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Building a website often feels like one of those projects you know you should do, but keep putting off due to its perceived demand.
Not because it’s too hard, but because it can quickly turn into a long to-do list. Selecting a domain name, finding a hosting provider, deciding on a theme, a color scheme, how it’s laid out, etc.
Even if you have a clear vision for your website in mind, getting that idea into physical reality can feel more challenging than expected.
So it gets delayed, and time keeps on slipping by.
Many stay in that phase for months, even years knowing they want a website but never getting started. Some even own a list of domain names that haven’t grown past that.
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Why So Many Delay Building a Website
Delaying a website build is actually quite common.
Small-business owners rely on social media profiles instead of building their own site, freelancers often limit their potential and online reach with limited services. Creators plan on building their brand “eventually,” and owning their online presence, but never quite get to completing the project.
Most of the time, it’s not a lack of motivation.
It’s the daunting feeling that building an entire website often brings.
Building a website isn’t just about writing content and adding a few pictures. It also involves thinking through all of the other elements of design such as layout, structure, navigation menus, tone, color scheme and how it all comes together as a whole.
When all of these requirements start stacking up, beginning the project can easily become an intimidating commitment.
The Hardest Part Is Getting Started
Often the most intimidating steps in building a website is getting it started.
Once a website is underway, the process tends to make more sense and can gain momentum quickly.
As you get going with your website build, it’s common to start finding a groove. Changing the colors, figuring out layout, setting up your menu etc. Often times after the first set-up phases are completed, it gets much easier to refine your website.
Starting from a blank screen with nothing but a domain name forces you to make imaginary decisions without any context to react to. Despite even the best planning, it’s challenging to start working through the challenges that physical reality presents.
If only there were a simpler way to get past these initial stages…
A Different Way to Start
Recently, AI-assisted tools have begun shifting that initial phase of website building.
Instead of starting with an empty and manual website editor, you can now describe the vision for your website and generate a very structured starting point.
I tested the WordPress.com AI website builder with this in mind, and what really stood out to me wasn’t that it created a perfect and complete website, but that it removed the initial hump of where to begin. Designs and adjusting becomes much easier when the AI-tool takes your idea from concept to reality. And once you can see the beginning of your website taking place, it’s much easier to find a rhythm and momentum.
It’s easy to try for yourself! If you would like to explore how this AI website building tool works, you can try it here. It’s actually pretty fun to play around with.
Why Starting With Structure Changes Everything
The difference between starting with a blank page versus a structured starting point is subtle at first, but amazing in how much it can speed up momentum for a website build.
When the website’s basic framework is already in place, you no longer need to focus on the smaller tasks such as manually building menus and hyperlinking everything together.
You’re building a website and refining your vision for it with something more tangible.
Instead of asking things like, “what should my homepage include,” you’re adjusting an existing homepage in real time. Instead of deciding how many pages you need, you are refining a structure that already exists.
The AI website building tool is ultimately shifting a process of creation into one of refinement.
And refinement requires less energy which makes it easier to sustain.
What Still Requires Human Input
Even with a generated structure, a website still needs to be shaped and refined.
The text should reflect your own voice and/or the voice of your business. AI-generated images should be replaced with more meaningful or personal brand-specific ones. Sections may still need to be simplified, expanded or reorganized.
The AI website building tool provides a first version.
But the final version will still ultimately depend on your judgement.
The balance of this is part of the reason it makes website creation a much more usable process. You’re not outsourcing your entire project, you’re just reducing a large amount of friction that classic website development naturally presented.
It Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect
Another common concern with website development is that the website needs to be fully completed and functional before it’s published.
In practice, websites evolve over time and adapt to new needs.
The first version of a website is never its final form. Content is usually adjusted, brand messaging becomes clearer, pages are added or taken away, and the overall site structure becomes more optimized.
Publishing an imperfect website is not a setback, it’s a normal phase in the process.
Having access to a tool that helps generate the initial version of your website quickly, makes it easier to accept that process and move forward.
Who This Is Especially Useful For
Utilizing an AI website building tool tends to resonate most with those who already understand the value of having their own website, but haven’t taken the first step.
That includes:
• freelancers who want a professional presence
• small businesses creating their first website
• creators developing a blog or portfolio
• individuals with a clear vision but no starting structure
In each of these cases, the challenge usually isn’t the idea and vision themselves. It’s transmuting that idea into something concrete and functional.
A More Manageable Way to Begin
Creating a website doesn’t have to be approached as a single and fully defined project.
It can begin as a rough draft that will become more refined over time.
Tools like the WordPress.com AI website builder are useful for this purpose, not because they can complete the entire process for you, but because they can help you simply start bringing your vision into reality. This ultimately helps you move past the point where most others start, getting started.
If you’ve been delaying your website building project, experimenting with an AI-generated starting point can be just what you need to get the momentum going.
From there, the rest will follow.
If you’d like, you can try the AI WordPress.com AI Website Builder and see what kind of structure it generates from your ideas.
What are your thoughts?