A website in twenty minutes. Really?
Yes, that works. Tools like Lovable, v0 or the AI assistants inside Wix and Squarespace turn a few sentences into a working website. ChatGPT can generate the code for a simple page too. At first glance the results look surprisingly good.
The more interesting question is what happens afterwards.
Where AI websites hit their limits
- Content is still your job. AI writes fluently, but it knows neither your customers nor your prices nor what sets you apart. Generic copy impresses neither people nor Google.
- SEO is built in to varying degrees. Some builders generate titles, meta descriptions and a sitemap automatically, others none of it. What practically never happens automatically is the editorial work: the right page structure for your topics, sensible internal linking and copy that serves a real search intent. Check the result instead of assuming it.
- Maintenance and growth. If the tool changes tomorrow or you need a feature it does not offer, you are stuck. Generated code without structure is hard for others to build on.
- Interchangeability. AI tools draw on similar patterns. If three competitors use the same tool, three websites end up looking alike.
How we use AI ourselves
We are not saying AI is useless. Quite the opposite: AI is a fixed part of how we work, in development, testing, research and exploring variants. It makes us faster, and that benefits every project directly, including the price.
The difference is who carries the responsibility. Strategy, structure, copy with substance and the technical foundation that gets you found on Google and in AI search remain craft. AI speeds up good work. It does not replace it.
When an AI tool is enough for you
Honest assessment: for a portfolio, a club website or a quick test of a business idea, an AI-generated website is a good and cheap solution. Try it, you have little to lose.
But if the website is supposed to bring in enquiries for years, run in several languages and grow with you, a properly built solution pays off. We wrote down transparently what that costs: What does a website cost in Switzerland?