AI Website Builders: Sacrificing Creativity For Speed?

Using AI (Artificial Intelligence) for websites is nothing new. From writing content to digital art, its popularity is soaring, with people now using AI as a Website Builder to create entire sites with a few prompts. This blog looks at the current state of using machine learning and automation for site creation, how it works, and how advanced it has become in a relatively short period. We’ll also discuss what using these tools could potentially mean for the future of creativity in site creation and development.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• AI website builders have rapidly evolved from simple tools to sophisticated platforms that can create professional-looking websites with minimal user input, shifting how websites are created.
• Modern AI website builders combine multiple technologies to understand and implement design principles, learning and adapting from each interaction but don’t generate original ideas.
• AI’s approach to creativity differs fundamentally from human creativity, focusing on pattern-based design but struggling with nuanced emotional and abstract elements.
• Some AI website builders provide automated SEO features but still need human expertise to ensure content quality, strategic optimization, and alignment with search engine guidelines.
• While AI excels at pattern recognition and speed, it lacks the human ability to draw from experiences and emotions that often lead to truly original, innovative designs.
• The role of people in website creation is evolving rather than disappearing, with professionals focusing on strategic design thinking and complex problem-solving that AI can’t.
• One approach to modern web design is combining AI’s efficiency with human creativity, leveraging the strengths of both.
• AI website builders should be viewed as powerful tools that enhance human creativity rather than replace it.

The Rise of AI Website Builders

In just a few years, AI website builders have evolved from simple template tools to be capable of generating entire websites from a few prompts. They can now create not just layouts but also suggest color schemes, fonts, and even content structures based on competitive analysis and user data.

Companies like Wegic now offer AI-powered solutions that can analyze user requirements and generate websites in minutes, complete with design, content, and functionality.

This is thanks to advancements in Natural Language Processing (NLP), enabling users to describe their website needs conversationally, leading to increasingly accurate and relevant results. These advancements allow AI to better understand user intent and generate websites that align more closely with their vision.

How AI Website Builders Work

At their core, AI website builders use machine learning algorithms trained on millions of existing sites and pages to understand design patterns, user behavior, and conversion optimization.

These systems employ several core technologies: computer vision for analyzing and replicating layouts and design elements, NLP for understanding user requirements, and generative AI including Large Language Models (LLMs) for creating text and even images.

The process starts with user input, either through a form or direct prompting. The AI then analyzes this information against its trained datasets to generate designs.

What sets modern AI builders apart is their ability to learn from user interactions and adjustments, continuously refining their output to better match user preferences and trends, further refining the output over time.

Keep in mind that despite the advancements in technology, they still rely heavily on human input. This means you have to know how to prompt correctly to get what you want.

A Question Of Creativity

Creativity in web design, development, copywriting, and in general can be measured by originality, problem-solving, and emotion. Granted, it’s an oversimplification but that’s a whole other conversation. AI’s approach is fundamentally different.

Rather than coming up with truly original ideas, its algorithms and learning patterns combine and build on existing web content to pull information and generate a site. While the speed at which it does this is impressive and, on the surface, the results can look good, AI can’t “think” for itself. It can essentially only copy and rearrange what’s already out there.  

This raises important questions about the nature of creativity itself. 

We’ve established that AI tools can generate visually appealing and functional websites in minutes, but they struggle with understanding subtle nuances, emotional resonance, and cultural context that humans naturally incorporate into their work.

It can be argued that AI’s ability to quickly generate multiple design variations offers a way for creatives in the web space to get drafts and build on those ideas. However, there is another “but” worth mentioning.

Using AI can be a benefit, but just like any tool, you need the right one for the job. Many AI platforms offer free and basic plans that, more often than not, give pretty basic results. If you want more options and features, you’ll have to pay.

For example, newcomer Wegic’s basic plan starts at $9.90 per month (if you pay for a year’s subscription upfront). This lets you publish one site with a set amount of credits allocated to modify your site or generate new versions and doesn’t include a custom domain name or URL. For that, you’ll need their Pro package.

In comparison, cPanel Web Hosting from Hosted.com with our Website Builder add-on starts from $7.98. This includes hosting for multiple sites, free domain name registration*, email accounts, free SSL certificate, daily backups, and a suite of security features.

While the Website Builder does require you to build your own site, we’ve made it as easy as possible. You get over 200 professionally designed, mobile-responsive customizable templates for a range of industries to get you started.

From there, you can add as much functionality as you need with drag-and-drop widgets. You can also make as many changes as you want without worrying about running out of credits and having to buy more.

