How to Write AI Prompts for Website Copy

Why most AI website copy sounds the same

Ask an AI assistant to "write a homepage for my plumbing business" and you will get something that looks finished: a headline, a few paragraphs, a list of reasons to choose you, a call to action. Ask again with a different plumbing business and you will get almost the same thing. That is not a flaw in the tool. With nothing specific to work from, the assistant produces the most typical version of a plumbing homepage it can, built from patterns across countless similar pages.

The result reads smoothly and says nothing. It promises "reliable, professional service" and "customer satisfaction", which every competitor also promises. Visitors skim past it, and it gives search engines no reason to prefer your page over the next one.

The fix is not a magic phrase. It is giving the assistant the raw material that only you have, and telling it clearly what to do with it. A good prompt for website copy has five parts.

The five parts of a good prompt

1. A role

Start by telling the assistant who to be: "You are an experienced website copywriter who writes clear, specific copy for small local businesses." This sets the level and style of the response. It is not magic, but it nudges the assistant toward the right register and away from, for example, a formal report or a casual social post.

2. Context: your real details

This is the most important part, and the part most people skip. Give the assistant the facts it cannot know: what you sell, who buys it, where you work, what you do differently, what proof you have, and what customers ask you. Bullet points are fine. Rough notes are fine. Specific beats polished.

3. The task

Say exactly what you want: which page, which section, how many options. "Write 10 headline options" is more useful than "write a headline", because you get to choose. "Write the hero section with a headline, a supporting sentence and two button labels" is more useful than "write the top of my homepage".

4. Constraints

Constraints are where good prompts separate from average ones. Tell the assistant what not to do:

• Do not invent facts, numbers, testimonials, awards or guarantees.
• Avoid specific words you dislike, such as "elevate", "seamless" and "cutting-edge".
• Keep it under a given length.
• Mark anything missing as [NEEDS DETAIL] rather than guessing.

The instruction not to invent facts is the single most important line in any prompt for business copy. Without it, assistants will often fill gaps with plausible details that are not true.

5. Output format

Finally, say how you want the answer laid out: labeled sections, a table, a numbered list, character counts. This saves you reorganizing the result and makes it easy to paste into your site builder.

The quality of AI website copy depends far more on the details you give than on which AI tool you use.

A complete example

Here is how the five parts come together for a hero section. You can build a prompt like this automatically with our Prompt Builder.

You are an experienced website copywriter for small local businesses.​ABOUT MY BUSINESS- Northgate Plumbing, two plumbers serving north Tacoma- Mostly older homes with original pipes- Written price before we start; we clean up after every job- We answer the phone ourselves until 7pm​TASKWrite 3 versions of the homepage hero section: a headline under 10 words, one supporting sentence, and two button labels.​CONSTRAINTS- Do not invent facts, reviews, numbers or guarantees- Avoid "reliable", "professional" and "solutions"- Plain, friendly tone​OUTPUTLabel each version. After the three versions, say which is strongest and why.

Work in rounds, not one shot

Treat the first answer as a starting point. Good follow-up instructions are short and specific:

• "Version 2 is closest. Make the headline shorter and more direct."
• "Too formal. Rewrite as if talking to a neighbor."
• "Give me 5 more headlines in the style of version 3."
• "What questions would a first-time visitor still have after reading this?"

The last one is particularly useful. Asking the assistant to critique its own draft from the visitor's point of view often reveals gaps you can fill with real information.

Let the assistant interview you

If you struggle to know what details to give, flip the process. Ask the assistant to interview you: "Before writing anything, ask me 10 questions, one at a time, to understand my business and customers." You answer in your own words, and the assistant then writes from your answers. This is often the fastest way to get specific copy, and it works especially well for About pages. Our About page prompts include an interview prompt you can copy.

Common prompting mistakes

• Asking for everything at once. A prompt asking for a complete five-page website in one go gets shallow results. Work page by page, section by section.
• Not saying who the reader is. Copy for first-time homeowners reads differently from copy for property managers. Name your reader.
• Accepting the first draft. The second and third rounds are usually where copy becomes good.
• Skipping the fact check. Even with clear constraints, assistants sometimes add details. Read every line before publishing.
• Prompting for search engines instead of people. Repeating keywords in your prompt produces stilted copy. Write for the customer, and use clear, natural words they would use.

Build a reusable business brief

Most of your context stays the same from prompt to prompt: your business, customers, differences, proof and voice. Write it once as a short brief in a document, and paste it at the top of every prompt. It saves time, keeps your copy consistent across pages, and improves over time as you add details customers ask about.

A good brief is 150 to 300 words and covers what you do, who for, where, what makes you different, what proof you have, your tone, and words to avoid. Update it whenever something changes, such as a new service or new hours.

Does the tool matter?

Different assistants have different strengths, and they change often as new versions are released. For website copy, the differences are usually much smaller than the difference between a vague prompt and a detailed one. If you have access to more than one assistant, try the same prompt in two and take the best lines from each. Whatever you use, you remain responsible for checking and editing what you publish.

Prompt patterns worth keeping

A few patterns work for almost any page. Save them alongside your business brief:

• Options, then a pick: "Write 10 options, then choose your top 3 and explain why." You get variety and a reasoned shortlist.
• Interview first: "Before writing, ask me questions one at a time." Best when you are unsure what to say.
• Critique as the customer: "Read this as a first-time visitor who is [CUSTOMER]. What is unclear?" Best after you have a draft.
• Gaps, not guesses: "Mark anything you would need to know as [NEEDS DETAIL]." Use in every prompt.

Prompt checklist

• Does the prompt say who the assistant should be?
• Does it include your real business details, customers and differences?
• Does it say exactly what to produce, and how many options?
• Does it forbid invented facts and ask for gaps to be marked?
• Does it list words or styles to avoid?
• Does it say how to format the answer?

If you can tick all six, your first draft will usually need editing rather than rewriting.

Frequently asked questions

Updated October 2026Written by the AI Website Prompts editors