Since AI has come onto the scene, it seems there’s an AI tool to help us with nearly every aspect of our lives and businesses, including building websites. As of posting this article, there are already a number of AI website builders, as well as website builders that already existed but have incorporated AI tools. In this post, I share my experience in testing out a number of different AI-powered website builders and give you my top picks.
Why trust me?
Hey there! I’m Amanda Hamilton, a web designer and front-end developer who’s been working on websites and building websites for clients for almost 15 years now. I originally started building websites using hand-coded custom HTML. Things have come a long way since then! I am not tied to one specific website platform and am always interested in the best solutions out there. That’s why I wanted to dive into the cutting edge technology of AI website builders. If there’s an easier, faster way to help you succeed in business, I want to help you do just that.
My Approach
I wanted to be as objective as possible with this process so I came up with a scoring system and used the same example business scenario so I could better compare results. I also went through the process and kept the perspective of an average service-based business owner looking to quickly and easily set up a website.
How I Scored Each Option
When trying out each AI website tool, I applied the following scoring system out of 5 points.
1. Does it look good?
At the end of the day, a business’s website needs to look professional, no matter whether it was created by a person or AI tool.
2. How successful was the AI generator in creating an on-target website?
As soon as I started testing different tools, it became very clear that some were much more on-target than others when it came to overall look and feel, messaging, and imagery.
3. How easy is it to customize?
Here, I’m looking at how easy it is to customize the website that the AI tool has generated.
4. Is it optimized for sales?
Every website should include a number of sales-ready pieces to make sure it converts (aka, turns visitors into leads and buyers). These sales-ready items include testimonials, features, highlighting your USP (unique selling proposition), etc.
5. Is it SEO-friendly?
I want to be clear that Google does not prefer any one website platform over another. What I’m looking at here is, “Does this AI website builder make it easy to be successful with SEO?”
The Best AI Website Builders in 2024
- Durable: Best overall AI website builder
- Jimdo: Best AI website builder that includes e-commerce
- Squarespace: Best AI website builder that includes courses
1. Durable
This was one of the last options I tested and let me tell you I thought the world of AI website generators was pretty dismal until I got to this one.
What it was like to use:
The builder did a good job of creating a pretty on-target website layout from the get-go. The images, copy, and page structure were all great starting points. Its AI features made it easy to write new headlines and copy. It even generated a decent logo without me even telling it to. The dashboard overall is super clean and easy to use.
Nice features:
- AI blog generator
- Easy AI image generator
- Integration with Google Ads
- Built-in email marketing
- Built-in social media marketing
- Invoicing & CRM
- Automations (like automatic blog posting to keep your site fresh and automatic SEO optimization – very cool!)
- Includes blog functionality
What it’s missing:
- E-commerce
- Appointment booking
My Score:
- Does it look good? 4/5
- How successful was the AI builder in generating an on-target website? 4/5
- How easy is it to customize? 5/5
- Is it optimized for sales? 4/5
- Is it SEO-friendly? 5/5
Overall score: 22/25
Pricing:
- Essentials plan: $15/month
- Essentials + perks like automated marketing: $25/month
Who I would recommend this for:
I really liked this tool. I would recommend it for any service-based business owner who doesn’t need any e-commerce features right now. While it doesn’t have an appointment booking feature, you could easily link to a third-party appointment booking tool like Acuity Scheduling or Calendly. Whether you’re tech savvy or not, this is a great option for you.
2. Jimdo
I saw Jimdo mentioned several times across the web, so I knew I had to try it out. Overall, it’s a really solid option.
What it was like to use:
Jimdo incorporated really good starter prompts that generated a pretty good website. The photos and content were on par. The color palette was off, but was super easy to customize.
Nice features:
- Appointment booking
- E-commerce
- Shop integration with Facebook & Instagram
- Google Ad Integration
- Has a free base plan, but you’re going to want to upgrade for the perks
What it’s missing:
- Blog
- You have to upgrade for SEO features
My Score:
- Does it look good? 4/5
- How successful was the AI builder in generating an on-target website? 3.5/5
- How easy is it to customize? 5/5
- Is it optimized for sales? 3/5
- Is it SEO-friendly? 4/5
Overall score: 19.5/25
Pricing:
- Bare bones plan: Free (no SEO features)
- Basic website: $17/month
- Website + E-commerce: $21/month
Who I would recommend this for:
This is a really good option if you want to sell products, but don’t need a blog. It has some really nice integrations and the platform overall is very easy to use. If I was selling products, I would personally still go with Shopify, but this is an option if you want to try the AI route.
3. Squarespace
I’m not sure that some would consider Squarespace an AI website builder, but I would based on the parameters that you give inputs and it generates a site setup for you.
What it was like to use:
Squarespace’s websites are pretty basic to start with, but you can certainly customize them as you like. I gave this one a little lower score for generating an on-target website because it only uses generic placeholder text and images and doesn’t add those in for you, though you can use the Squarespace’s AI copy tool to generate text for you. It also really only includes a bare bones structure for your pages, so you need to make sure it’s sales ready on your own.
Nice features:
- E-commerce
- Courses & online learning
- Appointment booking
- Send invoices
- Blog functionality
What it’s missing:
- Doesn’t generate images and text for you. But, I also haven’t found an AI website generator that generates perfect photos right off the bat that don’t need to be replaced anyway, so this might not really be that big of a deal.
My Score:
- Does it look good? 4/5
- How successful was the AI builder in generating an on-target website? 3/5
- How easy is it to customize? 4/5
- Is it optimized for sales? 3/5
- Is it SEO-friendly? 4/5
Overall score: 18/25
Pricing:
- Basic website: $16/month
- Basic website + e-commerce: $23/month
Who I would recommend this for:
For the average person, Squarespace is such a versatile, easy-to-use platform. And now, it includes basically any feature you could want to run your business online, which makes it a good option for service-based, product-based, and online course-based businesses.
