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9 min read4 steps3 prompts

How to Make Your Website Look Like It Cost $10,000 With AI

The exact process for getting premium results from an AI website builder.

AI can build a website in minutes. The problem is that most AI websites look like they were built in minutes.

Generic layouts. Random gradients. Predictable sections. Copy that sounds like every other startup.

The AI usually is not the problem. The problem is that people ask it to start designing before it understands what it is supposed to design.

In this guide, I am going to show you the exact process I use to get much better results. The basic process is:

  1. Research the businessMake the AI understand what it is designing for.
  2. Plan the websiteDecide what the site needs before it looks like anything.
  3. Create the design directionDefine the visual system and give it references.
  4. Build and refineGenerate it, then improve it section by section.

I use Runable for this workflow because I can do the research, planning, and website building inside the same workspace.

Try Runable ↗
Use code harleydigital40 for 40% off a monthly Pro plan
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Step 01 · Research

Research Before You Build

Do not start by saying:

“Build me a website for my business.”

The AI barely knows anything about your business yet. Before designing anything, you want it to understand:

What your business doesWhat you sellWho your customer isWhat problem you solveWhy someone should choose youYour competitorsYour marketYour pricingWhat you want visitors to doWhat kind of brand you are trying to create

Instead of manually writing a massive business brief, I have Runable interview me.

Prompt 1 · Business research
I want you to help me plan a high-quality website for my business. Before doing any research or making recommendations, interview me first. Ask me one question at a time so you can fully understand: - What the business does - The product or service - Who the target customer is - The main problem we solve - The primary goal of the website - What action we want visitors to take - Our pricing or business model - Our main competitors - What makes us different - Our brand personality - Any websites or brands I like - Any important features or requirements for the website Keep asking follow-up questions wherever you need more context. Once you have enough information, research the market, competitors, customer expectations, positioning, and common website patterns in this industry. Then create a clear business and customer research brief that we can use to plan the website. Do not design or build the website yet.
Step 02 · Plan

Plan the Website Before Designing It

Once the research is finished, do not hit “build” yet. This is where I think most people move too quickly. You want to decide what the website actually needs first.

Prompt 2 · Website strategy
Using everything you learned from the business research, create the complete strategy and structure for the website. Determine: - What pages the website needs - What sections should appear on each page - The best order for those sections - The purpose of every section - The main message each section should communicate - The primary and secondary CTAs - What objections or questions the website needs to address - What social proof or trust signals should be included - What information visitors need before they are ready to convert For the homepage, map out every section from top to bottom. For each section, explain: 1. The purpose of the section 2. What content should appear there 3. The key message 4. The CTA, if applicable Optimize the structure around clarity, trust, and conversion. Do not build the website yet.

Now you should have something that looks more like a website blueprint than an AI prompt. Review it:

Step 03 · Design

Create the Design Direction

Now we decide what the website should actually look like. This is another place where giving the AI more context makes a massive difference.

Prompt 3 · Design direction
Now create the complete visual design direction for the website based on the business, target audience, positioning, and website strategy. Define: - Overall visual style - Color palette - Typography - Font hierarchy - Layout style - Spacing - Grid system - Button styles - Card styles - Navigation style - Image and illustration direction - Icon style - Background treatments - Borders, shadows, and radius - Animation and interaction style Also explain what the website should avoid so it does not look like a generic AI-generated template. The final design should feel intentional, premium, modern, and appropriate for this specific business. Create a clear design system that can be followed consistently when building the website. Do not start building until the design direction is complete.

Find websites you actually like

Do not expect the AI to guess your taste. Go find websites that make you think: “I want mine to feel like this.”

You are not trying to copy the website. You are giving the AI visual references. Look at places like:

Awwwards ↗ Land-book ↗ Lapa Ninja ↗ Godly ↗ SiteInspire ↗ Websites from companies you already like

You can also simply search for websites in your industry. Then start collecting references.

