AI tools like Canva and ChatGPT promise fast, DIY website creation, but are they good enough for organizations with complex needs? This post explores what AI can (and can’t) do when it comes to website design, development, and content. From the convenience of AI-generated layouts to the irreplaceable value of human expertise, discover when AI might be “good enough” and when it’s just not the right fit.
I recently saw an ad about how Canva can create a website with AI minutes. Canva allows customers to select a template, create images, and have AI create the content.
I am a big Canva fan, so I got curious. Is this really possible? I went to Canva.com and decided to try and create a website for the book I’m writing about associations. Canva has some impressive options, but let me tell you, I still didn’t have a website after 45 minutes. Why? Because the choices were too overwhelming, I couldn’t find something that looked unique enough for my taste and I don’t know the Canva controls enough to create something that matches my personal brand or the Matrix Group brand.
What about someone who IS really good at Canva? Could they create a website in minutes? Maybe not minutes, but maybe a few hours? Today, the answer is probably yes.
BUT, will it be any good?
Today, the answer might be, it depends. It’s possible that AI can create a website for you or your organization that is good enough. But here are some things to think about:
AI Makes It Easier for the DIYer To Create a Website
DIY (do it yourself) tools have always been great options for people and organizations that know exactly what they want. I used blogger.com to create a website for my personal podcast, KDramaChat.com. Is it amazing and unique? No, but it’s good enough. We’ve helped clients select a pre-built theme in WordPress for a conference and with a little setup, they were off to the races!
But what if you need something more than a simple blog site or one-pager about something you’re fighting in Congress? Or a website that represents your entire organization, its values, its initiatives, and its impact?
When It Comes to Website Redesigns, the Process Is Often THE Thing
In my experience, our clients come to us because they have a vision or an inkling of what they want, but they don’t know how to get there.
Often, a website redesign is a proxy for a conversation about who or what the organization wishes to become. So we use tools like interviews, analytics, mood boards, wireframes and design to help clients explore and ultimately decide what their end goal actually looks like. And many times, the conversations about what the website should look like, what content should get priority, and what the website should look like, have to be moderated by people who know how to achieve agreement between people of differing opinions. (My Project Managers excel at this.)
Creating a Unique Brand Takes Time and Expertise
I’m more and more impressed by what AI can do with images, videos and logos these days. BUT, more often than not, what AI creates needs to be massaged to make it better, to give the output authenticity, to make the designs have depth and personality.
THIS depth and personality comes from skilled designers. At least for now, nothing beats the experience and eye of someone trained in design and branding. My designers absolutely use AI tools but they don’t rely on them exclusively. Sometimes they just need a little inspiration, sometimes AI gives them a base they can tweak into something fabulous, and sometimes they have to just do the work entirely on their own.
AI Can Certainly Help Build a Website
My front-end and back-end developers are increasingly using AI code generators to help them build out website functionality. Whether it’s a custom post type, a directory, or an integration with a membership database, the code generators have come a long way. We’ve seen great productivity gains in this area. The catch here is that we’ve had to train the code generators on OUR coding standards and our code repository, AND every developer is still responsible for reviewing their work and having others test it.
AI-Generated Content Can Be Flowery or Soulless
We joke at Matrix Group that we can often tell when content is AI-generated. AI loves to embark on things, or delve into things. Yeesh. Who talks or writes like that? I also find that AI content is often full of extraneous adjectives. The content might sound good, but it’s sometimes off brand, or way too flowery for my taste. Even worse, those adjectives can get us in trouble because they just aren’t true.
Again, don’t get me wrong. I use AI tools for brainstorming and drafting, but what Gemini or chatGPT generates is never good enough, not for a writer like me, and, I suspect, not for my discerning and extremely professional clients.
By the way, I tried really hard to get AI to draft this blog post and it just couldn’t do it. I’ve had luck with other topics, but even when I provided detailed prompts and guidance, the end result sounded off. I guess some topics are still too nuanced for AI.
So, Should AI Create Your Next Website?
I don’t think so, and I hope not. I think we still need trained and experienced professionals to develop the strategy, create the design, build the site, and write the content that will compel people to read more, join, register, purchase, or otherwise engage.
AI is a great companion for creating the designs, programs and content that make up our websites today, but we should still be the leaders of these web development journeys.