I get asked about AI a lot these days. Usually it’s some version of “Can’t I just have ChatGPT build my website?” It’s a fair question, and I don’t think the answer is a simple yes or no.
We have begun testing certain aspects of AI as part of our services here. It’s really good at certain things….pulling helpful information from our SEO tools for better analysis, helping us brainstorm ideas and designs options, solving problematic coding bugs, etc.. It can do a lot of things and be very helpful, but it can also create real headaches for business owners if we’re not careful
Below is how we’re starting to think about AI at Center Street Digital. This is a work in progress, because everything is changing so fast.
Where AI is a big help so far
AI is great at getting you past the blank page. It can help us sketch out a sitemap, identify keywords areas to focus on and draft spaceholder text. It can even give us design ideas that we may choose to implement in a site.
It’s great at identifying solutions to specific problems. When something on a site isn’t behaving, it’s a helpful second set of eyes. It’s fantastic at analyzing complex situations and giving paths forward.
The best thing I’ve found use for AI so far is recurring processes…including pulling metrics for our SEO reporting, scanning our websites for any errors when launching a site, and much more.
None of that replaces the human work that solid digital marketing needs. I’m still very pro-human and believe the the human process of building websites, defining audiences and connecting with customers is important. AI happens to clear out some of the tedious parts so we can spend more time on what actually matters for your business.
Where it starts to cause problems
AI is just a tool. It is essentially learning from what’s out there already and matches patterns of language. So, if you’re not careful, when you ask it to design something, it gives you a product that is close to the average of every thing that it’s seen.
Whether it’s a website or a flyer it usually looks fine looks fine. Nothing is really wrong with it, but once you know what to look for, you can identify AI produced content easily…. hello “eyebrow subtitles” and same three boxes with icons. Nothing about these websites, etc. are bad in of themselves, but I’ve started to categorize them as “AI slop”. For me, AI slop means something that is created with minimal effort, strategy and care.
For a local small business, your website is often the first impression a new customer gets. It’s an opportunity to cut through the noise and help the world see how you’re different. Generic, low effort designed assets don’t necessarily move you forward in business. AI cuts the creative process short during development. It hands you something that looks finished before anyone has done the thinking that makes a site feel like you.
Of course there are times where perhaps budget constraints force you to a less than perfect outcome. Maybe an AI produced website suffices for the time being. But the pattern that we see is that small businesses that want to last, spend time crafting a site that connects with their customers beyond what AI can do by itself.
The custom code cul-de-sac
One trend I’m seeing more of is people having AI build an entire website from scratch in custom code. Perhaps it’s using WordPress to build custom blocks or a page builder with custom modules. You describe what you want, and a few minutes later you’ve got a working page. It’s actually amazingly impressive and it the option didn’t exist two years ago.
The problem comes a few months down the road.
Maybe you realize you need new sections on your homepage…testimonials, new product line, locations map, etc.. Now you’re staring at hundreds of lines of code you didn’t write. So you go back to the AI, ask it to make the change, and cross your fingers that it doesn’t break something else. Maybe it works and maybe it doesn’t. Either way that is the only option you have. There’s no simple editor to log into. If you want to hire someone to help, they may have to start over. On top of that, SEO considerations, accessibility issues and security updates are often overlooked as your site is pulled together without a lot of thought
Watch out for shortcuts that box you in.
One AI solution we like so far for website builds
Recently we started testing out using AI alongside Beaver Builder, the WordPress page builder that we build a lot of our sites with.
AI helps us move faster on planning, copy and problem-solving, which keeps projects efficient. Beaver Builder gives us a solid, flexible foundation to design on, and we still have a human shape every page so it fits your brand. AI can build within the standard Beaver Builder modules that humans use, so their easy to use and you have max flexibility moving forward. You’re not stuck with cumbersome html code that you have to sort through and you or someone on your team can log in and update text and photos.
If you need something unique the tool can build custom modules as needed, but you can always drag and drop those. If you ever decide to work with someone else, they can pick up right where we left off.
After years of working with hundreds of small business, a flexible and nimble website is key for most of our clientele. This tools seems to meet that need.
Wisdom is the key to using AI well
People sometimes assume the AI does perfect work based on your 4 word prompt. In my experience, what you get out of it depends a lot on what you put in. You have to know what to ask, give it the right context and be able to tell when it’s wrong. Wisdom and experience is still important.
AI is wrong sometimes…or at least only partially correctly. It’ll confidently hand you SEO advice that doesn’t make sense for your industry. It’ll build you a homepage that doesn’t convert browsers to buyers. It’ll write copy that sounds nice and doesn’t really say anything. Knowing which suggestions to keep and which to toss comes from experience. Human judgment still matters.
So, should you use AI for your website?
Like most things in the digital world…it depends.
My strong warning would be to view it as a tool and not a replacement for doing the hard work of crafting your messaging, organizing your content and developing a strong brand. Used wisely AI can raise the quality of all your digital assets. Done carelessly, it gets you a site that looks like everyone else’s and harms your business.
If you’re thinking about a new website and wondering how AI fits in, I’d love to talk it through with you. Schedule a chat, and we’ll figure out what makes the most sense for you.