Carol Merlo, 73, Cuts Website Costs to $9.99 a Month by Learning AI Coding

3 articles · Updated · Business Insider · May 25

Dallas entrepreneurship coach Carol Merlo, 73, said learning AI coding from her son let her build and manage her own website and avoid dependence on Weebly after a price increase.
A notice requiring a two-year payment and higher rates pushed her to seek a cheaper option, and she now pays $9.99 a month on another platform using Claude Code.
Kevin Masterson, 41, taught her through in-person sessions, then email and video calls, while Merlo used written notes and AI tools to decode coding terms and gain confidence.
Merlo said the shift from drag-and-drop builders to text-based prompting was challenging at first but ultimately removed knowledge limits, leaving her focused on refining a still-basic site.

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