Will an AI Website Builder Actually Grow Your Business?

AI website builders can build you a decent-looking site in about ten minutes, but most of them won't get your phone ringing because they're built for speed, not for sales. If you just need a digital business card, they're fine, but if you want a tool that actually brings in new customers, you need to be very careful about which one you pick.

The honest truth about AI website builders

Look, I get the appeal. You’re a busy business owner in Brisbane, you’ve got jobs lined up from Chermside to Coorparoo, and the last thing you want to do is spend six months and ten grand fighting with a developer.

Then you see an ad for an AI builder. It says "Just type in your business name and we’ll do the rest." It sounds like magic.

But here’s the thing: Google doesn't care how fast your website was built. Google cares if your site is useful, if it’s fast, and if it answers the questions your customers are asking. Most AI builders spit out generic, cookie-cutter text that sounds like a robot wrote it—because a robot did.

If your website sounds like every other sparky or lawyer in town, why would a customer pick you?

Why most AI sites fail the "Phone Test"

I talk to business owners every day who are frustrated. They’ve built a site themselves using a cheap AI tool, it looks "nice," but the phone isn't ringing.

They’re overpaying for websites that don't actually do anything.

An AI tool can pick a color scheme. It can find a stock photo of a person smiling at a laptop. But it doesn't know your local area. It doesn't know that people in Paddington care about different things than people in Logan. It doesn't know how to write a headline that makes someone stop scrolling and hit the 'call' button.

💡 Quick take: AI is a great starting point for a draft, but it’s a terrible finishing point. If you don't go in and make it sound like a human, you're wasting your time.

Comparing the Big Players: Wix ADI vs. Hostinger vs. Framer

If you're going to go down this path, you need to know what you're getting into. Not all AI tools are created equal.

1. Wix ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence)

The Good: It’s very hard to break. It’s safe. The Bad: It’s rigid. If you want to move a button two inches to the left, the AI might throw a tantrum. Will it make money? Maybe, if you spend hours fixing the generic text it writes for you.

The Good: It’s fast. Like, five minutes fast. The Bad: The SEO (how Google finds you) is basic. It often misses the mark on getting more enquiries because the layouts are a bit too simple. Will it make money? It’s better than having nothing, but you’ll outgrow it in six months.

3. Framer AI

The Good: The designs are world-class. It makes you look like a big-budget agency. The Bad: It’s a steep learning curve. It’s not really for a beginner who just wants to get a site live.

• Will it make money? Yes, because it looks professional, but only if you have the patience to learn the software.

The "Local Factor" that AI misses

I’ve seen AI builders write content for a Brisbane plumber that talks about "faucets" and "winterizing pipes."

Nobody in Queensland says "faucets." We don't "winterize" anything. If a local customer sees that, they know immediately that you’re either a bot or you’ve outsourced your brain to a computer in Silicon Valley. Trust is gone.

If you want to win more customers, your site needs to sound like you. It needs to mention the suburbs you work in. It needs to talk about the specific problems we have here—like storm season or the humidity affecting your gear.

"Angus Smith's take — Most AI builders are like buying a pre-made suit from a supermarket; it covers your back, but it'll never fit right or make you look like the expert you actually are."

— Angus Smith, Founder & Marketing Director

Speed, Phones, and Google

One thing I will give the better AI builders credit for: they usually make sure your website works on phones.

In 2024, if someone is looking for a service, they’re doing it on their phone while they're on a lunch break or sitting on the couch. If your site takes ten seconds to load because the AI stuffed it with massive, unoptimized images, that customer is gone. They’ll click the next person on Google before your logo even finishes loading.

What should you actually do?

Stop looking for the "magic button." It doesn't exist.

If you have a tiny budget, use an AI builder to get a layout together, but then do these three things:

1. Rewrite every single word. Don't let the AI talk for you. Use your own voice. Tell people why you’re better than the bloke down the road. 2. Use real photos. Throw away the stock photos of people in hard hats who look like they’ve never seen a day of sun. Use a photo of you, your van, and your actual team. 3. Focus on the call to action. Make sure your phone number is at the top of every page. Don't make people hunt for it.

✅ What to do: Before you pay for any AI website subscription, write down exactly how you want your phone to ring. Is it a form? A call? A booking? If the AI tool makes that hard for the customer, bin it and move on.

Is it a waste of money?

For a lot of people, yes. They spend $30 a month on a subscription for a site that sits on page 10 of Google and never gets a single lead. That’s $360 a year down the drain.

I’d rather see you spend that time and money on a simple, one-page site that is built properly for Google and actually tells people what you do.

Marketing isn't about having the shiniest new AI toy. It’s about making it easy for people to give you money. If your website doesn't do that, it's just a hobby.

If you’re sick of guessing and want to know what actually works for a business in the real world, reach out to us at Local Marketing Group. We don't do fluff, and we don't let robots do the thinking for us.

Ready to get more bookings? Let’s have a chat.