Building from nothing and rebuilding from something are different problems. If you already have a site, starting from its URL keeps everything you've written — which is usually the better trade.
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Most people arriving at an AI builder already have a website. That changes which approach is correct, and the default path through most builders is the wrong one for them.
Building from a description loses your content
Describe your business to a generator and you get a plausible site about a business like yours. The product names are approximations, the service descriptions are generic, and the specific things you learned to say over five years of customer conversations are gone.
You then spend longer putting your real content back than the generation saved.
Building from a URL keeps it
If a site exists, its URL is a far richer input than any description you could write. Your copy, your structure, your images and your links come across, and what changes is the presentation.
This is the case for using a redesign path rather than a build path whenever there's an existing site to point at — which there usually is.
When building new is right
A genuinely new product with no site, a landing page for a campaign that doesn't exist yet, or a deliberate decision to abandon the old positioning entirely.
In those cases start from the section and theme libraries rather than from a blank prompt — assembling from real components beats describing something you haven't seen.
Common questions
Can I build a site from scratch here?
Yes, using the theme and section libraries as the starting point. If you have an existing site, generating from its URL usually produces a better result.
Does it host the site it builds?
No. You export the code and host it wherever you like.
Do I need a domain first?
Not to build or preview. You'll need hosting and a domain to publish the export.
Is a builder or a redesign tool better for me?
If a site already exists, redesign from its URL. If nothing exists, build. The deciding factor is whether there's content worth preserving.
If you already have a site, start from its URL rather than from a blank prompt.