I built this entire site
by talking to an AI.
Here's how you can too.

Go to claude.ai in your browser and sign up for free. This is the company that makes Claude, the AI you'll be building with. All you need is an email address — it takes about two minutes.

Claude Code is a tool you'll talk to through your computer's text window. Before you can install it, there's one other free program it needs to run — think of it like a required update that you install once and never think about again.

• Go to nodejs.org
• Click the big green download button — the one that says "Recommended for most users"
• Open the downloaded file and follow the installer. Just keep clicking Continue, then Install. No decisions to make.

Once the installer finishes, move on to Step 3. You don't need to do anything else with this — it just quietly enables the next step.

Now you'll install Claude Code. This is done through a text window on your computer — it's called Terminal on Mac, or Command Prompt on Windows. It looks intimidating but you're just going to paste in one line and press Enter.

First, open the text window on your computer:

Once it's open, paste in this line exactly and press Enter:

You'll see text scrolling by — that's normal. It's just downloading and installing. Takes about 30 seconds. When it stops and you see a $ prompt again, it's done.

The first time you use Claude Code, it needs to link to the account you made in Step 1. In the text window, type:

Your browser will pop open to a sign-in screen. Log in with the account you just made. Once you do, you're back in the text window and Claude is ready to talk.

Your website lives in a folder on your computer, like any other folder. Right-click on your Desktop, choose "New Folder," and name it something simple like mywebsite. This is where everything lives — your site, your photos, your videos.

Inside your mywebsite folder, also create another folder called assets. Think of this as the media folder — every photo or video you add to the site goes in here.

You need to open the text window already pointed at your mywebsite folder — so Claude knows where to save your site. Here's how:

A text window pops up, already pointed at your folder. You'll see your folder name on the left — that means it's working:

Type claude and press Enter. Claude Code starts up and asks how it can help. Now just describe your site like you'd describe it to a person — in plain English. No technical language needed.

Claude reads your message and starts building. You'll see it working in real time — text scrolling in the window as it creates your site:

Open your mywebsite folder — there's now a file in there that Claude just created. That file is your website.

To see your site in a browser while you're building it, you need to turn on a private preview — think of it like a little personal TV channel that only plays on your computer. Nobody else can see it. Open a second text window in your mywebsite folder (same way as Step 6), then use the command for your computer:

Both commands end up at the same place — after running either one, open your browser and go to localhost:8080.

Open Chrome, Safari, or Firefox. Click the address bar at the top — where you'd normally type a website — and type localhost:8080, then press Enter. Your site appears right there in the browser.

Only you can see this — it's your private workspace. Nobody on the internet can find it. Build freely, make mistakes, change your mind as many times as you want.

This is the entire workflow. You have two windows open side by side: your terminal (with Claude Code running) and your browser (showing the site). You describe what you want, Claude updates the code, you refresh and see it. Repeat until it's right.

Don't try to describe your whole site at once. Build it section by section. Finish one part before moving to the next. It's much easier to get each piece right when you're focused on it.

After refreshing, here's what that section looks like in your browser:

To add a photo, drag the image file into your assets folder — then tell Claude Code its filename. Find the assets folder the same way you'd find any folder on your computer:

Drop your video file into the assets folder, then tell Claude Code to embed it. For a thumbnail (the image that shows before the video plays), drop that image in too.

For YouTube videos, just paste the link:

Things will not always look right on the first try. That's normal. Just describe what's wrong in plain English — you don't need to know why it happened.

Claude Code will sometimes do things you don't like. You don't have to accept them. Just say it directly — no need to be polite about it:

When you're ready for the world to see it, go to netlify.com and create a free account. Then:

• Find the "Sites" section in your Netlify dashboard
• Drag your entire project folder (the mywebsite folder) onto the page
• Netlify uploads everything and gives you a live URL in about 30 seconds

Your site is now live at a URL like random-name-123.netlify.app. You can share that link with anyone immediately.

A custom domain (like yourname.com) makes your site feel real and professional. Go to porkbun.com — domains are typically $10–15 per year.

• Search for the domain name you want
• Buy it (takes 2 minutes, just needs a credit card)
• In Netlify, go to your site's settings → "Domain management" → "Add custom domain"
• Follow the instructions to connect them — Netlify walks you through it step by step

Within about 10 minutes, your site is live at your own domain.

Every tool in this list is accessible to anyone — no technical background required.