How to write a prompt that gets you a great website on the first try

With AI website builders, the first prompt does most of the work. A vague request leads to a generic site, and every "no, not like that" costs time and credits. A specific request lands close on the first try.

Here's the template we recommend.

The five-part prompt

1. Who you are and where. Business name, what you do, city or region.

Bright Smile Dental, a family dental practice in Columbus, OH.

2. Who it's for and what they should do. Your customers and the one action that matters most.

For families and nervous first-time patients. The main goal is appointment requests.

3. Pages. List them. Most businesses need three to five.

Home, Services, Meet the team, New patients & insurance, Contact.

4. Must-have content. The facts only you know — services, areas, hours, insurance, prices (or "prices on request").

Services: cleanings, whitening, implants, Invisalign, emergency care. We accept Delta Dental, Cigna and Aetna. Open Mon–Fri 8–5.

5. Style. A mood, a couple of colors, and a reference if you have one.

Calm and clean, soft teal and white, friendly but professional.

Put together, that's a short paragraph — and it's the difference between "a dental website" and your dental website.

Tips that save credits

• Give real details up front. If you don't, a good builder will leave placeholders like [[Phone number]] rather than inventing them — but you'll have to fill them in later.
• Fix wording by clicking it, not by prompting. On Siteloom, click any text in the preview and type. It's free.
• Use the right model for the job. Use a fast, cheap model for small tweaks ("make the button say Book now") and the standard model for new pages or redesigns.
• Point at things. Select the element you want changed instead of describing where it is.
• Batch small changes. "Make the header sticky, change the CTA to Book now, and add our Instagram to the footer" is one message, not three.
• Use Enhance. Siteloom's free Enhance prompt button turns a one-liner into a structured brief like the one above.

A complete example

A website for Casa Lumbre, a modern Mexican restaurant in East Austin, TX. For locals and visitors looking for dinner and weekend brunch; the main goal is reservation requests. Pages: home, menu (tacos, mains, brunch, drinks — prices as placeholders), our story, private events with an inquiry form, and contact with hours and a map link. Warm rustic-modern style: terracotta, cream and deep green, a characterful serif for headings.

That prompt typically produces a complete, publishable site on the first generation.