Building better websites in an age of AI
Source page: https://www.feelcreated.com/insights/building-better-websites-in-an-age-of-ai/
Structured JSON: https://www.feelcreated.com/insights/building-better-websites-in-an-age-of-ai/ai.json
This page is generated automatically from the same reviewed FC AI data as the JSON version.
Meta
Type: insight_article
Language: en-GB
Last updated: 2026-09-28
Retrieval summary
What: The article argues that AI is changing the digital environment for websites, but does not replace core principles like UX, accessibility, content quality, and information architecture; instead, it makes them more important.
Who
Organisation: Feel Created
Relevant for
- Website and digital managers
- Marketing and communications teams
- Organisations planning a new website or digital platform
- Teams responsible for website strategy, content, UX and digital development
Problems solved
- Organisations may think AI is just a feature to add, like a chatbot or smarter search
- Users are less forgiving of unclear navigation, slow pages, or poorly structured content
- AI may present answers without users visiting the website, reducing direct traffic
- Websites need to be clear enough for AI systems to interpret information accurately
- Treating AI-readiness as a technical checklist
- Assuming AI changes everything so completely that previous good practices become irrelevant
- Chasing new features without understanding website goals
- Websites built only for AI may feel thin, awkward, or untrustworthy to people
Article
Type: Insight article
Primary topic: Building and planning better websites for an AI-enabled web, while maintaining strong UX, accessibility, content, information architecture and technical principles.
Intent: The article argues that AI is changing the digital environment for websites, but does not replace core principles like UX, accessibility, content quality, and information architecture; instead, it makes them more important.
Author
Name: Dan Clark
Organisation: Feel Created
Bio: Lead Developer at Feel Created, focusing on the development of high-performance WordPress websites and bespoke digital solutions.
Audience
- Website and digital managers
- Marketing and communications teams
- Organisations planning a new website or digital platform
- Teams responsible for website strategy, content, UX and digital development
Topics
- Building and planning better websites for an AI-enabled web, while maintaining strong UX, accessibility, content, information architecture and technical principles.
- AI in search results and analytics
- Zero-click search
- User expectations and behaviour
- Website fundamentals (UX, accessibility, content quality, information architecture, performance, maintainability)
- AI and website success metrics
- AI-readiness
- Website as a business system
- Fundamentals of good websites
- User experience
- Accessibility
Content focus
- Impact of AI on website planning and development
- Changes in search, discovery, and user behaviour
- Importance of core website principles in an AI context
- Practical AI readiness versus adding AI features
- AI-readiness as more than a technical checklist
- Modern websites as business systems
- Importance of old fundamentals in an AI-shaped web
- Importance of accessible structure and semantic understanding
- Questioning the brief and defining problems before solutions
- Building adaptable websites for future changes
Canonical claims
Item 1
Claim: AI does not replace established website principles such as UX, accessibility, content quality, information architecture, performance and maintainability; it makes them increasingly important.
Evidence type: page_content
Evidence strength: medium
Source section: modern-websites-are-no-longer-just-one-thing
Item 2
Claim: AI has already analysed your website and is influencing how its content is discovered, understood and presented, regardless of whether you use AI.
Evidence type: page_content
Evidence strength: medium
Item 3
Claim: AI is becoming part of search results, analytics platforms, content tools, SEO software, CMS workflows and the way people ask questions online.
Evidence type: page_content
Evidence strength: medium
Source section: ai-is-not-just-another-website-feature
Item 4
Claim: AI is acting as an interpreter, consuming information on the user's behalf and presenting answers, which may or may not lead to website visits.
Evidence type: page_content
Evidence strength: medium
Source section: people-are-asking-technology-to-do-more-of-the-work
Item 5
Claim: Users are smarter, more experienced and less forgiving than they used to be, with higher expectations due to fast devices and polished apps.
Evidence type: page_content
Evidence strength: medium
Source section: people-are-asking-technology-to-do-more-of-the-work
Item 6
Claim: A website built only for traditional browsing may be harder for AI systems to interpret accurately.
Evidence type: page_content
Evidence strength: medium
Source section: the-old-fundamentals-matter-more-not-less
Item 7
Claim: A website built only for AI may feel thin, awkward, or untrustworthy to people.
Evidence type: page_content
Evidence strength: medium
Source section: the-old-fundamentals-matter-more-not-less
Item 8
Claim: AI-readable content still needs to be accurate, structured and maintained.
