Web Development - 22 Aug 2024

You Can Now Use AI to Build a Website – But Should You?

In today’s fast-paced environment, the idea of building an entire website in a few clicks without any technical skill sounds almost too good to be true. However, that’s the reality we are living in right now.

Artificial Intelligence has taken the world by storm. From writing academic essays to diagnostics and managing your investments, we are leveraging AI tools in ways we could have only imagined a decade ago. Enter AI website builders.

It’s no surprise that we’ve expanded on AI’s abilities to generate content and taken it to the next level with tools that promise to take the hassle out of creating a website. AI website builders offer to do the heavy lifting while you sit back and sip your coffee, sounds tempting right? But here in line lies the problem: while AI can speed up the process of building a website the final product might lack the spark that sets your brand apart.

The Rise of AI in Web Development

AI website builders have exploded in popularity over the past few years, taking traditional website-building platforms to the next level with a whole area of new automation abilities. Platforms like Wix ADI, CodeWP, and Jimdo leverage AI to design an entire website from the foundation up, picking layouts, colours, and even generating content based on a few simple inputs.

For small businesses, teams with limited resources, or individuals just starting out, these tools must seem a godsend. You don’t need to know HTML from CSS or spend hours learning WordPress. Just answer a few questions and boom- you have a ready-to-go website in minutes.

Understanding the Limitations of AI Website Builders

There’s a big difference between building a website and building your brand. One requires the ability to understand and produce lines of code, while the other demands creativity, strategic thinking, and a deep understanding of your target audience. That, in a nutshell, is what separates AI website builders from human web developers.

Lack of Creativity and Human Nuance

Unfortunately, the convenience of AI website builders comes with limitations. While these tools are impressive, they lack the creativity and nuance that human developers bring to the table. AI can mimic design trends and follow best practices, that’s what it’s been trained to do, but it can’t generate truly original content or think outside the box. Without the ability to think creatively and understand the essence of what makes your brand unique, your website might end up looking and sounding like a cookie-cutter version of everything else out there.

Then there’s the copy. AI-generated content tends to be hit or miss. Tools that create text for your site might get the job done, but the content generally lacks personality and fails to make that all-important connection with your audience that leaves a lasting impression. This is where human copywriters shine – they can craft compelling narratives and engaging content that resonates with your audience and keeps them coming back for more.

Limited Customization and Flexibility

Another area where AI falls short is customization. While you can tweak some aspects of the design, and some AI platforms are better than others, you’re largely stuck within the confines of the templates and options provided. This is great if all you need is a basic, landing page, but as soon as you get into even slightly more complex requirements, you may find yourself at a loss with AI website builders.

Human developers, on the other hand, can create completely custom designs completely tailored to your specific needs, design vision, and target audience. For example, if you need a unique feature or a specific functionality like an interactive product configurator or a custom booking system, a human developer can build it from scratch. AI tools, on the other hand, with their one-size-fits-all approach, may not offer the flexibility you need.

Missing the Mark on SEO and User Experience

Here is an example of something AI website builders are generally very good at, however, they often fail to go that extra mile.

Like traditional website builders, AI-supported platforms are designed to produce SEO-optimized websites. They cover the basics of SEO, ensuring your site meets the fundamental requirements that search engines look for. This includes things like a clean architecture, fast loading times, mobile-friendly design, and even suggestions for keywords, headers, and meta tags. Some advanced AI tools even offer insights and recommendations for improving your site’s SEO and offer A/B testing to see which options perform best.

However, while AI can handle these basic tasks, it is unable to deliver on more advanced SEO strategies. Human SEO specialists can conduct in-depth keyword research, create high-quality backlinks, and develop a comprehensive SEO strategy tailored to your business needs. They can also adapt quickly to changes in search engine algorithms and tweak your site accordingly, something AI can’t do (yet).

Moreover, user experience (UX) goes hand-in-hand with SEO. A well-optimized site is not only easy to find but also easy to navigate. AI tools can design user-friendly interfaces and ensure your site is accessible on all devices, but they often fail to capture the subtleties that make a site truly engaging and intuitive. Human designers are simply better at understanding the customer journey and can incorporate unique elements that reflect your brand’s personality enhancing both UX and SEO in ways AI might miss.

Failure to Connect

The human touch is irreplaceable when it comes to storytelling, conveying brand voice, and creating emotional connections. While AI can generate content and design elements, it can’t infuse them with passion and personality the way a person can. Your website is often the first impression that potential customers have of your business – it needs to be authentic and leave a good lasting impression, otherwise you could be driving them right into the hands of your competition.

A human copywriter can weave your brand’s story into the content, creating a connection with your audience that AI-generated text simply can’t match. Likewise, a human designer can incorporate subtle design elements that convey your brand’s unique personality in ways AI simply can’t match.

Maximizing AI in Web Development

So, should you use AI to build your website? The answer is yes and no.

AI tools can play an invaluable support role in the web development process, but as far as creating a bespoke website from scratch, you’re probably better off going with a human web developer. That’s not to say that AI tools are not becoming an integral part of web development, only that, on its own, the technology simply can’t capture human nuance or elicit an emotional response. Human web designers are, however, incorporating powerful AI tools into the development process in many other ways.

AI-Powered Coding Assistants

Even the best developer can use a helping hand to streamline time-consuming and repetitive tasks. AI-powered coding assistants, like GitHub Copilot, can run through swaths of code in minutes, suggesting code snippets, completing code, and even identifying and fixing bugs. These tools enhance productivity by reducing the time spent on routine coding tasks, freeing developers to focus on more nuanced and creative aspects of web development.

Content Optimization

AI tools like Grammarly act as super-speed editors, ensuring content is clear, error-free, and engaging. They provide suggestions to improve readability and style and will even check to verify there’s no inadvertent plagiarism in your copy.

SEO and Analytics

AI-driven platforms like Ahrefs and SEMrush offer in-depth SEO analysis, keyword research, and competitive analysis, helping developers and marketers optimize content for better search engine rankings. These tools provide valuable insights that enhance a website’s visibility and performance.

Also powered by AI, Google Analytics is a staple in most developer toolkits. The platform is used for everything from tracking user behaviour to analyzing traffic sources and measuring conversion rates. This allows businesses to make informed, data-driven decisions about their websites, ensuring they continue to wow audiences and stay ahead of the competition.

Performance Optimization

On the performance end, AI tools are equally as important in providing developers with the data and insights needed to optimize website performance. Platforms like Google PageSpeed Insights and GTmetrix deliver AI-driven suggestions that help identify and correct bottlenecks in website performance, while tools like Cloudinary automatically optimize images and videos for faster load times and smoother user experiences.

Using the Right Tools for the Job

There’s an old saying about using the right tool for the job and this is where AI comes into play allowing developers to become more efficient, innovative, and effective. This hybrid approach to web development can help create websites that are not only functional and optimized but also rich in personality and ready to forge strong connections with your audience.