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Creating a website used to be a project of mountainous form. It sounded simple in theory, but when attempted, it quickly began to stack in difficulty.
Even if you had a solid vision of how you wanted your website to be, there were still tons of early decisions to account for. And it always seemed that even despite the best planning, there were always missed decisions that later created immense challenges. What theme would you use? How many pages should your website have? What should your color scheme be? How do you organize your menus and hyper-link everything together? What security would you use? And the list goes on…
As you’ve probably noticed, AI tools started popping up everywhere, and if you’re like the rest of us, it can be overwhelming. Tools like image generators, coding assistants, all sorts of agents, and now, website builders.
So when first saw the release of the WordPress.com AI website builder, I was a bit apprehensive yet still curious at how this new tool looks. Could it really be that good at generating a website?
Instead of starting with templates and empty pages, like most classic developers know, I was met with a simple chat window and a few questions to get started.
I decided to continue on with the process and see what happened.
Table of Contents:
What the WordPress.com AI Website Builder Actually Does
The basic concept of the AI website builder is that you can describe through words what you want your website to look and function like. It’s like having a robot website developer directly on the line.
Instead of the classic process of selecting a theme and starting from complete scratch, the AI asks a series of simple questions about the website that you want to create. It generates all of the layouts, pages, example texts, images, menus and basic design layout based on how you answer the questions.
Within just a few minutes, the AI builder crafts what looks like a complete website instead of a blank starting point.
One important thing to note is that the result you get isn’t just a temporary mock-up. The website you’re seeing is actually being built as a real WordPress.com website that you can continue building upon.
The AI simply helps generate a very strong starting structure that can save you hours of work.
If you want to play around with it yourself, you can try the WordPress.com AI Website Builder here.
Starting the Experiment
I asked the AI to create a website for a fictional artisan bakery called “Glazey’s,” based in San Francisco, CA. I described the website as something inviting and warm, with rustic charm, cream and golden tones and a classy serif font scheme.
The AI then asked a few easy follow-up questions about the purpose of the website. In this case, my main goal for the website was to encourage people to view the menu and visit my bakery in person.
This would be the starting point for my entire bakery business. I had the image in mind, now it was time to see how AI brings this to life.
Watching the Site Generate
After making it through the series of questions, the AI builder began crafting the website.
A panel that showed progress appeared on the side showing each step of the process as it unfolded. It applied fonts, generated page layouts, created a color scheme, added imagery and even made a simple logo.
Seeing the process in steps was interesting because it made the process feel less magical and more like watching a live developer work things out in real time. It was sort of like sharing a screen with a really fast developer!
Within just a few minutes, maybe 3-5, the builder finished and opened the site editor with a mostly complete and functional layout.
What the AI Generated
The first thing that appeared in the website window was a nearly completely structured homepage (pictured below).
The website included a large header space that featured a blank white background (first thing I noticed I wanted to fix by asking it to add a background image). I also noticed it got the name right, and even came up with some catchy wording.
The navigation menu seemed to already be in place by dividing the site up in to four pages: homepage, Story, Catering and Visit.
Further down the page, the AI builder had created additional sections that described the business and displaying images related to the bakery.
I was impressed by its first round of generating. It didn’t feel like a wire-frame or placeholder layout. it looked like the early version of a successful bakery website!
The Automatically Generated Menu
My favorite thing it did on the first pass was create a really solid bakery menu.
The AI builder created an appetizing list of example cookie flavors and their descriptions. It seemed quite impressive for the very limited directions I gave it. Flavors like vanilla sugar, oatmeal raisin, spicy cacao and signature chip all sound great. It even added reasonable pricing on them!
Obviously these are only examples, but even if someone was actually developing a real bakery, this already gives a great starting point for adding your own real options, descriptions and pricing.
So far, the AI builder already seemed very helpful as even just having a good starting point with website development can save a ton of time. It even saves all the work of hyperlinking everything together!
Editing the Site With the AI Assistant
I was excited to test out active editing after the basic website structure was generated. I carried out a few little experiments with design.
Instead of needing to manually adjust everything, you can simply add the edits you want in the chat box on the right side. Even if you say something that is not particularly clear, the AI builder will ask some clarifying questions to get you on the right track.
For example, I noticed the the AI builder did not add a hero image on the landing page. So, I briefly described what i wanted and it came up with a pretty nice image (see below). I was quite impressed on what it could do with such little instruction.
Not only can this AI builder build the foundation and functionality of a website, it can also serve as a visual design agent. The combo of having both a website developer and graphic design artist at your fingertips is quite amazing. It’s also quick!
What Still Needs Human Input
Even though the AI generated a surprisingly complete first version of the site, it’s still clear that human editing still plays an important role.
Of course, you could stick with what AI generates and use that alone, but most of us want to add our own personal touches and wording to give the website more soul. Images might need to be replaced, wording edited or added and actual brand visuals. Additionally little enhancements in spacing or menu layout could be a part as well.
So for me the AI builder was best at creating a REALLY good starting point to where I wouldn’t have to do much work to bring the complete vision to fruition. For most, that’s the hardest part of building a website, getting started.
Where the AI Builder Actually Helps
The biggest value I took away from this experiment isn’t that the AI builder can produce a perfect website that is completely in-sync with my vision, it’s that it removes a ton of friction that often stops people from starting in the first place.
Often times, when one is faced with a completely blank website, it’s easy to lose steam for the project and get stuck deciding on what to do first. The AI builder is flexible enough to let you play around with your ideas and get a good groove for where you want to take your website.
After you get your starting point, you can then tweak things in your own time and comfort level.
Who This Is Useful For
The WordPress.com AI website builder seems particularly helpful for people who know they need a website but have been putting off the process.
The WordPress.com AI website builder seems like an excellent tool for those who know they need a website but have been putting off the process due to the commitment it used to take.
That could include:
• someone who wants to start their own small business
• freelancers who want to more easily share their work or services
• creators who need a simple portfolio or blog
• anyone else who wants a structured starting point for their website idea
And because this tool generates a real WordPress.com website with a real URL, you can always continue developing in down the line and expanding as needed.
Final Thoughts
After experimenting with the WordPress.com AI website builder, the experience felt most like working with a live website developer and graphic design artist at the same time. It didn’t quite feel like hitting a magic button, as it took me through the whole process and showed me what it was doing in real time. It was also like having an expert collaborator readily on the chat line.
The AI gnerated the first version of the website’s layout, pages and navigation strucutre. From there, you still have full capability for manual editing, customization and adding your own ideas.
For those who find the starting point of building a website intimidating, this AI building tool eliminates that friciton almost entirely.
If you would like to see how it works for yourself, you can experiment with the WordPress.com AI Website Builder now and try generating a website in just a few minutes. Kind of fun.
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