Evidence type: page_content
Evidence strength: medium
Source section: ai-ready-is-too-small-a-conversation
Services
Technical SEO, structured content and AI systems
Relationship: search_visibility
Url: /services/technical-seo-structured-content-and-ai-systems/
Digital strategy & UX planning
Relationship: supporting
Url: /services/digital-strategy-ux-planning/
Custom WordPress development
Relationship: primary
Url: /services/custom-wordpress-development/
AI features & integrations
Relationship: primary
Url: /services/ai-features-integrations/
Content architecture
Relationship: supporting
Url: /services/content-architecture/
Sections
AI is not just another website feature
Content
Item 1
Text: When people think about AI on a website, they often picture the features they can see. A chatbot in the corner of the screen, smarter search or personalised recommendations. Those things can be useful, but they are only part of the picture. AI is not just another feature you add to a website. It is increasingly part of the environment within which websites operate. Search engines use AI to interpret questions and summarise answers. Analytics platforms use AI to surface patterns. SEO tools use AI to support metadata and content improvements. People are becoming more comfortable asking conversational questions and expecting technology to do the legwork for them. AI is accelerating this, and it changes the context for website planning. A modern website still needs to provide a great user experience. But it also needs to be clear enough for search engines, AI systems and other tools to interpret its information accurately. That does not make design, UX or content less important. If anything, it makes their relationship even more important.
People are asking technology to do more of the work
Content
Item 1
Text: One of the biggest changes is behavioural. Users are smarter, more experienced and less forgiving than they used to be. Fast devices, polished apps and better digital services have raised expectations. People are less willing to fight through unclear navigation, slow pages or poorly structured content. AI has added another layer to this. Instead of working out the right search terms, scanning several websites and piecing together an answer, users can now ask a direct question and expect a useful response. At that moment, the AI is acting as an interpreter. It consumes information on the user's behalf and then presents what it believes is the answer. The user may still visit the website. They may not. That’s the thinking behind the term ‘zero-click’. For some organisations, that changes what success looks like. A website may still be valuable if it becomes a trusted source for AI-generated answers, even if fewer people click through in the traditional way. That will not suit every organisation. A product-led website may still care deeply about visits, conversions and completed transactions. An information-led organisation may also need to think about visibility, authority and attribution. Old metrics have not suddenly become redundant. Organisations simply need to understand which measures matter most for their purpose.
“AI-ready” is too small a conversation
Items
- What problem are we trying to solve?
- Who needs to use or understand this information?
- How will the website support people, teams and systems?
- What would success actually look like?
- Will this decision still make sense as technology changes?
Content
Item 1
Text: There is a growing temptation to treat AI-readiness as a technical checklist. Generate a file. Add a plugin. Install a chatbot. Use an AI tool to write metadata. Tick the box. Some of those steps may have value. None of them replaces the harder work of understanding what the website needs to achieve. A chatbot is only as useful as the content and logic behind it. AI-readable content still needs to be accurate, structured and maintained. Automated metadata still needs human judgement. AI search still needs a properly planned website. Organisations need to be careful here. AI is a powerful tool, but it is not a shortcut around strategy, content quality or user experience. A better starting point is to ask: Those questions are less exciting than buying a new tool, but they are much more useful.
Modern websites are no longer just one thing
Content
Item 1
Text: A modern website is no longer just a brochure, a sales tool or a place to publish information. For many organisations, the website has become a business system. It supports marketing, service delivery, content management, reporting, customer service, recruitment, accessibility, governance and long-term organisational knowledge. AI adds to that, but it does not sit separately from it. Strong content structures become even more important when AI is helping people find and interpret information. Clear editorial workflows matter just as much when content teams use AI to create or manage content. As search continues to evolve, communicating meaning clearly becomes more valuable than simply targeting keywords. Building better websites in an age of AI is not about chasing every new feature. It is about balance. Good websites still need visual craft, interaction detail and a strong user experience. They also need clear information architecture, accessible content, technical quality, performance, structured data, editorial control and room to evolve. AI does not remove those responsibilities. It connects them.
