Traditional vs AI Website Builders: Which is the Right Choice for You?

The long battle between AI web vs traditional tools is ongoing and many business owners are still confused about which option is better to go with. 

You, yourself, are looking to build a good website that will convert visitors into customers, but you are stuck between making the right choice between AI web builders and traditional tools.

Let’s not forget that AI web builders are newer to the market, but are expected to reach annual growth of 31.1% by 2033. 

However, no need to worry because, In this article, we’ll dive deeper into learning more about the detailed comparison between AI and traditional web-building tools, and seeing which is the right choice for you to make. 

Understanding AI web builders on a deeper level 

AI web builders are starting to become highly popular and have been a trending topic in the past few years. Put in simple words, they are tools that leverage AI to automate and simplify the web creation process. 

Rather than having to rely on someone to code everything or on templates, AI builders guide you throughout the process to help you make data-driven decisions for producing customized websites. 

With these tools, you simply describe what you want on your website, and the AI algorithm does all the work. Also, the good news is that these tools are available for use 24/7, so you don’t need to wait for anyone’s approval. 

The way AI web builders work

AI builders are typical site builders controlled by AI. The AI web builder will require information from your side or share website information first. The information required is usually your industry, web name, business description, and other important contact information. 

After the information is inputted, the AI web builder will: 

1. Generate website layouts based on business preferences and the industry they are in;
2. Create website content like product descriptions, headlines, blogs, and web copy;
3. Recommend media and images to improve your website. 

Basically, AI web builders will create the website based on the information you are giving to them. 

Key features of AI web builders 

Now that we have shown you how AI web builders work, it’s time to show you the key features of AI web builders: 

1. Drag-and-drop interfaces: AI builders don’t limit your creativity even after they create the website for you, you can still have full control over what the final version of your website will look like. Drag-and-drop features are used to allow users to adjust texts, images, and widgets. 
2. Pre-designed templates: AI tools will automatically create templates based on the business information you provide them with. Traditional page builders, on the other hand, will give you pre-built templates, but this is created on their own, and not always based on personalization. 
3. AI-powered suggestions: These include suggestions like offering you name ideas based on your preferences and industry. It also helps in suggesting titles, copy, texts, images, logos, and other important website content. Short put, the entire website is created and optimized based on AI suggestions. 
4. Multi-language ready: Not every AI web builder might have this tool, but it gives website owners the power to build websites directly with the AI based on the languages provided by the tool. This is an excellent choice if you are someone who wants to reach a global audience. 
5. SEO-optimized: AI web-building tools have built-in SEO tools that optimize your website’s structure and content to improve SEO ranking. They can provide reports, allowing users to track SEO performance on your website. 
6. Offer e-commerce features: AI helps in improving e-commerce functionality by offering features like product recommendations, dynamic pricing, and personalized shopping. These features help in increasing customer satisfaction and sales. 

Keep in mind that each AI web builder has different templates, so it’s vital to pay attention to what they have to offer, and whether they suit your business requirements or not. 

The advantages and disadvantages of using AI website builders 

Advantages 

1. Beginner-friendly: You don’t need to have any tech skills or coding experience to build your website with AI tools. The only thing you need to do is enter your business details and other important information that is required. 
2. Cost-effective: You don’t need to pay thousands of dollars to build a website from scratch, or pay agencies, but only the monthly subscription the tool has to offer. 
3. Fast and efficient: Instead of waiting for weeks, or months for the website to get done, AI tools can create it in just 30 seconds. Tasks like content, design, and optimization are automatically regulated. 

Disadvantages 

1. Still under development: Depending on which AI web-building tool you are using, the quality of the tools won’t be the same since many of them are still under development. 
2. Limited creative control: If you are someone who doesn’t want to invest time in creativity, AI tools might not be the best option for you. 
3. Algorithm dependent: AI web builders heavily rely on algorithms, so if they fall short, users might have to face limitations in design recommendations and functionality. 

Understanding traditional web builders 

Before AI ever existed, traditional web builders dominated the web design industry. These tools provide you with templates, design elements, themes, and ample flexibility to create your website on your own. 

While many users don’t know where to start when using traditional web builders, those who have some coding experience and have a specific goal on how they want their website to be, would find traditional web builders to be great for them. 

