Artificial Intelligence has been the big topic this year! It’s redefining the tech world, and even everyday consumers are enjoying chat bots like ChatGPT.

With the popularity of ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Meta AI, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Apple Intelligence, and countless other LLM’s (Large Language Models), finding answers to questions and obtaining the information you need is quicker than ever. A brief ChatGPT search can synthesize in seconds a response that would have taken several minutes of searching Google and browsing websites.

How does AI help website designers?

Technology has come a long way. 20 years ago, when I started learning website design, I was coding websites from scratch, writing every line of custom HTML, CSS and Javascript code.

Along the way, CMS systems like WordPress became more popular, and these website builders (e.g. Squarespace, Wix, GoDaddy Website Builder) wrote the code for you. These tools sped up our workflow, but they still required technical expertise to fix problems that arose, such as broken links, plugin conflicts, PHP errors, etc.

Now, we have Artificial Intelligence, and these AI tools are dramatically improving the coding experience for website developers by writing and debugging the code for them. For website designers, the AI tools can optimize sites, retouch images, generate color palettes, recommend fonts, and much more in a fraction of the time it would have taken before. And one of the most impressive use cases for AI is troubleshooting website issues. Website error codes and technical quirks that used to take over an hour to debug can now take minutes by utilizing AI bots, clearly explaining the issue, and implementing the recommended fix.

What does this mean for the small business owner? Less billable hours and much faster delivery times from your website designer. Technical requests ("Help! My website is broken.") are resolved faster, and new website projects are built and delivered quicker than ever. Everyone wins!

How do I rank well in the AI bots?

AI is also changing the SEO space. Whereas in the past SEO (Search Engine Optimization) focused on keywords, links, and long-form content, the new AIO (AI Optimization) has 3 primary ranking factors:

1. AI Digestibility — How easy is your website for AI bots to find answers? In addition to deep, well-researched, long-form content, include snippets of clear, well-structured, and easy to extract answers. Write a few frequently asked questions on your web page, then answer them in just a few sentences. This will help AI bots provide the answer to their users.
2. Be the Authority — Rather than a few standard web pages (e.g. a single “Services” page), try to go deeper. For example, Instead of one article or landing page on “garage door repair,” think about “Complete Guide to Garage Door Repair,” “Why Garage Doors Stop Working,” “DIY vs Professional Repair,” and “Cost Breakdown by Issue.” Providing expertise on these topics will signal to the AI bots that you are the authority in your space.
3. Be Cite-able — AI bots don’t just rank web pages like search engines do. They cite sources, such as magazines, business directories, “top 25” articles, and local guides. Try to get listed on those directories, apply for consideration for an award, or cross-link testimonials. The more references to your brand and website across the Web, the more the AI bots see you as an authority and will cite you as a source when providing “the best local ____” in your area.

What if my website’s traffic drops?

We are noticing a trend in website traffic declining. If that’s due to the AI bots (ChatGPT, Gemini), that’s okay! People want to find their answers (“does _____ restaurant have gluten free options?”) one way or the other, either by searching your website or just asking the AI bot. If they find a satisfactory answer on the chat bot (not going to your website), they may still give you a call or visit your business, even without going to your website. Remember, they already got their answer! And that’s okay.

We recommend searching for your brand on ChatGPT, Gemini, etc, to see what sort of information is coming up. If there’s inaccuracies/inconsistencies, it might be worth tweaking your website’s copy to better accommodate these ever-popular chat bots.

Is AI replacing my website?

This goes along with the previous question. People may find their answer through a chat bot without visiting your website, but the information they learned from the AI bot was likely pulled from your website.

For example, if you're traveling to Banff and looking for a nice restaurant, you might ask ChatGPT for a fine dining experience next to a scenic lake. The chat bot provides you some options, and you follow the OpenTable link to make a reservation. You may not have visited the restaurant's website because you trusted the chat bot's recommendation and proceeded to the reservation. But, the only reason you learned about that restaurant was because the chat bot had thorough knowledge of that restaurant's menu, pricing, and reputation through its website (and other online channels like TripAdvisor, Yelp, etc). Therefore, the restaurant's official website was critical in listing them as a suitable recommendation for you.

AI does not replace your website. It uses your website to learn about your company and present answers to those searching for information.

Is AI replacing website designers?

In short, no. Website designers who use AI are replacing websites designers who do not use AI. The time-saving capabilities of these AI tools are exceptional. As a freelancer, I’m spending minutes on chat bots to solve technical problems that would’ve taken over an hour.

Still, only the most DIY-inclined business owner would want to use an AI tool to create their own website. Most business owners would leave these tools in the hands of the professionals who know best how to utilize them. For example, did a Power Screwdriver replace Carpenters? No, carpenters who adopted power tools replaced carpenters who still used manual tools. They just work better, but they didn’t put those tradesmen out of business. Similarly, web designers who use AI are replacing web designers who cannot adopt this new technology. And it’s all for the benefit of the local small businesses, because website design, site edits, and troubleshooting are all done in a fraction of the time. Everyone wins!

What can we do to improve my website for AI?

Your webmaster needs to understand how AI works and how it can help you. For a thorough AI-review of your website, please reach out for a quote. I will review your site top-to-bottom, provide recommendations, and create a plan to improve your AI Optimization.