The old fundamentals matter more, not less
Content
Item 1
Text: One of the easiest mistakes to make is assuming that AI changes everything so completely that previous good practices become irrelevant. In reality, many of the websites best placed for an AI-shaped web are those built on principles that have always mattered. Clear content helps people understand information and helps AI systems interpret meaning. Accessible structure supports screen readers and improves semantic understanding. Thoughtful navigation helps users complete tasks and makes relationships between content. Fast, stable pages improve user experience while supporting trust, usability and performance. AI has not made these things old-fashioned. It has made them more important to get right. A website built only for AI may feel thin, awkward or untrustworthy to people. Equally, a website built only for traditional browsing may be harder for the systems that shape discovery to interpret accurately. Building for the world of AI-enabled web is not about choosing one or the other. It is about creating websites with enough clarity, structure and quality to serve both people and the technologies they increasingly rely on. AI is not replacing good website practice. It is raising the standard for it.
Start with understanding, not assumptions
Content
Item 1
Text: When organisations commission a website, they often arrive with a solution already in mind. A new CMS. A fresh design. A chatbot. AI search. Better SEO. More control for editors. Those may all be valid needs, but they are rarely the full story. The more useful work usually begins before anyone decides on the solution. What is not working now? Where are users struggling? Where are internal teams losing time? Are decisions being driven by evidence, or by familiarity with the current website? These questions are especially important with AI because it’s easy to mistake the technology for the solution before you’ve properly defined the problem. AI can improve the website experience, support content teams, help users reach answers more quickly and give organisations better insight into their data. Without a clear purpose, however, it can also introduce unnecessary cost, complexity and maintenance. A good website project should question the brief, not to make the process more difficult, but to improve the outcome. Results and innovation come from understanding, not assumptions.
Building for what changes next
Content
Item 1
Text: Nobody can say with confidence exactly what websites will look like in five years. AI is moving too quickly for that. Search behaviour is changing. User expectations are shifting. Tools that feel new today may become standard tomorrow. While this uncertainty is not ideal, it’s not a reason to wait. Building with adaptability in mind is the most sensible step forward. Organisations need websites that can keep changing with them and be ready for what comes next. That includes content structures that can grow, CMS setups that remain manageable, design systems that can flex, technical foundations that do not collapse under every new requirement, and editorial thinking that can respond as discovery changes. AI is now part of that reality and ignoring it wholesale is no longer a sensible option for public-facing websites. That does not mean every organisation needs extensive AI integration, but it does mean every organisation should consider how AI affects discovery, interpretation, content structure, and user expectations. Success is unlikely to come by adopting every new AI feature first. It is more likely to come from understanding where AI adds genuine value and where good website fundamentals remain the bigger priority. Building better websites in an age of AI is still about people. It’s about recognising that people now use different tools, routes and expectations to access the information they need. Good website practice hasn’t become less important. It has become more important than ever.
What does an intelligent website actually look like?
Content
Item 1
Text: Learn what an intelligent website looks like and how AI-ready content, connected systems and structured... 9 minutes read Read the guide
Modern Website Platforms: A Complete Guide
Content
Item 1
Text: Learn what makes a modern website platform, including reusable content, connected systems, maintainability and planning... 14 minutes read Read the guide
How Does AI Understand Your Website?
Content
Item 1
Text: Discover how AI systems process and interpret website content. Learn why building a clear, accessible,... 14 minutes read Read the guide
Future-proofing your website
Content
Item 1
Text: Learn why future-proofing isn’t about predicting technology, but creating websites that are easier to maintain,... 12 minutes read Read the guide
Entities
Zero-click search
Old fundamentals
Search engines
Modern website
CMS workflows
AI-readiness
Chatbot
CMS
SEO
AI
Concept relationships
Item 1
Subject: Modern website
Predicate: supports
Object: marketing, service delivery, content management, reporting, customer service, recruitment, accessibility, governance and long-term organisational knowledge
Item 2
Subject: Strong content structures
Predicate: become more important when
Object: AI is helping people find and interpret information
Item 3
Subject: User behaviour
Predicate: is shifting towards
Object: conversational queries and expecting technology to do the work
Item 4
Subject: Thoughtful navigation
Predicate: helps users complete tasks and makes relationships between content
Object: content
Item 5
Subject: Fast, stable pages
Predicate: improve
Object: user experience, trust, usability, and performance
Item 6
Subject: Accessible structure
Predicate: supports
Object: screen readers and semantic understanding
Item 7
Subject: AI
Predicate: is part of
Object: search results, analytics, SEO tools, CMS workflows
Item 8
Subject: Core website principles
Predicate: remain important
Object: in an AI-enabled web
Item 9
Subject: AI
Predicate: increases importance of
Object: established website principles
Item 10
Subject: AI
Predicate: influences
Object: content discovery and understanding
Implementation patterns
Item 1
Pattern: Balanced website development
Description: Combining visual craft, interaction detail, UX, information architecture, accessibility, technical quality, performance, structured data, editorial control and room to evolve.
