Top Simple Prompts to Build Your First WordPress Site With AI

WordPress.com’s AI website builder helps you create a site using simple language prompts. 

Just type what you need and it’ll materialize your vision (like magic!) — no coding or technical skills required.

In this guide, I’ll share seven prompts you can use to create and customize a website from scratch with our platform. 

Let’s assume we’re making a personal blog all about books and publishing. Follow along, then adapt the prompts to suit the site you’re building.

1. Create the first site draft

First, use the AI website builder to create a whole website from scratch. 

Think of it as the first draft before you customize each section and page based on your needs. 

To create a blog about books, I used this prompt:

“Build a website called “Rochi’s book corner.” It’s a personal blog that will include written and video content about books (reviews and recommendations) and cultural commentary on books & the publishing industry. The style should be fun, welcoming, and modern. I want to have pages for reviews, recommendations, trends, an about page, and a contact page.”

To get a result as close to your vision as possible, include specific and detailed instructions, such as:

• The name of your website (if you have one)
• The type of site you want to build — blog, portfolio, business, or something else
• How many pages you want to add and what each page should be called
• The style you’re going for — modern, professional, chic, funny, elegant, minimalistic, etc.
• The type(s) of content and media you’re looking to publish on the site — like blogs, images, videos, and more

For the above prompt, WordPress.com’s AI website builder created this site:  

The first draft alone was stellar — something that would’ve taken me hours (if not days) to create were I doing everything from scratch.

2. Customize the site’s design and appearance

Next, customize how you want your site to look: fonts, colors, layouts, and more.

Follow the prompts I’ve shared below to adjust your site’s look step by step.

Change your site’s color

The first draft of the site is great — the yellow and purple contrast pops, instantly giving it a fun and exciting energy (something I requested in my prompt). 

However, I would like the color palette to be more subdued. Here’s the prompt I used to achieve this:

“Show me color palettes for my site that are a little more subdued and relaxed without sacrificing the current fun and exciting energy.”

The AI website builder gave me nine color palette choices to choose from.

Each of the colors complemented one another well and matched the requirements of the prompt I gave.

Ultimately, I chose the green palette.

Change your site’s fonts

Next, I wanted to see if a different font looked better on the site. I used this prompt to ask the AI to give me options:

“Show me new fonts for my site that complement the rest of the design. It should be a little bookish (like a typewriter), but easy and accessible to read.”

The website builder gave me eight options of font pairs (one font for the header, another for body text) that go together like cookies and milk. I picked the one I liked the most.

Change your site’s layout

I also wanted to see if there’s a better way to arrange all of the moving elements of the site on the homepage. I asked AI to show me various layout options using a simple prompt:

“Show me different layouts for this page.”

I ultimately liked the original version best, so I simply clicked the backward arrow, which allowed me to restore my website to its last setting. 

AI had several unique options with diverse designs and structures, which will come in handy when I update my site and mix up the appearance a little bit.

Change your site’s buttons

Lastly, I wanted all the buttons to be round instead of square or rectangular. So, I gave this prompt:

“Make all the buttons of a round shape.”

AI instantly granted my request, and all the buttons on the whole site were made circular.

Note: Make sure you add the right links to all the call-to-action buttons across your site. You can do this manually or ask AI to link the button back to a specific page on your website.

3. Edit individual sections on your site by customizing WordPress blocks

You can also edit individual sections and WordPress blocks on your site. 

Ask AI to add sub-sections, display posts in a different order, rewrite the copy, and even add a brand new section.

Edit a section on your site

I wanted the book reviews section to have different headers and sub-sections. I used the following prompt to accomplish this:

“Edit the “Latest Book Reviews” section. There should be five sub-sections overall: Fiction, Biographies, Self-help, Classics, and Debuts.”

AI reorganized the section based on my input and let me choose the appearance pattern for each sub-section.

Rewrite the text of your site

In each individual block, you can also manually edit anything you wish. 

I find it easier to edit the text manually, but you can also prompt AI to change the tone of any text on your site. 

For example, you can use this prompt to make your landing page copy more concise and friendly:

“Rewrite the copy on the homepage to be more concise and friendly. Use short sentences and a welcoming tone.”

Add a new section to your site

You can add new sections and pages to your site using the AI website builder. 

I wanted to create a separate section for adjacent book-related content, for instance, so this is what I asked it to do:

“Create another section after “Latest Book Reviews” titled “We’ll Talk More Than Just Books.” Include headers with three posts inside them, similar to a sub-section. The sub-headers should be “The Rise of Romance Books,” “Should You Read Books Recommended on BookTok?,” and “The Cult of the Classics.””

The image below is the result generated by the tool. 

I also provided specific instructions for each thumbnail so that it accurately reflects the section’s title. Here’s an example of the prompt I gave for the last image:

“Create a thumbnail image for the “The cult of classics” post in the “We’ll talk more than just books” section. This image should have a stack of five books that say “Jane Austen”, “Charlotte Brontë”, “Charles Dickens”, and “Virginia Woolf.”

Note: Select the section or block you want to edit before giving a prompt to the website builder.

4. Update or generate your website images and logos

The AI website builder can also create a logo for your site (if you don’t already have one) and generate images to complement your content.

Generate and update images

You can add your own images to your site by uploading them. You can also ask AI to generate images for your site. 

I prompted the tool to create photos for the whole site that match a specific aesthetic:

“Edit all images to have a cozy feel to them. There should be a fall aesthetic and books in every image. The hero image should be of a girl reading in the candlelight, animated.”

Honestly, I wasn’t sure if the images would be up to par (my experience with AI image generators has not been excellent), but the photos were surprisingly good. No six fingers or freaky joint angles.

Create a logo for your site

You can also create your site’s logo from scratch. 

