web · Level 2
Build and launch a website with AI
From idea to a live site: plan it, have AI draft the code, check it properly, publish it free and keep it healthy.
Start with the essentials
The short answer
You can build a simple website with AI's help, even if you have never coded. Plan the goal, audience and pages first, then ask an AI assistant for a single HTML file with CSS, preview it in your browser and read the code so you understand it. Publish it on a free static host, add a domain if you want one, and check accessibility and privacy.
What you will learn
- You will be able to plan a small website around a clear goal, audience and set of pages.
- You will be able to explain what HTML, CSS and JavaScript each do, and read a short page of code.
- You will be able to brief an AI to draft a single-file site, and improve it step by step.
- You will be able to review AI-written code for secrets, unwanted scripts and invented facts.
- You will have published a site on free static hosting and know how to keep it findable, accessible, private and current.
Who it is for
Anyone who wants their own small website, whether a personal page, a portfolio, a club or a small business, and has never built one. No coding experience is needed.
Before you start
- Some experience of using an AI chatbot. A computer with a web browser and a plain text editor.
Keep learning
The complete workbook
This workbook takes you from a blank page to a live website. You will plan a small site, learn what HTML, CSS and JavaScript do in plain English, brief an AI to draft the code, review it safely, publish it on free static hosting and look after it afterwards.
- 01Plan before you promptIn the workbook · 1 exercise
The best prompt in the world cannot rescue a site with no plan. Ten minutes of thinking first saves an hour of fiddling later.
- 02A ten-minute primer: HTML, CSS and JavaScriptIn the workbook · 1 exercise
You do not need to become a coder. You do need to read what the AI gives you, or you cannot judge it.
- 03Have AI build itIn the workbook · 1 exercise
Good results need a specific brief. Treat the AI like a fast freelancer who knows nothing about your business.
- 04Preview, review and stay safeIn the workbook · 1 exercise
Before anything goes public, look at it, use it and read it. Ten careful minutes here prevent hard-to-undo mistakes.
- 05Going live: hosting, domains and HTTPSIn the workbook · 1 exercise
Publishing means putting your files on an always-on, connected computer. That is what a host does, and for static sites there are free options.
- 06Search, access, privacy and upkeepIn the workbook · 1 exercise
A live site is the start. Four habits keep it findable, usable by everyone, respectful of visitors and still healthy next year.
Also inside: a 10-point checklist, a glossary of 12 terms and 10 questions and answers to test yourself. 6 hands-on exercises, each with a worked answer at the back where the workbook gives one.
No login, no card, no account. Before the download we ask you to follow Mickai (two quick links). Free to download and use for personal learning, study groups and inside your own team. Please do not resell the workbooks or republish them as your own. Link people to trust-agent.ai instead.
Test yourself
Questions and answers
Do I need to know how to code to build a website with AI?
No, but you should be able to read what the AI gives you. Learn the basics of HTML, CSS and JavaScript, keep the code small, ask the AI to explain each part, and review it before publishing. You remain responsible for what goes live.
What is a static website?
It is a site made of ready-made files that a server delivers exactly as they are. It is fast and simple to secure. On its own it cannot handle logins, payments or a database, so it suits brochures, portfolios and information pages.
Can I really host a website for free?
Yes, for simple static sites. Several providers offer free plans, including GitHub Pages, Netlify and Cloudflare. Limits and rules change, and some free plans forbid running a business or shop, so read the current terms first.
Do I need to buy a domain name?
No. Free hosts give you a working address. A domain of your own looks more professional and is easier to remember, but you rent it, usually yearly, and you must renew it. Consider one once the site is worth keeping.
Is AI-written code safe to publish?
Not automatically. It can include unwanted scripts, invented facts or careless choices. Read it, remove what you did not ask for, search it for external addresses, and never include secrets. Treat it as a draft that you review.
What should never go in my website files?
Passwords, access keys, tokens, private email addresses and other people's personal details. Anyone can view the source of a public page, so anything in it is effectively public. Keep secrets out of your files and out of AI chats.
Do I need a cookie banner?
A page with no cookies and no third-party scripts has nothing to ask consent for. If you add analytics, embeds or anything that stores or reads information on a visitor's device, UK rules apply and some uses need consent. The ICO publishes guidance. This is not legal advice.
How do I add a contact form to a static site?
A static page cannot receive submissions by itself. You need a form service or another back end, and that means you collect personal data. Collect the minimum, explain what you do with it, and read the provider's terms. Showing an email address is simpler.
Will an AI-made page rank well in search?
Ranking depends on useful, original content, clear titles and headings, fast loading and links from other sites, not on whether AI wrote the code. No one can promise a ranking. Put your real knowledge into the words.
How do I keep the site up to date?
Keep a copy of your files, review the site every quarter, check links, dates and prices, renew your domain and secure your accounts. When AI changes the code, review the new version as carefully as the first.
When you have finished
Get your certificate of completion
Type your name and download a certificate for this workbook as a PDF, ready to print or to add to LinkedIn. It is made on your own device, so your name is never sent to us. It is a self-declared certificate, not an accredited qualification.
Learn the language
Key terms
- Static website
- A site made of ready-made files that a server delivers as they are, with no database or login behind them.
- HTML
- The language that gives a web page its structure and meaning: headings, paragraphs, links, images and lists.
- CSS
- The language that controls how a page looks: colours, fonts, spacing and layout.
- JavaScript
- A programming language that adds behaviour to a page and runs on the visitor's own device.
- Hosting
- A service that stores your website files on an always-on computer and serves them to visitors.
- Domain name
- The human-friendly address of a site, such as yourname.co.uk, which you rent from a registrar.
6 of the workbook's 12 terms. The complete glossary is in the workbook.
Follow the evidence
Sources and checks
Facts last checked: .
These workbooks use AI assistance. See how the workbooks are made.
- What is GitHub Pages?GitHub Docs
- GitHub Pages limitsGitHub Docs
- Netlify pricingNetlify
- Cloudflare Pages overviewCloudflare Developer Docs
- Introduction to Web AccessibilityW3C Web Accessibility Initiative
- Understanding Success Criterion 1.4.3: Contrast (Minimum)W3C Web Accessibility Initiative
- SEO Starter GuideGoogle Search Central
- Guidance on the use of storage and access technologiesInformation Commissioner's Office
- Basic HTML syntaxMDN Web Docs
Created by Mickarle Wagstaff-Irons - Micky Irons with the Mickai team. Published by Mickai LTD. Last updated 25 September 2026.
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