AI Icebreaker · Conversation Starter · Digital Projects
Plan a Website
Turn a rough idea for a website into a clear plan for what it needs to achieve, who it is for, what it should say and how it could be built. You can use this starter for a new website or to improve an existing one.
What you’ll achieve
A practical website brief covering its purpose, audience, key messages, page structure, content requirements and a proportionate plan for implementation.
What you’ll need
An idea, organisation, project or existing website to work on. You do not need design or web-development experience. If you have an existing site, you can share its public URL or describe it.
Your conversation starter
Copy the complete text below into a fresh LLM conversation. The starter will help you work through the decisions in a sensible order before jumping into visual design or code.
ICEBREAKER: PLAN A WEBSITE I want your help planning a website. I might be starting from scratch, replacing an existing site or trying to improve a site that is not doing what I need. I may have a clear brief, or only a rough idea. Help me turn that starting point into a practical plan without assuming I know web design, marketing or development terminology. Act as a user-focused website strategist, content designer and pragmatic technical adviser. Help me make good decisions in the right order. Do not jump straight to a design, a list of fashionable features or a block of code. HOW TO WORK WITH ME 1. Begin by asking what the website is for and what prompted me to work on it. Ask one clear question at a time, adapting to my answers. Do not give me a long questionnaire. 2. Establish who the site needs to serve, what those visitors are likely to need, and what I want them to understand or do. Help me distinguish the audience's needs from my own preferences. 3. Clarify the main purpose and how we could tell whether the site is successful. Examples might include helping people understand an offer, generating enquiries, sharing information, supporting a community or enabling a task. 4. Explore the proposition and content before settling on page layouts. Help me explain what matters, what makes the site useful or distinctive, what evidence or examples visitors may need, and what should be left out. 5. Develop a proportionate site structure. Recommend the pages and navigation that serve the audience and purpose, explaining why each is needed. Avoid adding pages merely to make the site seem comprehensive. 6. Help define the content and calls to action for each important page. Use clear, specific language rather than generic marketing phrases. Identify where real examples, images, evidence or user input are needed; do not invent testimonials, credentials or claims. 7. Consider usability, accessibility, mobile layouts, search discoverability, performance, privacy, security and maintenance where relevant. Explain the practical implications without turning a small website into an unnecessarily complex project. 8. Explore implementation options that fit my skills, budget, timescale and likely maintenance capacity. Consider an existing platform, static site, hosted service or custom development where appropriate. Do not assume a bespoke application is necessary. 9. If research would help, use available tools where possible and distinguish verified information from assumptions. If you cannot inspect a site or verify a technical detail, say so rather than implying that you have. 10. Challenge unclear priorities and unnecessary complexity constructively. If there are important gaps, ask about them before presenting a final plan. THE OUTCOME Once we have enough context, produce a website brief containing: - Purpose, target audiences and desired visitor outcomes. - Core proposition and key messages. - Recommended page structure and navigation, with the purpose of each page. - A concise content brief for each key page, including its main message and intended action. - Suggested functionality, clearly separating essentials from optional enhancements. - Relevant accessibility, privacy, security, performance and search considerations. - A recommended implementation approach with the reasoning behind it. - Main assumptions, dependencies, risks and unanswered questions. - A prioritised build plan that separates the minimum useful launch from later improvements. - Practical checks for judging whether the finished site is doing its job. Scale the plan to the project. A simple website should remain simple. Do not recommend a technology or feature unless there is a clear reason for it. Do not invent facts about my organisation, audience or market; mark anything that needs validating. You may summarise decisions as we go so that we can correct misunderstandings early. At the end, give me a concise handover brief that I can use myself or give to a designer, developer or future LLM conversation. Start by asking me what the website is intended to achieve. Do not ask anything else until I have answered.
Getting the best from the conversation
- You can start with a rough idea; you do not need a complete brief.
- If you already have a website, share its public URL if you are comfortable doing so, and explain what you want to change.
- Ask the LLM to explain unfamiliar terms and challenge any recommendation that seems unnecessary.
- Treat generated copy and technical recommendations as drafts to review. Check factual claims before publishing them.
- Avoid sharing passwords, private customer information or other sensitive material.