How to make your own website in 2026, by someone who's been doing it since 1998

I put my first site online in 1998. Since then I've built fan sites, calendars, a coupon site that did rather well for itself, and music sites, and I still run all of them today. This page is the guide I wish existed right now: what actually matters in 2026, what the AI builders really do, and what I'd pick for each kind of site.

The three honest paths

Every "make a website" decision in 2026 collapses into one of three paths, and the right one depends on what you're building, not on which tool has the loudest ads.

1. An AI or drag-and-drop builder (most people)

If you want a site for your business, your band, your portfolio, or a project, and you never want to think about hosting, a builder is the right call. You describe your site, the AI drafts it, you fix what it got wrong, and you're live in an afternoon. The real differences between them are pricing, how locked in you are, and how much the AI actually helps versus getting in your way. I built the same site in four of them and wrote up exactly what happened.

2. WordPress on cheap hosting (the flexible middle)

Still the workhorse when you want a real blog, plugins, or you might outgrow a builder. Pair it with an inexpensive host and you own everything. More moving parts, more to maintain, more freedom.

3. Plain static files (my personal stack)

Every site I run, including this one, is plain HTML files on free static hosting with the domain pointed at it. Near-zero cost, nothing to hack, loads instantly. The catch: you or your AI assistant have to be comfortable editing files, and it's a solo-operator stack. I learned this the direct way on a project this year: the static-plus-AI approach was fast and clean, but my non-technical partner couldn't make edits without me. If collaborators need to touch the site, that's what pushes you to a builder, and it's the main reason Framer is my pick there.

What the AI builders actually do (and don't)

The 2026 pitch is "describe your business, get a website in 60 seconds." Having tested them side by side, here's the honest version: they produce a credible first draft in minutes, which beats staring at a blank template. But the draft is generic until you feed it real photos, real words, and real opinions. The tools differ mostly in what happens after the first draft, when you try to change things.

• My pick for most people and most sites: Framer, the one I run with myself; see the full review
• Maximum hand-holding for total beginners: see my Wix review
• Tightest budget, one bill for everything: see my Hostinger AI review, renewal math included

The five decisions that actually matter

1. Own your domain, always. Register it at a registrar you control, never through the builder. If you ever leave the tool, the domain is your continuity. I have domains from the 90s that outlived every platform they ever sat on.
2. Decide what the site is for before picking a tool. One page that makes your business look real? A blog you'll write weekly? A store? Each points to a different path above.
3. Words beat design. A plain site that says clearly what you do beats a gorgeous one that doesn't. The AI builders make everything look fine now; what they can't do is know your business.
4. Start collecting emails on day one. Platforms change their rules. Your list is yours. This applies to a bakery exactly as much as a blog.
5. Ship the imperfect version. Every site I've run for 25 years went live embarrassing and got better in public. The unlaunched perfect site earns nothing.

My picks, short version