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Making a website takes time and website builders like Squarespace simplify the process. But with the quick development of artificial intelligence technology, there are now even more tools to help you create content and launch a website faster.
AI tools for website development mostly fall into the category of content generators. These types of AI tools are trained on a large amount of existing information and repeat patterns from that information to generate new content. You can use AI content generators to draft website copy, generate decorative images for your site, or set up entire web pages.
AI tools to make website building easier
There are several ways to speed up your website creation with some help from artificial intelligence. AI website-generating tools include:
Standalone AI website generators: These tools generate an entire set of web pages based on your prompting. This is similar to using Squarespace Blueprint to create a custom website template with your preferred pages, font and color palette, and draft copy.
Landing page creators: Instead of generating an entire website for you, these tools generate just the homepage or another key page on your site.
Website copywriting tools: Copy generators, like Squarespace AI, can help you fill out your web pages more efficiently. You can use them to draft or clean up any website copy, then make tweaks to polish it.
Image generators: AI-generated images are an alternative to licensing stock photos for your website if you aren’t finding what you need in a stock library. For anything unique to you, like a headshot or product photos, it’s still best to have your own photos.
Top 4 AI tools on Squarespace
Squarespace has multiple AI generator tools to help you with every part of your website and online presence.
Copywriting generator: Squarespace AI generates copy in response to your prompts, whether for selected text or an entirely new text block. Or you can select from pre-set changes, allowing you to shorten, lengthen, or simplify existing copy.
Product description generator: Coming up with memorable sales copy for each product you offer on your online store can be an exhausting task. To help build out your offerings, feed Squarespace AI a prompt summarizing your product and desired tone of voice to create product descriptions.
Email generator: A good email campaign can drive a lot of traffic to your site. But sometimes it can be difficult to find the right balance between good teaser copy and asking too much of the reader. Squarespace AI works with Email Campaigns to help you effectively build campaigns that convert.
New website onboarding: Whether you’re building your first site or starting from scratch, Squarespace Blueprint allows you to use AI to assist in building out site content. Filling out an entire site with thousands of words can be daunting, but AI onboarding allows you to reduce the task to just a few simple AI prompts.
How to choose which AI tools to use
Any of the tools above can help you get closer to a finished website. But keep your goals in mind when you’re deciding which to use—if any. Most people use AI tools to save time or get inspiration for an idea. If you already know the type of website layout you want but struggle with writing copy, you may only want to use a pre-designed template and an AI copy generator to get started.
With any AI tool, having some experience or research under your belt will get you better results. Take the time to get an idea of your brand’s aesthetic and target audience before you start trying to generate website designs or copy. That way you can quickly identify what is or isn’t working.
If learning a new tool is taking up too much of your time or you’re not happy with the results you’re getting, you can always try again another time. There are non-AI alternatives to turn to, from freelance professionals to stock photos.
Tips for writing website copy with AI
AI copywriting tools are best used for creating the first draft of your website copy. At the end of the day, AI is designed to mimic the way people write, but the output is based on what other people have done before. Any copy that feels more unique to you and your voice is more likely to stand out and catch visitors’ attention.
To make AI-generated content feel more authentic:
Be specific. The more information the tool has to work with, the better your results are likely to be. Include any details that matter to you, from length to tone of voice, to SEO keywords.
Check for errors. Generative AI is still new and can make mistakes that you might not notice at first. Give your copy a careful read before adding it to your website.
Do your research. You’ll get a better result if you know what you want the finished copy to look and sound like. That’ll require some prep work to understand your brand and audience.
Don’t forget to edit. We’re all on the lookout for authenticity more than ever. Re-read any generated text and ask yourself if it sounds natural to you and your brand. Expect to make changes to give it a human touch.
Read our complete guide to drafting copy with Squarespace AI
Writing product descriptions with AI
There are a few additional best practices to keep in mind when using AI to generate drafts for your product descriptions. In addition to the above:
Have a format in mind (bulleted list or short sentences, for example).
Include the product’s selling points in your prompt.
Make the process repeatable so your descriptions are consistent.
Like its website copy tool, Squarespace AI can help you write product descriptions with specific prompts. In the AI text editor, direct the AI tool to write you a paragraph, sales pitch, or blurb about your product. Once you’ve created copy, you can ask Squarespace AI to shorten, simplify, or lengthen your product description.
See more tips for AI-generated product descriptions
Drafting emails with AI
A great next step after you’ve launched your website is to start building your email subscriber list. Email is a perfect tool for connecting with your site visitors and driving traffic back to your site. Simply add a sign-up box to your site and start sending regular updates on your work or products.
Before you launch your email marketing, it helps to know:
What you want to share updates about
How often you want to share
The action you hope subscribers will take after reading your update
With predesigned Email Campaigns templates, the ability to pull content and images from your website into emails, and the AI writing tool to help you draft, the process of creating an email is quicker than ever.
Learn more about using AI email tools
Best practices for using AI images on your website
Getting the best possible result out of an AI image generator can be difficult if you don’t have an artistic background or know common errors to watch out for. The usual best practices apply: Be specific and have an idea of what you want to achieve going in.
On top of that, it’s recommended to:
Choose a reliable AI tool. There are plenty of options out there, so try a few or research your choices.
Expect to go through a few adjustments. Just like you might need to try a few search terms to get your intended result, you may need to go through a few prompts before you land on an image you like.
Watch out for visual errors. Whereas text generators can accidentally state incorrect facts or insert other errors, image generators can create visuals that aren’t totally right. Carefully go over any images before publishing them. These errors can be especially common if you try to generate images with people in them.
Get our tips for using AI-generated images on your website
9 steps to make your website using AI tools
Creating websites with the help of AI tools can enable you to work faster, but some preparation and extra thought will help you take advantage of everything your website builder offers.
Do your prep work. Great web design starts with research. Get a thorough understanding of your target audience and what you want people to do once they reach your website before you do any design work.
Choose a website template, create a custom one, or try an AI website generator. You’ll spend less time customizing your website design if you start with a template that closely matches your website needs.
Customize your design and layouts. Choose colors and fonts that match the energy you want people to get from your website or brand.
Add your pages. Add any additional pages you need, like an About page or an ecommerce store.
Use Squarespace AI to start filling out your copy. Finish your copy quickly by using Squarespace AI to generate drafts for you. Or highlight text and use the AI tool to condense or check your text for errors. Make final edits before finalizing to get it just right.
Decide on your images. Upload your own photos, license from a stock photo library, or use an AI image generator to get the visuals you want.
Optimize for SEO. Make sure your website copy includes common search terms for your area of focus and that it’s easy to use and navigate.
Test your site. Preview your website in mobile and desktop view and on different devices. Ask friends or colleagues to try it out and point out anything that’s not working or unclear.
Launch and share. Publish your website and bring in your first visitors by sharing it on your social media, in your emails, and more.
This post was updated on November 13, 2023.