Take screenshots of specific things you like

Do not just tell the AI “Make it look premium.” That barely means anything. Show it what “premium” means to you. Take screenshots of:

Hero sectionsNavigation barsPricing sectionsProduct cardsTestimonialsFeature sectionsTypographyBackgroundsCTA sectionsFootersInteresting layouts

Then upload those screenshots to Runable. But be specific about what you like. For example:

“I like the oversized typography and spacing used in this hero section. Do not copy the content or branding. Use it as inspiration for the visual hierarchy and composition.”

Or:

“I like how this section uses one large product screenshot surrounded by smaller floating UI elements. Use a similar composition for our product section.”

This works much better than simply uploading a screenshot and saying “make mine like this.”

Record websites with motion you like

Screenshots have one major limitation: they cannot show movement. A lot of expensive-looking websites feel expensive because of what happens when you actually interact with them. Things like:

Scroll animationsText revealsParallaxHover effectsCards moving into positionSticky sectionsSmooth transitionsAnimated backgroundsProduct demosMarquee effectsPage transitions

If you find a website with an interaction you like, screen record it. Then explain exactly what is happening. For example:

“Watch this recording. When the user scrolls, the product card stays pinned while the text on the left changes. I want a similar interaction for our features section.”

Or:

“Notice how the headline fades upward first, followed by the subheading and CTA with a slight delay. Recreate this style of entrance animation.”

The more precisely you can describe what you like, the easier it is for the AI to recreate the feeling.

Build a mini inspiration folder

Before I start building, I would create a folder that looks something like this:

Brand
  • Logo
  • Brand colors
  • Fonts
  • Brand guidelines
Website references
  • Hero reference
  • Navigation reference
  • Feature section reference
  • Pricing reference
  • Footer reference
Motion references
  • Hero animation recording
  • Scroll interaction recording
  • Hover animation recording
Product assets
  • Product screenshots
  • Mockups
  • Photos
  • Videos
  • Icons
  • Testimonials

The AI now has far more information to work with.

Do not copy one website

This is important. If you find one website you love, do not tell the AI to clone the entire thing. Instead, pull inspiration from multiple places. For example:

Now you are combining ideas into something new instead of creating a copy of someone else’s website.

Give the AI real assets

One of the fastest ways to make an AI website look generic is to fill it with generic assets. Replace placeholder content as early as possible. Give it:

Your real logoReal product screenshotsReal photosReal testimonialsReal customer logosReal statisticsReal copyReal videos

Remember: the design can only feel as specific as the material you give it.

Step 04 · Build & refine

Now Let Runable Build the Website

At this point, Runable knows:

Now you can tell it to build. This is completely different from starting with “Build me a modern SaaS website.” The AI is no longer designing blindly. It has a plan.

Do not expect version one to be perfect

The first version should be treated as a draft. Once the website is generated, go section by section. Instead of saying “Make the website better,” give precise feedback. For example:

Specific feedback produces specific improvements.

Check the mobile version

A website can look incredible on desktop and completely fall apart on mobile. Before finishing, check:

Headline sizesText wrappingNavigationButtonsCardsImage croppingHorizontal scrollingSection spacingAnimationsSticky elements

Good to know: you may need to simplify some of the desktop interactions for smaller screens. That is completely normal.

The Big Picture

The Biggest Mistake With AI Website Builders

The biggest mistake is expecting one prompt to do everything. A better workflow is:

Research first.Understand the business and customer.
Plan second.Figure out what the website actually needs.
Design third.Create the visual system and give the AI references.
Build fourth.Generate the website using all that context.
Refine last.Keep improving individual sections until the website feels intentional.

AI makes building the website faster. It does not remove the need to think about what you are building. And the more context you give it before it starts, the better the result usually becomes.

Try It

Try the Workflow

I used Runable for the workflow in this guide. Save the three prompts above so you can reuse the same process for your next website.

Try Runable ↗
Use code harleydigital40 for 40% off a monthly Pro plan
harleydigital40

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