AI Website Builders vs. Professional Website Builders: What Small Businesses Need to Know
At Commonwealth Creative Marketing we have seen a rise in the use of AI for small business website design. Artificial intelligence continues to help people shape their brands and bring great ideas to life but will always lack the “human touch”. Today, business owners can use AI-powered website builders to generate a professional-looking website. This is a good option for those on a budget or those who need a simple site for the time being just to get something out on the web. But what happens after the website is built?
A website needs more than just an attractive appearance. A great website needs a reliable content management system that allows you to customize your site as your business evolves. The greatest websites are managed by someone who understands; ongoing maintenance, security updates, plugin updates, backups, performance optimization, customization, troubleshooting, and most importantly technical support.
What Is a CMS and Why Does It Matter?
A professionally built website provides users with a robust Content Management System (CMS). This allows you to manage the website’s content; make edits, change pictures, update important settings, and perform valuable SEO optimization without having to know code in most cases. To the contrary, AI websites require extensive coding knowledge to make changes once established. Instead of treating your website as a one-time project, a professional website design with a good CMS treats it as an ongoing business asset.
At CCM we build all our sites in WordPress (currently powering approximately 42-43% of all websites on the internet), giving small businesses significant control over their websites. This flexibility becomes increasingly valuable as your company grows. Which often requires adding new; pages, services, locations, products, resources, blogs, FAQs, case studies, ongoing SEO and much more.
AI Can Build a Website, But Who Manages It Afterward?
For many small business owners, learning how to manage a site can be a significant investment of their valuable time. You shouldn’t have to become a web developer just to maintain your business website. Professional website management saves you time, letting you focus on providing great customer service to your clients and earning reviews. Professional website managers have the technical knowledge required to understand:
- How the website’s editor works
- How 3rd party plugin updates may affect your site
- How to modify page layouts
- How to make design changes
- How to manage forms
- How to connect integrations
- How to troubleshoot errors
- How to optimize images
- How to manage SEO settings
- How to maintain website security
- How to create backups
- How to diagnose compatibility problems
- How to fix broken functionality
One of the biggest misconceptions about website development is that the visible website is the entire product. Behind the pages are databases, themes, plugins, integrations, hosting configurations, DNS settings, forms, analytics, security systems, backups, media files, code, APIs, and other technologies that allow a modern website to function.
Technical Support
One of the biggest advantages of working with a professional website management company is having someone to call when something stops working. When something goes wrong on your site it can be difficult to diagnose if you aren’t familiar with website development. The technical support provided by a professional website management company gives you a resource that can investigate these problems, identify the cause, and implement a solution. Instead of searching through tutorials and forums for hours and guessing at code, small business owners can have experienced professionals handling the technical side of the website.
AI Is Just Changing Website Development, Not Eliminating the Need for Experts
AI can help you get a website online, but a website shouldn’t just be a digital brochure. The best websites become an important piece of your company’s infrastructure, evolving over time. It is important to remember that AI is best used as a tool, do not expect it to replace the entire lifecycle of your website. Creating a website and managing a website are two very different things. AI can be a wonderful timesaver when it comes to generating ideas for content as well as design layout ideas. But unless you need a quick one-time website with little to no chance of edits down the road, you’re going to need a content management system and someone to manage it. The professional web development and management team at Commonwealth Creative Marketing ensures that your website continues to work, evolve, remain secure, and support your business long after the initial launch.