Introduction

1.1So you need a (new) website?

Maybe you already have a website, but you're kind of embarrassed to share it with anyone. When someone asks for the link, you send it with an apology, or point them to your Instagram instead. You've been telling yourself for the past 3.5 years that you really need to redo it. But every time you think about where to start, it feels like a complicated, lengthy project and it slides back down the to-do list.

Maybe your website works, but you know it could just be so much more. It doesn’t quite reflect the promise of your brand, it doesn’t feel unique enough, or it looks like it was built in 2019 (yes, even though that feels like yesterday, websites built in 2019 are OLD by now!).

Or maybe you don’t have a website yet, and you are not sure where to begin or what to even include on it.

If any of that sounds familiar, this guide is for you.

Your website matters more than it might seem. When someone hears about your business, they look you up before they book, call or send a message. What they find in the first few seconds decides whether they get in touch, and what they think of you.

This guide is not about getting just another website online. Any website builder can do that. It is about building something you are proud of: a beautiful website that feels like your brand, that makes you happy every time you open it, and that you are glad to share with anyone who asks. Until recently, a website like that was only within reach of businesses with a large budget.

This guide shows you how to build it yourself, with AI. By the end, you will have:

• a beautiful website, designed for your business, on your own domain: the web address people type to find you, such as yourbusiness.com
• a connected email account, such as hello@yourbusiness.com
• a listing on Google, so people searching for what you offer can find you
• the ability to change anything on your website yourself, whenever you want, without paying anyone

If building a website sounds technical, or you have never used AI for more than asking a chatbot a question, this guide was written for you. You don’t need to know how to code. You don’t need design training. You don’t need to understand how websites work behind the scenes. Every technical term is explained the first time it appears, and every chapter tells you step-by-step what to click, type, prompt, and do.

You already have the knowledge that matters most. You know your business, your customers and what makes you different. That's the hard part that no tool can do for you. AI takes care of the rest.

A note from me

I’m Merthe Weusthuis, co-owner of Maister. I run my own product company, where we design, build and ship software, websites included, with the same AI tools this guide uses.

I also serve as Head of Product at Whiteshield, a policy advisory and AI-economics firm, where I lead the development of AI-native products for governments and institutions. Before becoming Head of Product, I founded its academy and grew it into a training and certification business for policymakers. Along the way, I have taught everyone from students to ministers.

I have a passion for both building things and education. AI has made the former easier than ever, and is now making it possible for anyone to build a website, app, or product without needing much technical skills or needing to hire outside support. How exciting! Still, many people find it daunting and struggle to imagine that they will be able to build something that seems complex themselves.

I wrote this guide so that anyone, regardless of their technical abilities, feels empowered to build their own beautiful website.

Merthe

P.S. I also write about life with AI on Substack: practical tips, how-tos and honest reflections on what works and what doesn’t. Subscribe at substack.com/@merthebuilds to get new posts in your inbox.

1.2Is this guide for you?

Who this guide is for

This guide is written for people with no technical background at all. You don’t need any experience with code, website builders or anything else technology-related. If you can send an email, find your way around the internet and use apps on your phone, you have all the technical skills you need to start.

Within that, it suits three groups:

• Small business owners: salons, clinics, cafés, shops and local services that want more bookings and inquiries.
• Independent professionals: consultants, coaches, therapists and freelancers who need a credible website that turns a visit into a call.
• People with a side project: an idea or offer that needs a place to take sign-ups or inquiries.

Most readers already run a business. Some want to start a business or launch a side hustle. The guide works for both, and so do the examples in it.

Who it isn’t for

This guide covers a website of one to five pages, although there is no reason you can’t build more, with an option for visitors to book or send an inquiry if you need it. It is not the right fit if you want to build:

• an online shop, where customers browse products, pay and check out on your website
• a website that is mostly a blog, with new articles every week

Both need their own tools, for products and payments or for publishing articles, which this guide doesn’t cover.

