AI Promised Us a Website in Minutes. The Reality Took 48 Hours.
By ColPR Team
By ColPR Software Consultants
We built our own website using AI tools. Here is what actually happened.
The numbers:
- 48+ hours of hands-on work
- 184 prompts to get the site functional
- 119 edits to align with expectations
- 45 test runs for forms and integrations
Even with SaaS experience and AI training, building a simple five-page site took days of trial and error.
What Surprised Us
- One vague prompt deleted 4 hours of work.
- DNS, APIs, and databases still need manual setup.
- Every security fix needed careful validation.
- Compliance pages still require human review.
The Lessons
- Prompting skill matters: Without knowing exactly what to ask, AI delivers poor results.
- Integrations eat time: APIs, databases, and DNS records require technical knowledge.
- Testing is mandatory: Expect dozens of test runs just to confirm forms work correctly.
- Security is not plug-and-play: Audits and manual fixes are required.
AI tools are powerful, but they are not a "website in an hour" solution. For most business owners, the true cost of DIY is time, frustration, and risk.