Choose the path based on where your main website should run. Both paths can use Answer Cloud content, chat, discovery, and reporting, with feature access determined by the site's plan and configuration.
Compare the two paths#
| Question | Hosted website | Existing website companion |
|---|---|---|
| Where does the main website run? | Answer Cloud serves the static build | Your current hosting provider |
| What does your agent edit? | Your editable site source and any configured CMS content | Companion templates/content, plus your main site's embed when authorized |
| What does an Answer Cloud deployment publish? | The complete static website and required CMS templates | Companion templates and supporting assets |
| Who maintains the main deployment pipeline? | You and your agent, optionally through linked GitHub | Your existing website team or provider |
| How is chat installed? | The platform generates the hosted installation | Add the organization's supported embed to your external site |
| Does setup require moving the main domain? | Only if you later choose a custom-domain cutover | No; an optional AI subdomain is configured separately |
Choose hosting when you want a new site#
Hosting is the direct path when your agent should build the website and Answer Cloud should serve it. The supported website runtime is static: browser interactions can call external services, but the uploaded site does not run a persistent Node.js or Rails server.
Start at Build your first website. Keep the Astro project after launch. The live site is the published result; it is not a substitute for the source project, assets, dependency files, and build instructions needed for future edits.
You can begin at an Answer Cloud address and connect a custom domain when the site's plan supports it.
Choose a companion when the current site stays#
A companion fits a Webflow, WordPress, or other website whose existing publishing arrangement should continue. Agree on the companion's content collections, add the external chat integration where needed, and decide whether to use an AI subdomain such as ai.example.com.
Use the existing website guide. The public new-site launch prompt creates a standalone site; it is not the companion onboarding flow.
If you change direction later#
Treat moving an established site as a migration. Inventory the existing URLs, content, assets, forms, and integrations before changing hosting or DNS. Preserve the old deployment as a recovery option until the new destination has passed verification.
If you are unsure which kind of site you already have, ask your connected agent to list the organization's sites and explain their kind, public addresses, and publishing destinations. This read-only inspection is safer than creating another site with a similar name.