Describing your website design to an AI in plain English

You describe your website to an AI the same way you'd describe it to a friend over coffee: what it's for, who it's for, and what you want it to feel like. You don't need to know words like CSS, responsive, or hero section. You just need to be specific about the plain, everyday things you already know: your business, your customers, and the impression you want to make.

A lot of people freeze up when a website builder asks them to "describe the design" because they think it's asking for technical input. It isn't. It's asking for the same information you'd give a friend who offered to build your site as a favor. The trick is knowing which everyday details actually matter and how to phrase them so the AI can act on them.

Start with what the site is for and who it's for

Before you say anything about colors or layout, answer two questions: what does this website need to do, and who is going to look at it? "I run a dog grooming business and I want people in my town to book an appointment" tells an AI far more than "make it look professional." Professional means something different to a law firm than it does to a skate shop.

Try filling in this sentence: "This site is for [type of visitor], and when they land on it, I want them to [action], because [reason]." For example: "This site is for busy parents, and when they land on it, I want them to book a haircut in under a minute, because they're checking it on their phone between errands." That single sentence gives an AI builder a purpose, an audience, and a hint about how simple the layout should be.

Describe the feel with comparisons, not design terms

You don't need to know what a "font pairing" or a "color palette" is. You just need to describe the mood, and the easiest way to do that is by comparison. Say what it should feel like, or point to something you already like.

• Comparisons work well: "Clean and calm, like an Apple product page" or "warm and a little rustic, like a farmhouse bakery."
• Feelings work well: "I want people to feel like this business is trustworthy and established," or "I want it to feel fun and a little playful, not stiff."
• Colors work well in plain words: "deep green and cream" beats "forest and eggshell" if you're not sure of the exact names. The AI will know what you mean either way, so just describe what you picture.

If you genuinely have no opinion on the look, say that too: "I don't have a strong preference, just make it feel modern and easy to trust." That's a real answer, and it's more useful than guessing at design vocabulary you don't actually know.

List what needs to be on the page, not how it should be coded

This is where plain English does the most work. Instead of thinking about layout, think about content: what does a visitor need to see, in what order, to do the thing you want them to do? Write it like a list of ingredients, not a blueprint.

For a small service business, that might look like: your name and what you do at the top, a short line about why customers pick you, a few photos of your work, your hours and location, and a button to call or book. That's a complete, usable description. An AI building tool like SimplePath can take that list and turn it into an actual page, handling the technical structure behind the scenes so you never have to touch a line of code.

Give feedback the same plain way you gave the first description

Once you see a first draft, don't reach for design jargon to fix it either. If something feels off, describe the problem the way you'd describe it to a person standing next to you: "this feels too busy," "the button doesn't stand out enough," "this section feels cold, can it feel friendlier?" That kind of feedback is exactly what an AI needs to adjust the design, and it's exactly the language you already use every day.

Think of the whole process as a conversation, not a one-time instruction. You say what you want, you look at what comes back, and you say what's still not right. Each round gets you closer, and none of it requires learning a new vocabulary first.

Where to go from here

Pick one project, real or hypothetical, and write three sentences about it: who it's for, what you want visitors to feel, and what needs to be on the page. That's a complete design brief in plain English, and it's exactly the kind of input an AI website builder needs to get started. You already know your business better than any design term could describe it.