- Yoon Jeong Cho
- Jan 13
- 6 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
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How long does it take to build a website with AI? Not very long, not any more. This guide will show you how AI has transformed the time it takes to make a website, what to expect and how you can launch your own site faster than you ever thought possible.
Building a website used to be a marathon project, taking weeks or even months of planning and coding. Website builders changed this, their website templates and drag and drop editors reduced the time it takes to build a website to days and weeks.
But with an AI website builder, like Base44, it’s now more of a sprint. You can get a fully functional, designed website up and running with vibe coding in a matter of minutes, not months.
By answering a few simple questions about your business and your style preferences, an AI website builder can generate a unique site complete with text and images.
TL;DR: How long does it take to build a website with AI?
Building a website with AI is incredibly fast, allowing you to launch a site in under an hour if you need to. The AI website builder handles the initial design and content creation, so you can focus on making it your own.
This speed matters because it lets you test ideas, launch products and start building your brand without delay. Instead of getting bogged down in technical details, you can get your site in front of customers right away.
Step | What it is | Estimated time |
01. Choose an AI website builder like Base44 | Selecting the right platform for your needs. | Can be done in minutes, or take the time to choose the right one for your needs |
02. Answer the AI’s questions or prompt the AI what you want to build | Providing basic information about your site’s purpose and style. | 5 minutes + |
03. Review the AI-generated site | Checking the initial website created by the AI. | 10 minutes + |
04. Customize your design | Making edits to colors, fonts, and layout. | 20 minutes+ |
05. Add your final content | Replacing placeholder text and images with your own material. | 15 minutes+ |
06. Publish and go live | Making your site available to the world. | 1 minute |
How long it takes to build a website with AI depends on the following:
Time to choose the right AI website builder
The first step is to pick a website builder that offers AI-powered creation. You want a tool that not only builds the site for you but also gives you the flexibility to make changes later. An AI website builder like Base44 is a good option because it allows you to vibe code a website, publish it, host it and even customize its domain. One of the biggest reasons for why vibe code a website, is how fast it can be done.
When choosing amongst the best AI website builders out there, consider what you might need in the future.
Does the platform offer e-commerce tools, booking systems or a blog?
Does it allow you to vibe code those tools or other functionality/
Starting with a very versatile AI website builder means you won’t have to switch platforms as your business grows.
Time to choose the right AI website builder? It really depends. If you're clear about the type of site you want and what you need from your builder, it can take minutes to create a low code website. But this a step where you should take the time to choose the right one because it can impact not only how long it takes to create your site with AI but also what it looks like and how well it works. Signing up for an AI website builder should only take a few minutes.
Learn more: Must have features of an AI website builder
Answering the builder's questions or entering your own website building prompts
This is where the AI gets to work. Once you’ve signed up, most AI website builders will ask you a series of simple questions.
You’ll provide the name of your site, describe its purpose:
An online store to sell handmade jewelry
A portfolio for a graphic designer
You might be asked to choose a few keywords that describe your brand’s vibe, like modern, classic or playful. You’ll also pick a color palette and font pairing that you like. This entire process is designed to be quick and intuitive, usually taking about five minutes.
If you use a no code website builder like Base44 to build your site with AI, you'll be asked to enter your prompts via a conversational chat. AI prompts for building a website can be very natural but they should be clear and direct with detail.
For example, 'Design a personal portfolio website for a <role>'
The vibe: Dark mode, futuristic, glassmorphism. Use a deep black background (bg-zinc-950) with neon and purple accents, using the Inter font.
Add a hero section with large, centered typography that says 'Add your name.' Include below it a scrolling marquee of skills.
Create a work section using a bento-box grid layout (with uneven grid cells). Make each cell a project card with a subtle glow effect when someone hovers. The grid should be fully responsive, with 1 column on mobile, 3 on desktop.
Include an about section with a two-column layout. Place the text on the left, with a placeholder for a headshot on the right with a rounded-rectangle mask.
Add a minimal footer with large social links that underline on hover.
Time for prompting a website? Once you've prepped your prompts this can also take minutes, anywhere from 5-40 depending on the type of site and how complex or not its design and features are.
Reviewing the initial site generated
After you’ve answered the questions or entered your prompts, the AI website builder will take a minute or two to process your input. It will then present you with a complete, multi-page website.
This initial version is your starting point, not the final product. Next you need to focus on iteration and improving this first draft of a website.
Time to review the AI-generated website? 5-20 minutes. You don't want to spend too long on this step, focus on what comes next — the iteration and improvement.
Customizing the website design
Even though the AI website builder did the initial work, you have full control to make changes. If you're using a website builder like Wix this is where you use the editor to adjust anything you want. Don't like the hero image? Swap it out. Want to change button colors? Its just a click or two.
If you're using an AI website builder like Base44 this is where prompt engineering comes in. You need to use more prompts to change, edit or alter the parts of your website you want to modify.
Time to customize the website design? This all depends on how happy you were with the initial site your AI website builder generated. If you have a very clear vision for your site, editing it to what you want exactly should be quick. This part of the process can take anywhere from an hour to several hours.
Adding any final content
The AI gave you a great head start with text and images but now it’s time to make the site truly yours with the fine details.
Replace the placeholder text with your own words.
Write an About Me section that tells your story.
Create product descriptions that connect with your customers.
Upload your own photos or choose new ones from the platform’s media library.
Time to add final content to a website? It depends on how much you want to impress yourself on your site at this stage and how much content it really needs. This can be done in anything from 20 minutes to an hour plus.
Publish and go live
Once you’re happy with how everything looks, you’re ready for the final step. Find the Publish button in your builder and click it. In a matter of seconds, your website will be live on the internet and accessible to anyone.
Time to build a website with AI?
If you need to create a website fast it can be done in less than an hour. What will take more time is the level of design and content customization you want it to have and its functionality. A personal portfolio can be easily created in an hour, an eCommerce website or online store will take longer.