Introduction to Free AI Website Generators
Free AI website generators are tools that allow anyone to create a website quickly and easily, without needing coding skills. They work by having users select a template or theme, customize it with drag-and-drop editing tools, and publish a finished site. The "AI" aspect refers to how these builders can automatically optimize sites for SEO, mobile responsiveness, speed, and more.
Key benefits of using AI website generators for startups and small businesses include:
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Speed - Launch a site in hours or days instead of weeks.
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Ease of use - Intuitive drag-and-drop editors require no coding.
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Customization - Tailor templates with fonts, colors, layouts, and more.
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Responsiveness - Sites work on all devices with no extra work.
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SEO optimization - AI handles technical SEO improvements behind the scenes.
Leading options for free AI website builders include Bubble, Webflow, Unicorn Platform, Carrd, and Wix. All offer generous free plans to get started.
In this guide, we'll cover getting started with these AI-powered tools to quickly launch sites for startups and small businesses without needing to code.
Getting Started with a Free AI Website Generator
Here's an overview of the process for getting started with a free AI website generator:
Signing Up and Starting a New Site
Most website builders allow you to sign up for a free account quickly using just your email address. Many also let you start building your site right away without even needing to confirm your email.
After signing up, you'll be prompted to connect a custom domain or start building on a free subdomain provided by the builder. Starting on a free domain can help you launch your site faster for testing.
Selecting a Template
All AI website builders provide professionally designed templates optimized for different site types like blogs, stores, portfolios, etc. Browsing the template library is a great starting point for visualizing your site.
Consider your brand, industry, site goals, and target audience when selecting a template. For example, startups may want a more modern, minimalist design while ecommerce sites will need templates with built-in shopping functionality.
Choosing the Right Template
AI website builders like Unicorn Platform offer dozens of templates optimized for different industries and use cases like SaaS, crypto, ecommerce, portfolios, and more.
For a startup or SaaS business, a good option is Unicorn's "Startup" template. It has a clean, modern one-page design with sections to highlight your product, team, features, and more. The minimalist style aligns well with tech company brands.
Test out a few promising templates to see which feels like the best fit. Look for mobile-friendly responsive designs with modern styling. Avoid overly ornate templates.
Simple one-page templates work well for landing pages while multi-page templates are better for content sites or online stores with menus and subpages.
If no template is a perfect match, pick one that's clean, on-brand, and close to your vision. It can be fully customized later.
Customizing Your Site Design
Once you've selected an initial template, it's easy to start customizing the design to match your brand.
Most builders let you edit:
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Colors
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Fonts
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Layouts
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Padding/margins
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Backgrounds
Some even allow custom CSS and code for advanced tweaks.
Customizing the Design
AI website builders provide powerful design customization options:
Use the global style editor to efficiently change site-wide font styles, colors, and more.
Swap out template images for photos that represent your brand and products.
Adjust section padding and element spacing to refine the layouts.
Add shadows, rounded corners, gradients, and animation for extra polish.
Try out different design variations by tweaking the templates. But avoid over-designing at the cost of usability.
Refer to your brand guide for colors, logo usage, fonts, and other defined styles.
For advanced custom CSS, AI builders like Unicorn offer code editors to override styles.
Adding Site Pages and Content
Now it's time to add pages and start populating your site with real content.
Most builders provide an intuitive admin dashboard and page editor for easily adding new pages and editing the content.
Adding and Editing Site Content
Here are some tips for effectively adding content to your AI-built site:
Use the WYSIWYG editor to directly edit page text, headers, paragraphs, and lists.
Insert images, videos, charts, maps, and other media to visualize your content.
Write original, high-quality content focused on your ideal reader. Avoid placeholder text.
Organize related content into meaningful site menus and navigation flows for users.
Leverage AI content aids like Unicorn's to generate ideas and outlines.
Integrating Forms, Apps, and Tools
Forms and app integrations bring your static site to life by connecting it with marketing, sales, and communication tools.
Most website builders offer seamless integrations for:
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Contact forms
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Email marketing
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Live chat
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Appointment booking
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Payments
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And more...
Start small by adding just the essential apps for your needs today. You can always add more later as your site grows.
Integrating Forms and Applications
Here are some tips for smartly integrating forms, apps, and tools into your AI website:
Add contact forms so visitors can easily reach out with questions.
Build email lists with popups and forms for newsletters and announcements.
Consider ecommerce for selling products or online course creation for paid content.
Use live chat to engage visitors and provide instant support.
Integrate scheduling apps for booking calls, appointments, and events.
Avoid overloading new sites with too many apps. Focus on the vital few.
Unicorn Platform offers curated integrations purpose-built for startups.
Optimizing for Search Engines
For your site to be discoverable online, it needs to be optimized for search engines like Google.
AI website builders can analyze your content and automatically improve technical SEO factors like:
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Page speed
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Mobile optimization
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Site indexing
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Structured data
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And more...
