How to build an AI chatbot for your website, step by step (2026)

What you'll need

Before you start, get ready:

• A website to put the chatbot on.
• Content for the bot to learn from. Your website is enough, ideally a few documents too (FAQ, terms, price list).
• Just a few minutes. You don't need a developer.

Step 1: Create a bot

Set up a bot and fill in the basics: a name, a short description (what you do) and a default language. The description helps the bot understand context, so be specific.

Step 2: Train it on your content

This is where the knowledge base the bot answers from is built. You have three options, and you can combine them:

• Website crawl. Enter your address and the bot goes through the pages (descriptions, FAQs, info).
• Document upload. PDF, DOCX or TXT with terms, a price list, guides.
• Product feed, if you run an e-shop with an XML feed.

Tip: the quality of the answers equals the quality of the source material. Make sure the answers to your three most common questions actually appear in the content.

Step 3: Embed the widget on your site

Copy one line of JavaScript and paste it into your site template, just before </body>. Common systems (WordPress, Shoptet…) have a field for custom code.

Step 4: Test it

Open your site in an incognito window (so you're not logged in) and ask the bot:

• your three most common customer questions,
• one question the content doesn't answer, so you see how the bot behaves when it doesn't know.

If something is answered wrong, add or clarify the material.

Step 5: Monitor and improve

Once it's live, it pays to:

• Review conversations. Where the bot struggled is a signal to add content.
• Have an escalation plan. A live operator can take over the harder questions (from the Pro plan and during the trial).
• Keep content up to date. When prices, deadlines or your range change, update the material.

Common mistakes

• Too little content. The bot then answers generically. Start with your FAQ and key pages.
• Forgetting to update. Old prices or deadlines mean wrong answers.
• No plan for "I don't know". Be ready to take over the conversation.

Building an AI chatbot today is something anyone can do in minutes. The key isn't the technology, but good source material and keeping the content updated based on real questions.

Related: AI chatbots for customer support, the complete guide.