Here’s the instruction I gave:

“Create a logo for this website. It should say “Rochi’s book corner” inside an open book.”

You can make the guideline more specific for better results and include details regarding the color palette, shape, etc. 

Although I have found the tool creates a pretty decent logo on the first try, too.

5. Add social media icons and sign-up forms to your site

If you’d like to include extra elements — like social media icons, newsletter sign-ups, or contact forms — just ask the website builder to add them.

Add media icons to your site

Here’s the prompt I used to add three social media icons to my site:

“Add social icons to the right side navigation bar with links to Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.”

You can also continue prompting and further customize the icons’ appearance and placement on the site.

Add a newsletter opt-in for your site

I wanted to add a section on my site where readers can subscribe to my newsletter. I used this prompt to create a simple opt-in form:

“Add a newsletter opt-in form after the “We’ll talk more than just books” section. The form should include two fields: Name and Email, along with the “Subscribe” button. The section’s title should be “Never miss a post from Rochi’s book corner.” Add an image of an email opening up to reveal a book inside to go along with it. The order should be image, header, and opt-in box from left to right.”

Here’s the result:

Note: If you plan to send regular updates, use WordPress.com’s built-in Newsletter feature that lets you turn your posts into emails, customize layouts, and monetize your content without extra tools.

6. Learn how to use WordPress 

Although WordPress is quite intuitive to use, if you face any roadblocks, you can ask the AI website builder how to navigate it. 

For example, I was struggling to understand how to create a slideshow for one of my website sections. I asked the tool:

“How can I add a slideshow to the “We talk more than just books” section? It should display the posts on the page “Beyond books.” Give me step-by-step directions.”

The full response included clear and detailed instructions on how to create the slideshow I wanted.

7. Get ideas to improve your website

The AI tool is also great for generating website ideas — you can ask it to improve navigation, suggest new pages, enhance security, or identify missing elements.

Make your site more secure

I wanted to know what I can do to improve the security of my site, but I can’t invest in paid tools for this website yet. 

Here’s the prompt I used to get some (free) solutions:

“Give me some ideas on how I can improve the security of my website. Don’t recommend any paid tools.”

The full list of tips included several suggestions I hadn’t thought of before.

The best part?

The AI tool gives you recommendations tailored to your site’s current setup. 

For instance, in my case, it detected that I didn’t have two-factor authentication (2FA) enabled and suggested adding it to improve security.

Brainstorm ideas to improve your site

Next, the AI website builder can provide you with personalized recommendations to improve your site overall.

For instance, I used this prompt to find general big-picture methods to make my site better:

“Suggest some ideas to improve this site. Recommend some additional pages or sections I could add, navigation enhancements, and any other missing elements.” 

AI provided me with several detailed suggestions to improve my site, including adding social proof, producing author interviews, creating an online book club, launching reading challenges, and more.

The prompt I used was a bit broad, but you can ask AI for more specific queries to help improve your site as well. The tool is able to understand complex instructions.

Hopefully, the examples above give you a sense of what’s possible with WordPress.com’s AI website builder.

This is all really just the start because you can tweak and customize your site in almost any way you like. 

There’s one catch, though: Your AI-built website will only be as good as the guidance you provide.

How to write effective prompts in the AI website builder: five pro tips

While AI can help you create a website in seconds, you’re still in the driver’s seat. 

You have complete control over how you want your site to look and function — it all comes down to how you guide the AI with your prompts.

So here are some pro prompting tips:

1. Be as specific as possible

The number one tip to prompt better is to provide specific, detailed instructions. Here’s an example:

This also means not relying too heavily on context. 

For instance, tell it to “change the About section’s color palette to sky blue,” even if your last prompt was about the same section.

Be specific, and avoid overusing vague pronouns like “this” or “it” in your prompts.

2. Keep refining until you get the result

Don’t lose hope if the first draft of something that AI produces isn’t close to your imagination. 

Continue providing more specific instructions until you achieve the desired result.

For instance, if the homepage’s hero image isn’t the right size, prompt the tool to “Make the hero image smaller so the headline stays above the fold.”

Each new prompt helps the AI better understand your vision, so think of it as a back-and-forth process rather than a one-time command.

3. Ask for help beyond website design

The website builder can do a lot more than design your website. 

You can ask how to improve your site’s loading speed, get tips on the best security settings, or explore anything else related to your WordPress.com site.

4. Use it in conjunction with the manual editor

The AI website builder is extremely powerful, but you can also edit things manually to customize them to your liking or for convenience. 

For instance, I find it easier to add/replace the links of all buttons myself rather than ask AI to do it.

WordPress.com’s Site Editor is just as sleek and smart as the AI tool itself — use it alongside the website builder to make your site exactly as you’ve imagined.

5. Take it one section at a time

Specific, detailed prompts work great with AI, but only when they focus on a particular section. 

Avoid giving multiple directions about different sections on your site simultaneously. Instead, break that request into smaller parts.

For example, instead of asking the tool to “Put the hero image above the headline and make all the buttons on this page blue,” break it down into two steps. 

First, ask to resize the hero image. Then, enter the command for changing the color of the buttons.

Start building your WordPress site using these AI prompts

With WordPress.com’s AI website builder, creating your site takes minutes instead of days or weeks. 

The prompts in this guide give you a starting point. 

The next step is adjusting the details — such as content style, layout, colors, fonts, and everything in between — to match your unique vision.

Remember: Be specific, refine as you go, work on one section at a time, and use AI alongside manual editing for the best results. 

Your first iteration might not be perfect, but with just a few tweaks, it’ll be exactly what you need.

Note: Using the AI website builder from WordPress.com enters you into a free trial so you can build your site before purchasing. To publish your site, you’ll need to purchase a Premium or Business plan.