You'll also need to manually optimize by:
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Including keyword-focused content
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Crafting descriptive page titles and meta descriptions
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Using heading tags appropriately
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Generating a sitemap
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And more...
Optimizing for Search Engines
Follow these tips to maximize your AI-built site's SEO:
Research relevant keywords and naturally incorporate them in your content. Avoid keyword stuffing.
Use strategic page titles and meta descriptions for every page.
Structure content using heading tags (H1, H2, H3) to highlight sections.
Write alt text description for images to improve accessibility and SEO. Make sure to optimize key on-page SEO elements using the SE Ranking tool,or some other rank tracker
Check the automatically generated sitemap or create one manually.
Leverage built-in SEO tools from AI builders like Unicorn for audits and insights.
Key Features and Benefits of AI Website Builders
Let's explore some of the key features and advantages of using an AI-powered website builder:
Speed and Ease of Use
Launch fully functional sites in just hours or days with intuitive drag-and-drop editors. No coding skills needed.
Customization
Easily tailor every aspect of your site design to match your brand - fonts, colors, layouts, styles, and more.
Responsiveness
Sites work perfectly on all devices. The AI handles technical optimizations for you.
SEO Optimization
AI builders automatically improve technical SEO factors like site speed for higher rankings.
Security
Built-in HTTPS, SSL certificates, hosting security, and regular updates keep your site safe.
Scalability
Start lean and efficiently scale up your site over time by adding new pages, features, and integrations as needed.
Support
Enjoy access to FAQs, step-by-step guides, chat bots, and human support to resolve issues quickly.
Affordability
AI website builders offer generous free plans and affordable upgrades to fit the budgets of early-stage startups.
Design Customization
Users can deeply customize their site's design in just a few clicks with AI builders.
Change global styles like fonts, colors, and buttons site-wide.
Fine-tune individual section padding, element spacing, and text styling.
Upload custom background images or video to enhance branding.
Add animations, hover effects, shadows, and other premium design touches.
But avoid going overboard. Keep site designs clean and usable.
Integrations and Applications
AI website builders offer hundreds of integrations to extend functionality:
Connect email marketing, chat, forms, payments and other marketing apps.
Sell products, book appointments, offer memberships, and more.
Start with essentials like contact forms and email signup.
Add ecommerce, memberships, or online courses later once traction is proven.
Avoid over-integrating too many apps at once.
Unicorn pre-screens integrations tailored for startups.
Top Free AI Website Generators
Let's compare the leading free website builder options:
Unicorn Platform
Unicorn offers an easy AI-powered builder focused on startups and SaaS companies.
Benefits include:
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Intuitive drag-and-drop editor
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Modern, professional templates
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Built-in SEO optimization
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Secure managed hosting
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Generous free plan
Unicorn also provides unique components like testimonials, metrics, and more tailored for startups.
Bubble
Bubble is a code-free visual development platform great for complex web apps and sites.
Pros:
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Flexible applications beyond standard sites
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Automations and integrations
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High scalability potential
Cons:
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Steep learning curve
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Less focus on designer-friendly templates
Webflow
Webflow offers a robust designer-focused builder with extensive animation capabilities.
Pros:
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Animation and interaction abilities
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Quality templates and hosting
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Popular with designers
Cons:
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Coding required for advanced web apps
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One-off pricing rather than freemium
Wix
Wix is a popular AI website builder with a large template marketplace.
Pros:
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Very easy for basic sites
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Huge template library
Cons:
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Limited custom code support
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High long-term costs
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Generic templates
Carrd
Carrd offers an incredibly simple one-page site builder.
Pros:
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Perfect for landing pages
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Affordable starter plans
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Great minimalist option
Cons:
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Very limited features beyond one-pagers
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Less SEO and content optimization
Evaluate your specific needs and use case to determine which free AI website builder makes the most sense for your next project.
HubSpot
HubSpot offers a straightforward AI-powered website builder that allows you to build one-page sites through just a few prompts.
Pros:
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Drag-and-drop editor and SEO suggestions included
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Free plan available
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Very easy to use
Cons:
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Website editor is not pixel-perfect
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AI can only design one-pagers
Summary of Key Points
To recap, here are the key takeaways:
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AI website builders allow anyone to make a site without coding in just days.
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Intuitive drag-and-drop editors and designer templates make it easy.
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Customize designs, content, and integrate apps to suit your needs.
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Built-in AI handles technical SEO optimizations for you.
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Leading free options include Unicorn, Webflow, Bubble, Wix, and Carrd.
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Focus on your ideal user and present your brand professionally.
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Add pages and features gradually as your site traffic grows over time.
In summary, free AI website builders empower startups and businesses to create beautiful, functional websites faster and easier than ever before. With generous free plans available, there's no reason not to try one for your next project.
The ability to launch a quality site in just days without coding can accelerate your online presence. Check out Unicorn Platform's free website builder to start creating your startup or SaaS site today!