The Creative Process: Man vs. Machine

Traditional web creation and design is usually a personal creative process. Professionals draw inspiration from various sources, consider brand personality and voice, and create unique user experiences. This is all done by relying on years of experience with an understanding of emotion and human psychology to produce a final product that resonates with visitors and keeps them engaged.

In contrast, AI-assisted design follows a more systematic approach, analyzing patterns and data to generate solutions. While this process saves time and takes away a big chunk of the manual work, it raises questions about the authenticity of the results.

The biggest is that the AI’s design decisions are based on existing patterns and what it perceives as successful templates, it can potentially lead to a more generic look and feel.

Impact on Website Creation

There’s no doubt the rise of AI website builders has impacted the web design industry and many others profoundly. This initially caused many creatives to worry that they would be replaced by soulless machines that could do it cheaper and faster.

The upside is that rather than replacing people entirely, these tools are reshaping their roles. For example, professional designers are starting to focus on the challenges that AI can’t address, such as complex user experience problems and innovative interactive features.

Many designers and writers are adapting by developing new skills that complement AI capabilities. This includes learning to effectively prompt, customize AI-generated outputs, and focus on higher-level strategic thinking and planning ahead that machines cannot replicate.

SEO And AI

The relationship between AI website builders and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is complicated. While these platforms often say they have built-in SEO tools and features, the reality is that optimizing your site involves much more than just relying on automation to do the work for you.

Although AI-generated content may appear correct and well-structured, it doesn’t always fully align with Google’s emphasis on E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness).

This is because AI lacks the real-world experience and demonstrable expertise humans have that Google’s algorithms prioritize.

Similarly, the standardized approach to content creation, along with an over-reliance on AI-generated content without careful review and human oversight, can cause problems. For example, it could potentially lead to thin, generic content with little or no value or duplicated content on multiple pages, all of which search engines frown on.

Beyond content-related problems, AI site builders can also present technical SEO problems. These can include limits for customizing URL structures, preventing you from using descriptive and keyword-rich URLs.

Additionally, AI-generated code, while for the most part functional, can sometimes be less efficient, leading to bloated code and potentially slow page speeds, a major factor for user experience and search rankings. 

Finally, some platforms may offer limited control over other technical elements, such as schema markup or structured data implementation, which can further limit proper crawling and indexing. Without this, it prevents website owners from providing search engines with clear and structured information about their content as well as the context and meaning of pages.

While AI builders are getting better at addressing these issues, as of right now, proper SEO management and maintenance is still best left to the experts, not the machine.

Machine learning is becoming better at understanding user search intent, but the human touch is still needed. This includes creating valuable content that resonates with users, planning, and being able to adapt to search engine algorithm updates as they happen. All of these are essential for improving and maintaining visibility and attracting organic traffic.

AI As A Tool, Not A Replacement

The biggest misconception about AI website builders (and similar software) is seeing them as replacements for humans rather than what they truly are – tools in a creative’s arsenal.

Website devs, designers, and writers can make the most of what AI can do while retaining creative control and using their professional judgment.

They can do this because they understand that tools enhance rather than replace their experience and artistic license.

Just like Photoshop back in the day didn’t replace graphic designers but enhanced the way they worked, AI website builders should be seen as additions, not substitutes.

This lies in understanding AI’s role in the creative process. These tools excel at:

• Rapid prototyping and idea generation
• Automating repetitive tasks
• Providing data-driven insights for design choices
• Streamlining the production process

However, they cannot replace the essential human elements such as:

• Strategic thinking and planning
• Understanding client psychology and needs
• Making contextual design decisions
• Using design and content to create emotional connections
• Ensuring brand alignment and consistency

Many creatives who initially feared AI are now finding that it frees them up to focus on higher-value jobs. By delegating time-consuming tasks to AI, they can spend more time on big-picture planning, their clients, and pushing boundaries.

Finding The Balance

The future of website creation, from copy to design and development, is most likely finding the balance between the efficiency of the machine and human creativity. At least until it becomes self-aware and we have to call Sarah Connor. For our younger readers, go watch Terminator for more on that reference.

One way of looking at is using AI tools for initial concepts and repetitive tasks while allowing human designers to focus on strategic decisions and creative direction.

This creates a hybrid workflow where AI handles the heavy lifting of basic layout generation, content, and design elements while humans focus on customization, brand identity alignment, and positive user experiences.

*Ts & Cs Apply

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DISCLAIMER: Any opinions expressed herein, are solely the author’s and do not reflect the opinions and beliefs of the website, the company, or its employees and affiliates. E&OE.

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