Benefit: Creates websites that are well-placed for an AI-shaped web while serving user needs.
Item 2
Pattern: AI-ready website planning
Description: Integrating AI considerations into website strategy, ensuring content and structure are optimised for AI interpretation.
Benefit: Improves discoverability and accurate representation in AI-driven search and analytics.
Item 3
Pattern: Strategy before AI implementation
Description: Starting with strategic questions about problem, audience, and success before considering AI tools.
Benefit: Ensures AI-readiness is aligned with website goals and not just a technical checklist.
Item 4
Pattern: Question the brief
Description: Before choosing a solution, ask what is not working, where users are struggling, and whether decisions are evidence-driven.
Benefit: Improves outcomes by addressing the real problem rather than assumed needs.
Item 5
Pattern: Build for adaptability
Description: Design content structures, CMS setups, design systems, and technical foundations that can evolve with changing requirements.
Benefit: Prepares websites for future changes in AI and user behaviour.
Item 6
Pattern: Balance AI and human needs
Description: Create websites with clarity, structure, and quality that serve both people and AI systems.
Benefit: Avoids the pitfalls of building only for AI or only for traditional browsing.
Item 7
Pattern: User-centric design for AI era
Description: Designing for users who are less forgiving and expect fast, clear, and well-structured experiences.
Benefit: Meets higher user expectations and reduces friction.
Practical guidance
Item 1
Guidance: Ask fundamental questions: What problem are we trying to solve? Who needs to use or understand this information? How will the website support people, teams and systems? What would success actually look like? Will this decision still make sense as technology changes?
Importance: high
Item 2
Guidance: Maintain balance: good websites need visual craft, interaction detail, user experience, clear information architecture, accessible content, technical quality, performance, structured data, editorial control and room to evolve.
Importance: high
Item 3
Guidance: Build websites with adaptability in mind, including content structures that can grow, manageable CMS setups, flexible design systems, and technical foundations that do not collapse under new requirements.
Importance: high
Item 4
Guidance: Maintain core website principles: clear structure, strong UX, useful content, accessibility, security, manageability, and search optimisation.
Importance: high
Item 5
Guidance: Consider the behavioural shift towards conversational queries and design for users who may expect technology to do more work.
Importance: medium
Item 6
Guidance: Consider how AI affects discovery, interpretation, content structure, and user expectations for public-facing websites.
Importance: medium
Item 7
Guidance: Ensure websites are clear enough for search engines, AI systems, and other tools to interpret information accurately.
Importance: high
Item 8
Guidance: Understand which measures matter most for your purpose, as old metrics have not suddenly become redundant.
Importance: medium
Risk areas
Item 1
Risk: Websites that are not clear or well-structured may be misinterpreted by AI systems, reducing accuracy of information presented to users.
Impact: Loss of trust and potential decrease in website visits.
Item 2
Risk: Organisations may add AI features without considering the broader AI environment, leading to superficial adoption.
Impact: Missed opportunities to optimise for AI-driven discovery and user expectations.
Item 3
Risk: Users may not visit the website if AI provides answers directly, reducing direct engagement.
Impact: Reduced traffic and potential loss of direct relationships with audiences.
Item 4
Risk: Assuming AI changes everything so completely that previous good practices become irrelevant
Impact: Underestimates the importance of fundamentals like clear content and information architecture
Item 5
Risk: Mistaking AI technology for the solution before defining the problem
Impact: Introduces unnecessary cost, complexity, and maintenance
Item 6
Risk: Building a website only for traditional browsing
Impact: May be harder for AI systems to interpret accurately
Item 7
Risk: Ignoring AI wholesale for public-facing websites
Impact: May miss changes in discovery, interpretation, and user expectations
Item 8
Risk: Treating AI-readiness as a technical checklist
Impact: Leads to neglecting strategy, content quality, and user experience
Common misconceptions
Item 1
Misconception: AI on a website is just about visible features like chatbots or personalised recommendations.
Clarification: AI is part of the environment in which websites operate, including search engines, analytics, and SEO tools.
