AI-Generated Website Design vs. AI-Content: What’s the Difference?

The AI train shows no sign of slowing down any time soon, with brands slipping the phrase artificial intelligence into any and all of their marketing (even when it isn't technically the case).

As a result, it can be hard to get a grip on the actual use cases for AI, and how it improves productivity and output.

Two of the most effective ways are AI-generated website design and AI writing or content, but these terms are often mixed up. Discover the key differences between AI-generated website design and AI content.

Short on time? Here are the key takeaways

• AI website design builds your site's look and feel, and AI content generation fills it with text and media.
• Both AI tools save time and money but require human oversight for the best results.
• The drawbacks are that AI website design can limit creative freedom while relying too heavily on AI content risks sounding generic and attracting Google penalties.

What Is AI-Generated Website Design?

The term AI-generated website design refers to using artificial intelligence to create website layouts and functionalities.

AI website builders allow users to create websites with little to no coding experience simply by answering a few questions, clicking and dragging a few boxes, and inputting information.

The benefits

Saves time

Typing a few detailed prompts and clicking a couple of buttons is a much quicker way to create a website than coding it from scratch, which is a crucial benefit of opting for an AI-generated website design.

Saves money

AI-generated websites are also significantly cheaper, as a good web designer can come with a large fee. An experienced website designer is worth their value, however, for small businesses and those who just need a brief portfolio website, AI-generated websites can be very attractive simply due to price.

Provides an online presence

Finally, having a website is essential for any business to begin growing its online presence, and an AI-generated website can help people do that, regardless of their technical expertise.

The drawbacks

Limited design elements

As you can imagine, when templates are involved, you are somewhat restricted when using an AI-generated website design. However, the right web designer can help remove many of those limitations.

Long-term scalability issues

While AI-generated websites can work in the short term, if your business begins to expand and offer new services, it can be tricky to keep up when confined to templates and cookie-cutter designs.

What Is AI-Generated Content?

As we've touched on many times, AI-generated content is any content that you create with an AI tool, most commonly ChatGPT or Gemini.

It’s possible to create AI-generated content from a simple prompt or in the form of article rewrites. AI content can be incredibly beneficial but it also has a few drawbacks.

The benefits

Saves time

Using AI-powered tools for content creation can greatly speed up your processes. For instance, it’s useful for drafting content briefs, which allows you to focus on other important tasks for your job.

Say goodbye to writer's block holding you back and slowing you down. With the right prompts, AI content tools can easily fill in the gaps and keep you pushing forward.

Simplifies complex content

AI generative tools can also be fantastic for simplifying complex content, allowing you to turn detailed studies into digestible content for a different audience, for example.

However, if you are using it to draft content, it’s important to maintain transparency with your audience.

Great for learning and research

Artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT can also be fantastic for learning more about a subject and acting as a marketing assistant while you research and plan new content ideas.

The drawbacks

Content sounds too 'samey'

If you’ve used AI tools, you’ll know just how similar content can begin to sound after a while. If anything, it feels as though AI tools tend to get progressively worse, prompting OpenAI and other industry leaders to implement major updates.

This same-sounding content can lead to your output becoming boring or too similar for your audience.

It can prompt a decline in search traffic

Google is taking a major stance on websites with too much AI-generated content, with many seeing significant traffic declines after the big update in May.

Therefore, it's important to use AI tools sparingly within your content creation process while still focusing on your human expertise and writing.

Misinformation and hallucination

ChatGPT and other AI content-creation tools are also well-known for generating false facts or AI hallucinations and making things up. The problem is when you're using them frequently, these errors become quite hard to spot and could slip through your checks. 

If you do use AI to create content, remember to carefully review facts and use a fact-checker.

The Differences Between AI-Generated Website Design and AI-Generated Content

What it creates

• AI Website Design: Focuses on the visual aspects of your website, like layouts, color schemes, and image placement. Think of it as the blueprint for your online space.
• AI-Generated Content: Creates the information that fills your website. This can be text, images or even videos.

Level of control

• AI Website Design: Often uses pre-designed templates with some room for customization. You can't have complete creative freedom from scratch. Imagine the many themes available on a website like WordPress.
• AI-Generated Content: Offers more control over the specifics. You can set parameters for the AI to generate content that aligns with your brand voice and target audience, although the content often sounds very 'samey' regardless of the depth of your prompting.

Technical requirements

• AI Website Design: Many AI website builders are user-friendly and require minimal coding knowledge. Squarespace, for example, allows you to drag text boxes, images, and other elements onto your site, using a grid style to code your requirements in the background.
• AI-Generated Content: Can be used with varying technical skills. Depending on your requirements, you typically don’t need specific training to start using AI-generated content.

Human involvement

• AI Website Design: While AI suggests layouts, a human designer can refine them for a better user experience and ensure they align with your brand identity. For example, you could create your template on WordPress or Squarespace to speed up the process and then ask an experienced website designer to tidy everything up and make it look professional.
• AI-Generated Content: AI content often needs human editing for accuracy and clarity to ensure it reflects your brand's voice and message. Without human involvement, your content can sound bland and if it doesn’t comply with Google’s spam policies, it could have a negative impact on rankings.

Final Thoughts

AI-generated website designs and AI-generated content differ, but both are incredibly effective when used sparingly and with the support of human expertise.

If you want to ensure that your website does not contain too much AI content and risk getting marked down by Google, check out the Originality.ai website scanner to highlight potential instances of AI content on your web pages.

Frequently Asked Questions About AI Tools and Natural Language Processing

Will AI tools take my job?

While AI can automate some tasks, it's more likely to change the way we work than eliminate jobs entirely. For example, new skills are evolving to collaborate and streamline workflows with AI tools.

Are AI tools safe?

Like any powerful technology, AI needs to be used responsibly. Biases in training data can lead to unfair outcomes, and security is an ongoing concern.