For any other website for your business, you are in the right place.

1.3Why would I build my website with AI?

A few years ago, building a website yourself meant a choice between a template that looked like everyone else’s and learning to code. Today you can describe what you want in plain English, and AI helps you plan, write, design and build it, and fixes problems you describe in plain words.

There are three ways to get a website for a small business: build it yourself with a website builder, pay someone to build it, or build it yourself with AI. The figures are typical ranges in US dollars for a website of one to five pages.

More dots is better.

For me, the main reason is control. When you build with AI, you decide exactly what your website looks like and says, and you can change it whenever you want.

With a website builder, you are tied to templates. You can change colors and photos, but the structure is the same one thousands of other businesses use, and your website quickly starts to look like everyone else’s.

When you pay someone, the hard part is not the building. It is finding a freelancer or agency that understands your vision, and that, on top of knowing how to build a website, understands your business well enough to advise you on what to include and how to make it stand out. That combination is rarer than most people expect, and you usually find out whether you have it after you have paid.

With AI, you get the flexibility of a custom website without either problem. You build something beautiful that reflects your vision, quickly and for very little money. And because you built it, you can keep improving it for as long as you have it.

Building with Claude

This guide uses Claude, an AI assistant made by Anthropic. It covers the three jobs of building a website in one connected place: thinking and writing, designing, and building. What you decide at one stage carries over to the next, so you never have to explain your business again to a new tool, and it all comes with one subscription. Chapter 2 explains how the pieces fit together.

1.4What you’ll do

You will build your website in six steps, in the same order a professional team would use. Each step has its own chapter.

What you need

• Time: around 12 to 16 hours in total: two full days, or a week or two of evenings. Add some waiting time for Google and your domain, which you can spend on other steps.
• A computer: a laptop or desktop, Mac or Windows. A tablet or phone is not enough.
• Your business details: what you offer, your prices, and any photos, logo or reviews you already have. Chapters 3 and 4 tell you exactly what to gather.
• A budget for a few tools: about $50 to get started and about $30 a month while you are building, plus a few optional one-off costs. Chapter 2 sets out every tool and what it costs.

1.5Let’s get to it

Work through the chapters in order. Each chapter starts with a summary of what you’ll have by the end of it, and an overview of its steps. It also lists what you need to have ready, so you can gather everything before you start. Each section shows how long it takes, explains what it is for, then takes you through it in numbered steps. Longer sections are split into parts, each with its own steps.

Along the way you will come across six kinds of boxes. Each has its own color and icon, so you can tell at a glance what it is for:

• What you’ll have at the endOpens every chapter, so you know what the chapter will give you.
• Copy-paste promptA message you copy into Claude or ChatGPT. Replace anything in [SQUARE BRACKETS] with your own details.
• TipOptional advice that makes a step easier. You can skip it and still succeed.
• WarningA mistake that can cost you money, data or time, and how to avoid it. Always read these.
• Know-howA short lesson, for example on types of logo. Read it to understand the why, or skip it.
• Ideas to stand outInspiration for making your website special, such as features most websites don’t have.

If you get stuck, you can always ask Claude. Describe what you are trying to do and what happened, or paste in the step you don’t understand, and ask it to explain in plain words. It is patient, and no question is too basic. If you still need help, ask in the Maister WhatsApp group. Other readers and the Maister team help each other out there, and chances are someone has already run into the same thing. Didn’t get your invitation yet? Email us at hello@becomeamaister.com and we’ll send it to you.

Sources, checked October 2026. Claude plans: claude.com/pricing. Netlify plans: netlify.com/pricing. Wix and Squarespace: Squarespace’s comparison with Wix and Tech.co. WordPress: WebsiteSetup. Freelancers and agencies: Elementor and Project Cost Estimator. Google Workspace: Email Vendor Selection. ChatGPT: chatgpt.com/pricing. Higgsfield: Creatify and Costbench. Times to launch are typical estimates.