How to Prompt AI to Redesign an Existing Website (Without Losing the Content)

Whether you're redesigning a client's site or building a mockup to pitch a local business, the hard part isn't getting a new look. It's getting a new look without the AI rewriting the services, inventing details, or dropping pages.

How to prompt AI to redesign an existing website, step by step

1. Find what's actually wrong first

Don't start with "make it modern." Write down the 3 to 5 real problems: slow on mobile, phone number buried, no booking button, hard-to-read text. Locasly scores a business's site 0 to 100 using PageSpeed and accessibility checks, which gives you a concrete list. More on that in how to audit a local business website before pitching.

2. Collect the real content

Copy every page's text (business name, services, prices, hours, address, phone, reviews) into one document, and take screenshots of the current site. Reddit users who do this often paste it into ChatGPT or Claude first and ask for a recap of the whole site, then check it's accurate before building anything.

3. Give a specific design direction

Vague words like "clean" or "professional" get the same generic template every time. Name brand colors, fonts, the feel (warm and family-run, bold and modern), and attach a screenshot of a site style you like. An r/lovable user said the tool does much better with a visual to copy than with written directions. Tips for avoiding the template look are in how to make an AI-generated website not look generic.

4. Lock what must not change

This is where most redesign prompts fail. Tell the AI exactly what stays word for word. Here's a prompt you can paste into v0, Lovable, Bolt, or ChatGPT:

Redesign the website for [Business Name], a [type of business] in [city].
Here is the current site's content: [paste all text] and screenshots: [attach].

Keep exactly as written: business name, every service and price, hours,
address, phone number, reviews, and button labels. Do not add services,
claims, or reviews that aren't in the content above.
Keep the same pages: [list pages].

Change only the design: [brand colors], [fonts], spacing, layout.
Style reference: [attach screenshot of a site you like].
Main goal: get visitors to [call / book / request a quote]. Put a
tap-to-call button in the header and repeat it after the services.
Make it mobile-first.

Start with the header and hero only. Stop and wait for my review.

5. Build one section at a time

Whole-site redesigns in one prompt are where things fall apart. Approve the header and hero, then ask for services, reviews, contact, and footer in order. After each one, compare it to the old site and correct anything that drifted ("keep the button text as 'Call for a Free Quote'"). For fixing things after the first draft, see follow-up prompts for editing an AI-generated website.

6. Do a final check before showing anyone

Read the new site top to bottom against the old content: phone number, address, prices, hours. Tap every button on a phone. One wrong phone number undoes the whole redesign.

What Reddit users reported

• One r/OnlineIncomeHustle user said they rebuilt a roofing company's site with ChatGPT and Lovable in about 45 minutes, called the owner, and got paid $200 the same day. They also said about 80% of owners say no, but the ones who pay do it because they see the finished site (thread).
• A commenter in the same thread said their first site sold for over £500 (thread).
• One r/web_design user said AI tools get them about 70 to 80% of the way, and that treating the prompt like a brief (audience, main action, tone, and what not to change) cut down the tweaking (thread).

These are individual reports, not typical results.

FAQ

Can AI redesign an existing website from a URL?

Some builders can read a URL, but pasting the text and attaching screenshots is more reliable, because you control exactly what content it works from.

Why does the AI keep rewriting my copy?

Because "redesign" sounds like permission to improve everything. Say the text is locked, list what stays word for word, and say only the visual design can change.

Which AI is best for a website redesign?

v0, Lovable, Bolt, and ChatGPT can all do it. The prompt matters more than the tool: real content, a clear style reference, locked details, and one section at a time.

Should I redesign a business's site before they pay?

Many people pitching local businesses build a quick homepage mockup first, because owners decide faster when they can see it. Keep it to one page until they say yes.