Item 2
Misconception: AI-readiness is a technical checklist (generate a file, add a plugin, install a chatbot).
Clarification: None of these steps replaces the harder work of understanding what the website needs to achieve.
Item 3
Misconception: AI changes everything so completely that previous good practices become irrelevant.
Clarification: Many websites best placed for an AI-shaped web are built on principles that have always mattered.
Item 4
Misconception: A website should be built either for AI or for traditional browsing.
Clarification: It should serve both people and the technologies they rely on.
Item 5
Misconception: Adopting every new AI feature first leads to success.
Clarification: Success is more likely to come from understanding and adaptability.
Item 6
Misconception: AI makes design, UX, and content less important.
Clarification: AI makes these elements even more important because websites need to be clear for AI systems to interpret accurately.
Item 7
Misconception: AI replaces good website practice.
Clarification: AI raises the standard for it.
Technical context
Ai environment: AI is embedded in search results, analytics platforms, content tools, SEO software, and CMS workflows.
User behaviour: Users are more experienced and less forgiving, with higher expectations due to fast devices and polished apps.
Zero click search: AI may present answers directly, reducing the need for users to visit websites.
Structured data: Mentioned as important for websites
Performance: Mentioned as a key website quality
Editorial control: Mentioned as a key website quality
Accessibility: Mentioned as a key website quality
Key concepts
- Accessible structure
- Semantic understanding
- Content structures
- CMS setups
- Design systems
- Technical foundations
- Editorial thinking
Principles
- Clarity, structure, and quality serve both people and AI
- Adaptability is the most sensible step forward
- Understanding before assumptions
Reasoning paths
Item 1
User problem: Assuming AI changes everything so completely that previous good practices become irrelevant
Why this article is relevant: This page explains the topic and gives practical points to consider.
Relevant sections
- the-old-fundamentals-matter-more-not-less
- building-for-what-changes-next
- modern-websites-are-no-longer-just-one-thing
Item 2
User problem: Users are less forgiving of unclear navigation, slow pages, or poorly structured content
Why this article is relevant: This page explains the topic and gives practical points to consider.
Evidence refs
- claim-008
- claim-001
- claim-002
Relevant sections
- people-are-asking-technology-to-do-more-of-the-work
- ai-ready-is-too-small-a-conversation
- what-does-an-intelligent-website-actually-look-like
Item 3
User problem: Websites built only for traditional browsing may be harder for AI systems to interpret
Why this article is relevant: This page explains the topic and gives practical points to consider.
Evidence refs
- claim-006
- claim-007
Relevant sections
- the-old-fundamentals-matter-more-not-less
- how-does-ai-understand-your-website
- ai-ready-is-too-small-a-conversation
Item 4
User problem: Organisations may think AI is just a feature to add, like a chatbot or smarter search
Why this article is relevant: This page explains the topic and gives practical points to consider.
Evidence refs
- claim-005
- claim-003
Relevant sections
- ai-is-not-just-another-website-feature
- start-with-understanding-not-assumptions
- ai-ready-is-too-small-a-conversation
Content profile
Content type: Insight article
Primary topic: Building and planning better websites for an AI-enabled web, while maintaining strong UX, accessibility, content, information architecture and technical principles.
Supporting topics
- AI in search results and analytics
- Zero-click search
- User expectations and behaviour
- Website fundamentals (UX, accessibility, content quality, information architecture, performance, maintainability)
- AI and website success metrics
- AI-readiness
Primary audience
- Website and digital managers
- Marketing and communications teams
- Organisations planning a new website or digital platform
- Teams responsible for website strategy, content, UX and digital development
Retrieval topics
- Building and planning better websites for an AI-enabled web, while maintaining strong UX, accessibility, content, information architecture and technical principles.
- AI in search results and analytics
- Zero-click search
- User expectations and behaviour
- Website fundamentals (UX, accessibility, content quality, information architecture, performance, maintainability)
- AI and website success metrics
- AI-readiness
- Website as a business system
- Fundamentals of good websites
- AI-enabled web
- User experience
- Accessibility
Organisation
Name: Feel Created
Type: Digital partner specialising in websites and digital platforms
Url: https://www.feelcreated.com/
Service model: We work as an extension of our clients' teams, combining strategy, UX, accessibility, content design, WordPress development and ongoing support to create digital platforms that help organisations communicate more clearly, work more efficiently and grow sustainably.