Writing your first prompt and generating your site

All it takes is one prompt, and B12's AI Agent can build you a custom website to match your specifications and help achieve your goals. Just provide some basic information like your business name, what you do, and whom you serve, and B12 will generate a complete site in minutes.

To get started, go to b12.io/signup. The first thing you'll see is a prompt box where you can provide details about your project. This article walks you through writing an effective initial prompt, submitting it, and what to expect while your site is being built.

Why your prompt matters

B12's AI Agent generates your website based on what you tell it. A vague prompt like "build me a website for my bakery" gives it very little to work with. The agent does its best with the information it has, filling gaps with reasonable defaults, but you may end up with a site that needs significant editing to feel like yours.

A specific, well-structured prompt changes that. When you give the agent a clear picture of your business, your goals, and the pages you need, it has real direction to work from. The result is a first draft much closer to what you actually want — which means less back-and-forth and fewer credits spent on revisions. Learn more about credits here.

Your initial website prompt is also saved as your Business description, which is referenced as context whenever you ask the agent for changes. So when you provide as much detail as possible, it helps the agent take more consistent actions in the future, too. 

What makes a good prompt

A few key details are important to help you get the most out of your initial site generation. A strong website build prompt covers five things:

• What your business does — your business name, industry, and what you do in one sentence
• Your target audience — who you serve and what they're looking for
• Your primary goal — the single most important action you want visitors to take, such as booking a consultation, filling out a contact form, or making a purchase
• Pages to include — Home, About, Services, and Contact are a solid starting point for most businesses
• Tone and style — the overall feel you want (professional, approachable, bold, minimal) and any colors or brand details

Things to avoid

• One-line prompts. "Build me a bakery website" leaves the agent to guess, so you'll spend more time and credits fixing the result.
• Vague descriptions. Style words like "modern," "clean," and "professional" don't say much on their own. Provide inspiration from a real site you like or upload actual brand materials instead.
• Mixed signals. Keep your preferences consistent. Asking for "minimal but bold and packed with detail" pulls the design in too many directions. Pick one personality.
• Empty pages. If you ask for a Services page, say what belongs on it.
• Files without instructions. Tell the agent what each file is and how to use it, such as "pull brand colors from this logo."
• Walls of text. Organize your notes first, or use the Better and Best templates below.
• Expecting a perfect final draft. A great first prompt gets you close, but expect to fine-tune the rest in the Editor before publishing.

Writing your prompt

Good

This simple website prompt has all the key ingredients you need to get a relevant first draft. Be sure to fill in the blanks with information about your own business or website goals.

Build a website for [name], a [type of business] based in [location]. We offer [main services/products]. Our audience is [who it's for] who need to [what they're trying to do]. The primary goal is to get visitors to [your one main call to action]. Include pages for [pages], with [any specific sections]. The tone should be [tone/voice] and the style [visual style]. Use [brand colors] as the color scheme. [Add any must-include details, taglines, or your own copy here.]

Here's an example of a filled-in prompt:

Build a website for Green Branch Consulting, an environmental compliance firm based in Austin, TX. Our audience is small manufacturing businesses that need help meeting EPA regulations. We primarily provide hourly consulting services. The primary goal is to get visitors to book a free consultation. Include pages for Home, Case studies (reference the uploaded case study files), About with a history and team section, and Contact with a contact form. The tone should be professional and trustworthy. Reference the brand colors in the uploaded logo and use the same green and dark gray.

Better

A more effective prompt includes key headings with detailed instructions in list form. This will take more time to compose, but the result will make sure your website draft is relevant and helps achieve your most important goals.  

How to use the template:

1. Copy the template below into a word processor, like Microsoft Word. 
2. Fill in all the bolded information to reflect your preference and goals.
3. Copy the updated prompt and paste it into the prompt box at b12.io/signup. Upload the relevant files along with your pasted prompt.

BUSINESS OVERVIEW
Business name: [Your business name]
What you do: [One or two sentences — your service/product and who it's for]
Location: [City, State / service area]
Business history: [Year founded; key stats like # of clients, years in business, industries served]
Differentiator: [What makes you different from competitors — be specific]


AUDIENCE & GOALS 
Primary audience: [Who they are — role, company type, mindset; what they care about and what turns them off]
Primary goal: [The #1 action you want visitors to take — book a call, buy, request a quote, sign up]
Secondary goal: [Supporting outcome — build credibility, capture emails, etc.]
Tone/voice: [3–4 adjectives + words/phrases to avoid]

WEBSITE STRUCTURE
Home page 
Hero image: [First image upon visiting]   
Headline: [Main idea/promise in one line]
[List any important sections]

Services or Products page [choose one] 
[List any important sections or details]

About page 
[List any important sections or details]

Contact page 
Section headline: [Inviting one-liner]
Contact form fields: [Name, email, company, + any qualifying fields like budget/challenge/dropdown]
Contact details to display: [Email, phone, address, socials]

