AI website builders: the design mistakes to check for

Key takeaways

An AI website builder can generate a plausible small business site in minutes, but it produces the average of what it has seen. Check for generic headlines, invented claims, stock imagery, low-contrast text, unlabelled forms and missing contact details before you publish. Treat the output as a first draft, not a finished site.

• Rewrite every AI headline in your own specific words.
• Delete any statistic, testimonial or claim you cannot prove.
• Check contrast, form labels and keyboard access yourself.
• Put your real phone number, address and photos in.

What does an AI website builder do?

An AI website builder is a tool that generates page layouts, text and images from a short description of a business. Many website platforms now include one. It speeds up the blank-page stage, but it does not know your customers, your prices or your proof, so it fills the gaps with generic content.

• The most common business website design mistakes
• Agency, freelancer or website builder?

Mistake 1: generic headlines and copy

AI-generated copy tends towards phrases such as 'Your trusted partner for quality solutions'. It could describe any business. Replace it with what you do, for whom and where, and with the questions your customers actually ask. Specific copy is easier to read and more persuasive.

• Website copywriting for small businesses

Mistake 2: invented claims and proof

AI tools can generate testimonials, customer counts, years in business or awards that are not true. Publishing invented reviews or claims can mislead consumers, which UK consumer protection law prohibits; the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 specifically bans fake reviews. Delete anything you cannot evidence.

• Use testimonials and case studies on your website

Mistake 3: stock and generated imagery

Generated images and generic stock photos are easy to spot and add little trust. Nielsen Norman Group found people ignore decorative images and pay attention to real people and products. Swap in photos of your team, premises and work as soon as you can.

• Stock photos on a business website: when they hurt

Mistake 4: accessibility faults

Generated designs often use fashionable pale palettes and placeholder-only form fields. Check text contrast against WCAG's 4.5:1 minimum, give every form field a visible label, add meaningful alt text to images and press Tab through the page to confirm you can see where you are.

• Colour contrast on websites: why grey text loses readers
• Alt text for business website images: how to write it

Mistake 5: missing business basics

AI builders often leave out the details that matter most to a buyer: a real phone number, address, service area, opening hours, prices or ranges, and company details. UK companies must show certain information on their websites, including the registered name and number. Check these before launch.

• Legal requirements for a UK business website
• Where to put contact details on your website

Mistake 6: a structure that fits nobody

Generated sites follow a standard pattern: hero, features, testimonials, call to action. That may not match how your buyers decide. A clinic needs booking and practitioner pages; a logistics firm needs service areas and capabilities. Restructure around your buyers' questions rather than the generated outline.

When is an AI website builder a sensible choice?

An AI builder is a sensible starting point for a very small business that needs a simple online presence quickly and will edit the output carefully. It is a poor fit when you rely on the website for most new business, need integrations, or work in a regulated sector where wording matters.

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see: an AI-built site looks tidy but every page could belong to any competitor, and the testimonials were generated. Replacing the copy with specific answers and real reviews takes a few days and changes how the site reads more than any design change.

• See client work
• Website Design & Development for UK businesses
• Website design review: score your own site in 30 minutes

AI site pre-launch checklist

• Rewrite headlines in specific, plain words.
• Remove any claim, review or number you cannot prove.
• Replace generated images with real photos.
• Check contrast, labels, alt text and keyboard focus.
• Add phone, address, hours and company details.
• Restructure pages around your buyers' questions.

Next step

Read every sentence on your AI-built homepage and mark any you could not prove or that a competitor could also say.