Guides are a starting point
Our guides describe how tools work and what they cost, using the official sources linked in each guide. They cannot know your business, location, or the laws that apply to you.
For matters with legal or financial impact, such as accessibility obligations, privacy rules, taxes, or client contracts, use the guides to learn about the topic, then consult a qualified professional.
Use AI tools with care
AI builders can create a working site in minutes, but they can also make mistakes that seem convincing. A few habits can help:
- Verify every fact, price, and claim written by an AI tool before publishing it.
- Do not paste passwords, API keys, or customers' personal details into a chat.
- Before sharing the link, review the security settings for anything that stores data, such as sign-up forms and databases.
- Save a copy of your project files so you are not tied to one tool.
Our guide to vibe coding has a checklist to use before launch.
Respect other people's work
Copying a design, image, or block of text from another website is easy, and AI tools make it even easier. Copying another site's text, images, code, or branding can violate copyright and trademarks, even if a tool copies it for you.
- Use words and images you created, or materials you have a license to use.
- Use other sites as inspiration, not as content to reuse.
- Only rebuild sites you own, as explained in our guide to cloning a website with AI.
For more information, see the U.S. Copyright Office FAQ and the USPTO trademark basics.
Protect the people who visit your site
- Privacy. If your site collects names, emails or payments, let visitors know what you collect and why, and collect only what you need.
- Accessibility. Headings, image alt text and strong color contrast help make a site usable by more people. Our website accessibility guide explains the basics, and the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative describes the standards.
- Security. Update your builder, theme and plugins, choose strong passwords and enable two-factor sign-in. CISA Secure Our World offers simple advice for small businesses.
Sell within the rules
When your site sells products or services, consumer protection, tax and payment rules apply. Payment providers such as Shopify Payments, Square and Wix Payments also keep their own lists of products they do not allow.
If you receive commissions from links, make the disclosure clear. The FTC's endorsement guides, published in the Code of Federal Regulations, explain the rules in the United States. For the basics of running a small business online, see the SBA business guide.
The Nvu archive is history
The Nvu archive preserves software from 2005 that has not had an update since. It predates modern web standards and security fixes, so consider it a piece of history, not a tool. Do not install it on a computer you rely on, and use a current editor or builder for real projects.
Where to get help
For issues with a specific tool, start with the vendor's own help center, which our guides link to. For legal questions, talk with a lawyer or your local small business support office.
If anything in one of our guides is incorrect or unclear, please let us know so we can correct it for everyone.