STYLE & BRAND
Personality: [Simple phrase e.g., refined and grounded vs. bold and playful]
Colors: [Primary, secondary, accent — with hex codes; or "pull from uploaded logo"]
Typography: [Specific font choices or general font guidelines] 
Layout: [Specific layout requests]
Imagery: [Image subjects; photos vs. illustrations; styles to avoid]

FUNCTIONALITY
[List required functionality, such as commerce/checkout, forms, calculators, membership portals, any backend tools or integrations]


UPLOADED ASSETS 
[Explain each uploaded asset and how it should be used. E.g. 
Logo — where it's used; pull brand colors from it
Photos — team/product/workspace; which pages
Documents — business plan, service descriptions; reference only, do not publish
Existing copy — any text that already sounds like you]

Best

Working with an external AI tool (Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, etc.) to help you organize information and assets into a clear, well-structured initial prompt can give you the most detailed and accurate first draft. Use the template below with your preferred LLM to assemble your content and produce a ready-to-use prompt.

How to use the template:

1. Copy the template below into a new chat with your favorite LLM.
2. Answer the LLM's questions step-by-step as it guides you through generating your prompt. Ask for suggestions or examples when needed.
3. Provide any important assets in the chat to help your LLM better understand your goals.
4. Read and approve the compiled notes and suggestions before finalizing your prompt.
5. Copy the final one-shot prompt from your LLM and paste it into the prompt box at b12.io/signup. Upload the relevant files along with your pasted prompt.

Act as an expert web developer to help me write a detailed initial  prompt for B12, an AI website builder that generates a complete multi-page website with real copy, images, and built-in tools (contact forms, payments, backend).
Interview me one question at a time to gather everything needed. Don't just ask questions.  Offer brief, relevant suggestions or examples drawn from best practices for my industry or website type. Keep questions and suggestions short and easy to understand.
Up front, ask whether I have an existing website, logo, photos, or other assets to build on. B12 supports file uploads, so recommend which assets I should gather and tell me how to reference them in the prompt.
Make sure you collect (at minimum): business name and what I do; target audience; the site's primary goal; pages and sections needed; services/products; brand personality and tone; color and style preferences; social proof (reviews, logos, credentials); location and a few search terms customers would use; and contact details.
Take notes as we go. When you have enough to make a fully detailed prompt, summarize my answers and ask me to confirm or edit before continuing.
Then generate a single, copy-ready one-shot prompt for B12, organized into clearly labeled sections (Business overview, Audience & goal, Page-by-page content, Style & brand, Assets to upload). Include suggested real copy when appropriate, such as headlines, taglines, and section text I can approve.

Adding files to your prompt

You can upload files alongside your prompt to give the B12 website builder more to work with. This is useful if you have existing copy, a service list, a bio, or brand guidelines you want included in the generated site. You can attach:

• logo
• design inspiration
• copy
• images to be used

To upload a file, click the paperclip icon in the prompt box and select your file(s). Uploaded content is used as reference material during generation, and the builder incorporates relevant details into the site it builds. Be sure to specifically instruct the agent on how to use each file to avoid mistakes.

Enhancing your prompt

If you see Enhance Prompt, click it to have B12 expand and refine your prompt before generating. B12 adds structure and detail to what you've written, then shows you the result to review.

Review the enhanced version before moving on, edit or remove anything that doesn't match your intent. The enhanced prompt is a starting point, not a final version.

Submitting and generating your site

When your prompt is ready, click the button to submit it.

If you don't have a B12 account yet, you'll be prompted to create one before generation begins. Sign up with your email address, set your password, then continue. B12 will then start building your site.

During generation, B12's AI Agent builds your entire site in a single pass: page structure, copy, images, and styling. Generation usually takes 3–5 minutes, depending on the complexity of your site.

When generation is complete, B12 takes you to the B12 Editor, where you can review and edit your site before publishing it.

Frequently asked questions

→What if my generated site doesn't look like what I described?

⇒This usually happens when the prompt is vague or missing key details. You can correct specific things using B12's AI Agent after generation, or start over with a more detailed prompt. Type your request in the AI Agent chat the same way you wrote your original prompt.

→Can I regenerate my site with a different prompt?

⇒Yes. In the B12 Editor, ask the AI Agent to rebuild the site from scratch using a new description. Include a clear instruction to start over and provide your revised prompt in the same message.

→How long does generation take?

⇒Most sites generate in 3–5 minutes. If generation exceeds 15 minutes, something may have gone wrong — try creating a new website or contact B12 support.

→What's the difference between writing my own prompt and using the gallery?

⇒Writing your own prompt gives you more control over your site's content from the start. The AI Website Prompt Gallery lets you browse pre-built examples and remix one you like. Both paths lead to the same B12 Editor.