AI or Human-Powered . . . Which Is the Best Option for Constructing a Business Website?

At the expense of turning to a somewhat over-used catchphrase . . . “it depends.”

Basic categorizations — service-provider, retail goods sales, food services, B2B and B2C — and a business’s unique commercial attributes can render it unsuited to a website designed by artificial intelligence. For some, such as a business dependent on an owner’s exceptional skills, AI may fall short as a “conform to the majority” website template.

Credit: Stable Diffusion AI

There are, however, a range of businesses that can benefit from launching a fill-in-the-blanks or pre-fab AIconstructed website. As TechCrunch reports, a Canadian startup raised $20 million to deliver AI-powered websites to small businesses including bakers, builders and plumbers.[1] Organizations managed by their owners or with less than six employees, for example, could benefit from AI acting as an automated digital marketing assistant.

A Personalized Human Touch or Automated Efficiency?

A deciding factor in choosing AI-powered website development is usually a matter of how well the business it serves conforms to the pre-programmed construction choices made by the software engine. Talented human developers, on the other hand, typically construct websites that are specifically designed to reflect a business’s unique identity and branding. This type of site-building approach is based on developer-client consultation and often makes use of robust content and design concepts. Human-powered website development is often the better choice when the goal is to provide visitors with an engaging online experience and build a connection with a business and its products or services.

AI website construction can optimize product listings in search engines and personalize a visitor’s shopping experience by suggesting items based on past purchases. As noted by HubSpot, AI-designed websites also require “substantial” data to function.[2] Robust digital processing, however, raises the risk of data breaches and may be a turnoff for website visitors concerned with privacy. When site visitors learn they must submit personal information or individual preferences to browse and buy products, they may click off the website and search for a “less intrusive” venue.

Credit: Stable Diffusion AI and the Bliss Business Development Photoshop Team

Balance Budget Constraints or Shortchange Business Needs?

Budgetary considerations can, of course, play a role in a business’s choice of an AI-powered website construction strategy. Startups often need cost-effective solutions to establish an online presence quickly and without extensive technical expertise. It can, however, also be well worth the time investment of a phone or email chat with a human member of a business development team to learn how a customized website construction approach can better serve a business’s individual needs.

Small business owners may be surprised by how agreeable many professional website coders are to working within their clients’ budgetary limits. An automated and programmed online marketplace directing traffic to various products or services requires constant human analysis, and sometimes, “keyboard” intervention. Even with AI automation, websites function best with an experienced developer analyzing user behavior data to tailor content that evolves with customers’ changing habits and preferences.

Maximize Impact With Human Expertise or Roll With AI?

Human website developers with seasoned problem-solving capabilities know how and when to implement a new digital marketing spin or refresh an online blueprint. Personal storytelling also plays a role in promoting a business’s purpose, mission and values; these elements can best be communicated with a lively human disposition that AI doesn’t offer. Working with a dedicated business development team provides the advantage of enabling business owners and managers to discuss marketing goals and online strategies with a knowledgeable human.

SOURCES and REFERENCES:

[1] Lunden, Ingrid. “Durable cements $14M to build bots and other AI tools for small businesses in service industries.” TechCrunch, 12 Dec. 2023, https://techcrunch.com/2023/12/12/durable-cements-14m-to-build-ai-powered-tools-for-small-businesses-in-service-industries.

[2] Ellis, Danielle Richardson. “20% of Web Developers Aren’t Using AI: Here’s Why.” HubSpot Blog, 30 Sept. 2024, https://blog.hubspot.com/website/ai-barriers-in-web-development.

This article was written by the Bliss Business Development team — we appreciate your comments, feedback and insights regarding our writings and perspectives.