Cursor

AI coding assistant

Midjourney / Firefly

AI image generation

ChatGPT

Content & SEO help

Netlify / Vercel

Free hosting with HTTPS

Planning & Setup

~1 hour

Define your goal

Who's the site for? What's its purpose?

Choose your stack

Static (HTML/CSS/JS) for simple sites, or React/Next.js for scalability

Set up project files

Create index.html, style.css, script.js (or run npx create-next-app)

Use Cursor to scaffold

Let AI generate boilerplate and basic structure

Generate hero images/logos

Use Midjourney or Firefly for visuals

Design

1-2 hours

Prompt AI for design direction

Example: "Minimalist website design, blue tones, music vibe"

Pick fonts and colors

Keep it simple: 1-2 fonts, 3-4 colors max

Plan simple layout

Header → Hero → Content sections → Footer

Ensure accessibility

High-contrast colors, readable fonts (prompt ChatGPT: "WCAG-compliant styles")

Test mobile view

Use AI mockups to check responsiveness

Development

2-3 hours

Build with Cursor's suggestions

Keep it to 2-3 core pages; let AI handle boilerplate

Compress images

Use Firefly exports or tools like TinyPNG

Minify code

Prompt Cursor: "Optimize JavaScript for speed"

Lazy-load assets

Images, videos, and heavy content should load on demand

Enable HTTPS

Automatic on Netlify/Vercel; add basic input validation

SEO & Content

~1 hour

Research keywords

Use ChatGPT: "Suggest 5 SEO keywords for [your site type]"

Write content

Draft with ChatGPT, then edit for your voice

Add meta tags

Title, description, Open Graph for social sharing

Add alt text to images

Descriptive text for accessibility and SEO

Use proper headings

One H1 per page, logical H2/H3 hierarchy

Set up analytics

Google Analytics or Plausible (privacy-friendly)

Testing

~30 min

Run Lighthouse audit

Chrome DevTools → Lighthouse. Aim for 85+ scores

Check accessibility

Use WAVE tool or prompt ChatGPT: "List accessibility errors"

Test on mobile and desktop

Check different screen sizes and browsers

Test all forms and links

Click every link, submit every form

Fix broken images or missing tags

Check console for 404 errors

Deployment

~15 min

Push to Netlify or Vercel

Git integration or drag-and-drop for static sites

Verify HTTPS is active

Check for the padlock icon in browser

Test live site on mobile

Verify everything works in production

Run final Lighthouse check

Confirm production scores match dev

✓

Post-Launch (Ongoing)

As needed

Monitor analytics

Tweak based on traffic data

Update content regularly

Use ChatGPT for new ideas, then refine

Check security

Watch for hosting alerts or outdated dependencies

Tradeoffs to Watch

Learning curve: AI tools take practice; outputs aren't always perfect
Generic risk: Over-relying on AI can lead to bland designs or code
Complex projects: Unique sites may need more human expertise

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