Can AI Create Websites?
Short Answer: Sort of.
We look at how various AI Website tools stack up.
OCTOBER 2024
Using AI to develop a website or other piece of software is a hot topic. After all, AI has shown its capabilities in performing complex calculations, answering questions, summarizing information and even generating content. If it could be used to create Websites, that would be a game changer for just about every business out there. And it would mean huge disruption to Web Development companies around the world (like us).
Keep reading to learn why we’re not worried.
We tried out 3 popular AI Web Design tools and most had similar advantages and disadvantages. Here’s our take:
Framer:
Framer has a pretty intuitive user interface. We tested with one of our less technical team members and he was able to get in and start creating pretty quickly. Framer does a good job of learning from other areas you’ve already created and attempts to maintain a consistent feel across the site.
On the other hand, Framer can get overly stylistic with the components it creates. It seems to make up for effective content by adding design flare. And while this can be visually impactful at first, it’s not necessarily the best way to drive results with your website.
10Web:
10Web also has a pretty good user interface. We prefer Framer but 10Web is no slouch.
The sites we created with 10Web felt pretty generic. When you want to add an element like a header, form, or a specific content block, it does a pretty good job of understanding what you want and filling in some of the blanks. But you’ll definitely need to get in there and make edits to get exactly what you want.
Hostinger:
Hostinger seems to stretch the term “AI” more than the others that we tested. What we mean is that it functions very similarly to other Web Builder applications you’ve seen out there, but with a bit more interpretation of what you might want. It may technically be AI, but it’s probably not quite what you’re expecting to get.
The sites we generated with it were pretty modern looking and functional. But they definitely felt generic. When it came time to try to really customize something, it was very limited. You can alter the basics but as soon as you have to do something a little beyond basic, Hostinger fell short.
Bottom Line:
All of these tools are pretty good at what they do. And if you’re looking to DIY a basic website for yourself, these are worth a look. But the reality is that there are always tools that can allow you to do things yourself, but they simply will never produce the results that an expert in that area can produce.
We’re a web development company. We could do our own payroll internally, but we don’t - we use experts that get it right EVERY time and know exactly how to do everything we could want. We could print our own print media, but we don’t. We hire experts in that area that understand print media a gazillion times better than we do. This is why people hire experts in various fields. It’s not just about checking a box and having a website. A website isn’t there just to have it. It’s there to drive results. And AI just doesn’t have the ability to create something that understands the unique (and changing) behaviors of your audience and create a compelling website that motivates those users to take action. And at the end of the day, if your website isn’t motivating your audience to take action, it’s not doing its job.