real one.

Edit In Smaller Steps

One focused request usually works better than ten unrelated changes at once.

Good edit prompts:

"Keep the hero layout and colours. Only rewrite the headline and CTA."
"Add an FAQ section under pricing with five objections about cost and timing."
"Make the page feel more premium without changing the structure."
"Reduce the spacing between sections on mobile."
"Use the uploaded logo and match the accent colour to it."

Protect What You Want To Keep

If you like part of the site, say so.

Keep the current hero layout and colours.
Only rewrite the headline, subheadline, and CTA to make the offer clearer for [audience].

That one sentence can save you a lot of back-and-forth.

Best Prompt Checklist

Before sending, ask yourself:

Did I say who the website is for?
Did I say what action visitors should take?
Did I include the sections I want?
Did I include real details the AI should not invent?
Did I describe the style in plain words?
Did I mention mobile if it matters?
Did I say what to keep if I am editing an existing site?