The quality of your first build is mostly a function of the prompt you start with. The good news is that strong prompts are not long or technical. They are specific. A few sentences of clear, concrete English consistently outperform a paragraph of vague abstractions or a long list of design directives.
When you describe your business, the AI is trying to answer four questions: what do you do, who is the customer, where do you operate, and what makes you different. Every detail you supply against those four buckets is a detail the site can reflect, in copy, in the choice of pages, in the tone, and even in the color palette.
A solid starting prompt for a service business looks something like this. "I run a residential plumbing company in Tucson, Arizona. We focus on drain cleaning, water heater installs, and 24-hour emergency calls. We have been around since 2008 and our angle is honest pricing, no upcharges, no hidden fees." That is four sentences and forty-some words. It is enough for the AI to write hero copy that mentions Tucson, list the right services on the services page, lean into trust messaging in the about section, and choose a color palette that feels professional rather than playful.
The AI is good at design decisions. You generally do not need to tell it where to put a button, how big the headline should be, or which font to pair with which. Specifying those details too early can box the AI in and produce something stiff. Save layout-level requests for the editing phase, after you can see what the first draft looks like and what is actually worth changing.
The same goes for technical instructions. RebelSites generates static Astro sites, so asking for client-side JavaScript frameworks, server-rendered features, or third-party integrations that require a backend is not productive. Stick to describing your business and what you want communicated, and the AI will pick the right technical implementation underneath.
A short note about the tone you want goes a long way. Phrases like warm and friendly, professional and direct, playful and casual, or premium and understated steer the writing in concrete directions. If your business has an established voice, you can describe it the same way you would describe it to a new hire, and the AI will pick up on it.
If you already have a company name, brand colors, or an existing website, mention them upfront. Drop in your hex codes if you know them. Paste your existing site URL using the Have an existing site link below the prompt box. The build will lean on those details rather than inventing a new brand identity, which saves time and keeps continuity for customers who already know you.
Two to four sentences is usually the sweet spot. One sentence usually leaves too much to chance. Eight sentences often start contradicting themselves or piling on details the AI cannot use. If you find yourself writing a long prompt, look for the load-bearing sentences and trim the rest. The shortest version that still captures who you are, who you serve, and what you stand for is almost always the strongest one.
