AI has transformed many areas of digital marketing—but when it comes to building a business website, the reality in 2025 is far less magical than the marketing hype.
While reading the recent ZDNet article, “Looking for an AI-powered website builder? Here’s your best option in 2025”, I felt compelled to comment—not just as a tech enthusiast, but as a Fractional CMO and Growth Marketer who works with SMBs trying to improve their online presence. In the deep dive by David Gewirtz uncovered what many of us in the marketing world already know: AI-powered website builders from top providers like Squarespace, Wix, and GoDaddy still fall short where it matters most. The research, which involved 70+ hours of testing and over 200 support interactions, found that these platforms offer only fragmented AI capabilities, mostly limited to generating placeholder text or images. Design consistency, branding, UX coherence, and integrated support were either missing or poorly executed.
The piece, which offers a candid review of today’s leading AI website builders, confirms a reality many business owners don’t realize until it’s too late: AI tools, while promising, still can’t replace the strategy, structure, and expertise needed to build a website that actually drives growth.
So what does this mean for small and midsize business (SMB) owners?
AI Website Builders Can’t Replace Strategic Marketing
For SMBs—especially those not in e-commerce—the dream of a plug-and-play AI solution is misleading. These builders fail to:
- Create strategic user flows that drive conversions
- Apply cohesive branding and color logic
- Generate SEO-optimized, conversion-oriented content
- Integrate LLM-level SEO optimization to help your site appear in AI-generated results (a must in 2025)
- Offer design flexibility based on real business KPIs
Even simple things like consistent spacing, intelligent font pairing, and mobile responsiveness aren’t reliably handled by AI alone.
The Problem Isn’t Technology—It’s the Missing Strategy
Your website shouldn’t be a brochure—it’s a growth engine. And like any engine, it requires more than just nice parts. You need a team that understands how to assemble and tune that engine for performance.
At a minimum, every business website should be built around defined KPIs. These might include:
- Ranking on the first page of Google for local service queries
- Increasing conversions from site visitors to booked consultations
- Educating visitors about a complex offer or service
- Generating qualified leads to nurture via CRM or email automation
And that requires strategic input from a Growth Marketer or Fractional CMO, working with specialists across:
- UX/UI Design – to make the site intuitive and conversion-friendly
- SEO – including new LLM SEO strategies to ensure visibility in AI search platforms
- Content Writing – to connect emotionally, inform practically, and rank organically
If You’re E-Commerce, the Stakes Are Even Higher
For e-commerce businesses, the bar is even higher. You’ll need traditional SEO and AI-fueled optimization to reach customers across Google, marketplaces, and AI-driven shopping tools. Content must be dynamic, product-rich, and structured in a way that AI can crawl and feature. This isn’t something your average AI builder can do automatically.
The Bottom Line: Don’t Build Blind
If your business success depends on being found online, converting traffic, and building credibility—then DIY AI web builders are not the solution. They might be good for personal blogs or early concepts, but serious growth requires strategy.
I’ve helped companies of every size, vertical, and stage—from local contractors to SaaS startups—create websites that perform. If you’re questioning where your online presence stands in 2025, let’s connect.
Reach out for a free 15–30 minute conversation.
Schedule a meeting with me here and let’s talk strategy. Let’s find out if I can help you unlock the growth your business deserves.