Other Options I Tested
GoDaddy
GoDaddy has never been a go-to for me when it comes to hosting and websites, but I’ve tested out their AI builder a couple times and it’s not a bad option. I know that so many business owners often go to GoDaddy first because it’s got such good brand recognition, so I feel it’s worth reviewing here.
What it was like to use:
The initial design GoDaddy’s builder generated wasn’t incredibly on target, but they offer a number of other ‘themes’ that you can choose from and I was able to find one that was more on-brand. What I do like about GoDaddy that I think provides a lot of value to the average user is that it integrates some sales-ready features by default, like appointment booking, reviews, contact form, and newsletter signup.
Nice features:
- Includes a number of sales-ready sections
- Appointment booking
- E-commerce
What it’s missing:
- There are some small SEO limitations
My Score:
- Does it look good? 3/5
- How successful was the AI builder in generating an on-target website? 3/5
- How easy is it to customize? 4/5
- Is it optimized for sales? 4/5
- Is it SEO-friendly? 4/5
Overall score: 18/25
Pricing
- Basic Website: $14.99/month
- Website + E-Commerce: $20.99/month
Who I would recommend this for:
If you’re already using several of GoDaddy’s products, then I think the GoDaddy website builder would be a good fit for you. It’s also a good option for those that really just need to get a simple website up and don’t need to do a lot of customization.
Wix
I’ve seen a number of articles that recommend Wix’s AI website builder as one of the top options, so I really had high hopes. I have long wavered with my enthusiasm for Wix. I generally feel that it’s way more complicated than it needs to be. But recently, I saw a cool ad on YouTube that showed an awesome video masking feature. So I was excited to dive in.
What it was like to use:
As I started Wix’s AI web builder tool, it led with some great prompts and it felt very promising. After I finished the prompts, it dropped me into a screen where you see onboarding steps. I was actually a little confused at this point and the experience felt pretty disjointed overall. I wasn’t quite sure what I was supposed to do next and it felt like I was using the same old Wix builder as before. After seeing the initial design it created, I regenerated the site to get a different design and the options got progressively less on-point. At one point, it gave me a black site design for my therapy practice.
Nice features:
- 3 blog posts were also auto-generated
- Online appointment booking
- E-Commerce
- Marketing integration options
What it’s missing:
- The website design created was very generic and not super appealing.
My Score:
- Does it look good? 2/5
- How successful was the AI builder in generating an on-target website? 2/5
- How easy is it to customize? 3/5
- Is it optimized for sales? 2/5
- Is it SEO-friendly? 4/5
Overall score: 13/25
Pricing:
- $19-$34/month
Teleport HQ
What it was like to use:
Overall, TeleportHQ generates a very generic site. It does spin up a site for you after you enter a prompt. The first time I tested the tool, it didn’t place any tailored imagery and used only placeholder copy. I tested it a second time and it used the same page layout, which is fine. It did also choose more relevant photos and it did place copy this time. Though, I prompted it to use a soothing color palette with greens and blues and it gave me a red color palette.
Nice features:
- Their AI image tool is actually very cool and the best I saw on any of the options.
- Includes some nice sales-ready sections from the get-go. The home page layout is pretty good.
- Has a free plan available
What it’s missing:
- The editing dashboard feels a bit complex. Similar to Webflow and also similar to CodeDesign.
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I wasn’t able to get the AI text tool to work.
My Score:
- Does it look good? 2/5
- How successful was the AI builder in generating an on-target website? 2/5
- How easy is it to customize? 2/5
- Is it optimized for sales? 3/5
- Is it SEO-friendly? 4/5
Overall score: 13/25
Pricing:
- $0-$18/month
Who I would recommend this for:
As this tool stands right now, I personally wouldn’t recommend it.
CodeDesign
What it was like to use:
For the average person, CodeDesign feels more complex than it needs to be. Though I used inputs for a therapy practice, it definitely generated a very clinical, medical site with photos, icons, and an overall style that would be more suited for a hospital or clinic. Even after I regenerated the design, it still produced a similar result. It would take quite a bit of customizing to get the site where it would need to be for a therapy practice and I didn’t find it very easy to edit either.
Nice features:
- Option to customize every aspect
What it’s missing:
- Was not on-brand or on-target for my business scenario, even after regenerated
My Score:
- Does it look good? 2/5
- How successful was the AI builder in generating an on-target website? 1/5
- How easy is it to customize? 2/5
- Is it optimized for sales? 3/5
- Is it SEO-friendly? 4/5
Overall score: 12/25
Pricing:
- $15-$49/month
- Or, lifetime deal for $97
Who I would recommend this for:
As this tool stands right now, I personally wouldn’t recommend it.
Summary
Overall, none of the options got a 5 out of 5 for stellar design. The website designs that are generated are pretty simple and basic, but to me, this is the tradeoff you make with tools like these. For a more branded, custom feel, you’ll need to take a more customized approach.
Durable has some very cool AI features, which I believe is where we’ll really start to see the value of AI in website builders and online marketing tools. AI image and text generators are now almost standard, so it will take more advanced features to really set a tool apart at this point. Durable is currently doing that, and it’s why it’s the only tool that got a 5/5 for SEO friendliness.
The last topic I want to touch on is sales-readiness and strategy. If you’re looking for sales strategy and conversion optimization, you’re not going to find that in an AI website generator. For these tools to be able to do what they do, they need to be more general in nature. To optimize an AI website for conversion, you’re going to have to bring the sales strategy and apply it on your own.