The downside, however, is that you can’t create these websites instantly, or with a tight budget, but need to hire someone to do it for you, or do it on your own. More than 3,500 companies were surveyed and 54% of them claimed that their websites will take up to six months to be completed! 

The way traditional web builders work 

While we mentioned that you can either hire someone to do the work for you or do it on your own, the overall procedure traditional web builders follow includes the following: 

1. Project planning phase: The first step to creating the ideal website, defining project goals, and creating a plan for your website.
2. Prototyping and design: Web designers will create wireframes of the website’s layout and visual elements to create sitemaps,content, optimize the user experience, and more. 
3. The development phase: This involves front-end and back-end development. If you have no coding experience, this phase will stop you from going any further. 
4. Testing and debugging: Developers will see if the website has any bugs, test its usability, and compatibility features to see if the functions are working properly or not. 
5. Deployment phase: This is where the website is launched and tested on how accessible it is to users. 
6. The maintenance phase: A website needs to always be overlooked for any bugs, and performance needs to be continuously monitored and even checked for any security issues. 

Traditional web builders do take much more time to build a website, but those who are experienced in doing so might find it as an advantage. 

Key features of traditional web builders

Key features between traditional and AI web builders will differ in the way they are set up. Also, it’ll strongly depend on which traditional web builder you are using, but generally speaking, here are what most of them offer: 

1. Drag-and-drop interfaces: Used for arranging images, buttons, forms, and texts. 
2. Pre-made templates: Web builders like WordPress will have professionally designed templates you can use. These templates are customizable and can fit for different industries. 
3. Customizable themes: Many traditional web builders profile a wide range of themes that can be customized regarding their layout, font, and color scheme. 
4. SEO tools: These tools offer built-in SEO tools, allowing you to add meta tags, URLs, and descriptions for improving the website’s visibility on search engines like Google. 
5. E-commerce capabilities: There are built-in e-commerce features like online store templates, inventory management, shopping cart functions, and even payment gateway integrations. 
6. Hosting and domain services: Traditional web builders will bundle domain registration and web hosting most of the time, making the process more simple.
7. Third-party integrations: These are a popular option that includes integrations with email marketing tools, social media channels, analytical tools, and even customer-relationship (CRM) software. 
8. Security features: Includes built-in features like SSL certificates, firewalls, automatic backups, and other preventive measures to make sure that the user’s data is protected and respects global privacy regulators. 

While traditional web builders do have many features, they are even more useful when you know what your website goals are and what you are trying to achieve. 

The advantages and disadvantages of traditional web builders 

Advantages 

1. Lots of customizable options: Especially if you are using web builders like Wix and WordPress, you’ll have many customizable options available. You don’t have to deal with any limitations from third-party platforms. 
2. Full website creation control: If you are someone who wants to take full control of how your website is created, using traditional web builders will be the right fit for you. 
3. High-quality: Experienced developers will always manage to achieve in creating a high-quality website, so this isn’t something to worry about. 

Disadvantages 

1. Expensive: Unlike AI web building tools, here, you’ll be paying thousands of dollars, even more, if you hire someone to do the work for you. 
2. Will take time to build: Traditional web builders won’t give you a high-quality website in a day, but this process will take weeks to months, so if you are in a rush, too bad!
3. Steep learning curve: If you have basic coding knowledge, you might have a hard time trying to keep up with the learning curve of building a website. 

The key differences between AI web-builders and traditional web builders 

Now, we come to the face-off between the two tools. This will also help in dictating which one is the right choice for you. 

It’s now time for you to decide which tools are the right choice for your website

Traditional web builders provide more customization options but require more time and effort from your side, or from the developer you are hiring.

Maintaining the website also requires effort, but if you are someone who is experienced in coding and loves customization, traditional web builders might be the right choice for you. 

On the other hand, we have AI web builders, which are quickly evolving and providing users with some insane results. If you prioritize speed and want a user-friendly tool that will only cost you a monthly subscription, these tools are the right way to go. 

Most users will prefer AI web builders over traditional ones, only because they have no coding experience and want to create a website instantly. AI is evolving quickly, so one day, it might even equalize traditional web builders.