(Credit: Getty Images/Zooey Liao)
AI is one of the broadest buzzwords in the tech world. Artificial Intelligence encompasses everything from software designed to improve your grammar to computer-generated images and video. It turns out that machine brains can help human brains with many technological tasks—including building websites.
Creating a website is essential for individuals and businesses looking to spread the word about their products or services. However, making one from scratch can be daunting, even for the initiated. Fortunately, many modern website builders include AI tools that simplify the process and even the competitive playing field. With AI, you can create a professional website without hiring teams of expensive designers, although there are downsides to AI website builders you should also consider.
Our favorite website builders with useful AI tools include GoDaddy, Hostinger, Squarespace, Ucraft, Webflow, and Wix—they're terrific starting points for quickly whipping up an online presence. Ready to build your website? Look for these seven AI-powered tools to quickly get your site up and running.
(Credit: GoDaddy/PCMag)1. AI Text Generator
Products need descriptions, images need captions, and menus need instructions, but filling out a website's necessary text can quickly grow tedious. However, with an AI text generator, you can simply enter a prompt to make the algorithm spit back words based on your chosen topic. Typically, AI text generators let you choose from several options you can tweak to perfection. So save time by skipping the rough draft and going straight to editing.
(Credit: Wix/PCMag)2. AI Webpage Theme Creator
AI can help you quickly establish your website's visual theme—all you need first is a vague sense of what your site is about. Is it a photography portfolio? A restaurant homepage? A video game blog? Once you tell the AI your envisioned visual direction, it generates a design featuring customized layouts and thematically appropriate images. Some website builders make this the first step in the site-creation process, getting the bulk of your site's visual component wrapped up at the start.
(Credit: Hostinger/PCMag)3. AI Marketing Booster
You can leverage AI tools for even more specific purposes, such as creating buzz about your product or service. For example, you can brainstorm names and slogans, create eye-catching logos with image generators, or craft an email campaign that best resonates with potential customers. The tools are only limited by your creativity.
(Credit: Hostinger/PCMag)4. AI User Behavior Predictor
AI tools not only create content for your website but also provide valuable insights. Hostinger, in particular, has a nifty feature called AI Heatmap that analyzes an image to predict how it will draw in users’ attention. It also suggests an area on the page where it may find greater success. With that knowledge, you can arrange images and design your site to guide visitors’ eyes in the most pleasing way possible. Engaged visitors become satisfied customers.
(Credit: Wix/PCMag)5. AI Customer Support
Good support is crucial for helping potential customers deal with roadblocks. AI can help your online business by intelligently answering visitors' questions, instead of keeping them trapped in an automated robocall death spiral. For example, Wix's customizable AI Site-Chat analyzes your site's content, from products to services, so it can answer live queries in a conversational tone.
(Credit: Webflow/PCMag)6. AI App Builder
Everyone has their eyes glued to their phones these days, so a good app is arguably as important as a good website. Most site builders let you tailor your design for a variety of screen sizes, but the AI addition lets you create custom code for dedicated web apps. Case in point: Webflow's App Gen AI tool generates full-stack apps from prompts and lets you host them on the Webflow Cloud platform.
(Credit: Wix/PCMag)7. AI Website Builder
AI tools are now so powerful and all-encompassing that some builders encourage you to build your entire site with them. Just enter a name and a theme, and let the machines handle everything else.
Now, we don't recommend turning everything over to AI—your site may miss that crucial human touch. You should put in some effort to make sure everything is in order. Still, if your needs are modest, you can let a service's AI tool build a full, functional website without lifting a finger.
With AI website-building tools, creating a website has never been easier. If you use a free website builder, it’s also never been more affordable. Just remember that taking the effort to build your site yourself counts for a lot, too.
For a more robust online presence, you'll need a traditional web hosting service. And if you’re on a budget, check out the best cheap web hosting services.