I Tried AI to Build a Website in 3 Hours — It Only Took 30 Minutes

There are lots of reasons you might need to build a website in three hours, and there are certain folks who might want to do such a thing: a creative person who loves the idea of using artificial intelligence to make things, for instance, or the solopreneur who needs a landing page to connect with new clients ASAP.

Or me, the person who has been sitting on the idea of making a website, yet is overwhelmed by the surplus of creative talent, brand identity and design companies available for hire… and is hyper-aware of the steps between a website design project's initial brainstorm and launch.

I first heard of Wix in 2016, but I hadn't looked that far into it since I was committed to another design platform. So when I noticed that part of its newest AI offerings included an upgraded website builder, I thought this would be a good time to test Wix as a website domain -- and check out its take on AI. (I will admit my curiosity was influenced by it ranking #1 on CNET's Website Builder list.)

Wix ADI vs Wix AI

Wix's first iteration of its website builder, Wix ADI, launched as a quicker way to build websites. After plugging in your design requirements and preferences, ADI responds with design options based on these inputs. This allows you to customize the design process in an attempt to make designing less of a big task and more of a guided approach. 

Its target demographic is someone with no design experience looking for simplification and ease, yet you need a subscription plan, which ranges between $17-$159/month, to access it.

The main difference between Wix ADI and the newer Wix AI is that Wix AI is an enhancement to ADI -- the next generation of site creation, "offering more sophisticated design and content generation abilities, as well as a suite of Wix's AI-powered tools designed to help increase your productivity and reduce the effort required to create the website you envision." 

With new AI upgrades, including a chat system that uses natural language processing -- machine learning that helps machines communicate in human language, like the Bing and ChatGPT chatbots -- to understand your vision, Wix AI's response is a more personalized website outcome. Plus, Wix AI is free to use. 

How Wix AI delivers a website design… in 30 minutes

I appreciate the playfulness of Wix AI's Website Builder. For anticipating the creative possibilities that lie ahead, the user experience of its landing page supported this. 

Once I entered the Wix Site Creation area, I was greeted with a message to start a chat about my website project. In the footer, it reminds you that "AI can make mistakes," so as always make sure you double check the accuracy of its suggestions. It also advises you not to share personal information, which you should always keep in mind when using AI chatbots -- keep personal and sensitive information off the table to avoid the risk of data breaches.

These were the steps to setting up my website on Wix AI:

1: The Website Builder first inquired about my Site Name, Site Type, Site Applications and my project Goals. Then, I was asked about the services I'd offer and any specific website end goals.

2: I was asked about specific features that would support these goals. I didn't know the answer to this, so I asked Wix AI for some suggestions.

Screenshot by CNET

3: The natural language processing system then took those answers and generated a website for me. It included a Site Brief that breaks down what structures were added to my website, plus the ability to Make It A Little Different or Regenerate Site. I ended up utilizing this feature because I wasn't pleased with the first take -- including a stock photo of a hand that literally could not belong to me, nor my target audience.

4: Wix's second attempt at a website design was more aligned, including a mosaic-like style that worked well with my simple, organized vision. From here, you can adjust the content and design details: typography, images, colors, line weights, text and moving around design blocks.  

5: My website resulted in five blocks, including Website Menu/Homepage, Offerings, Gallery Showcase, Philosophy and Footer. Knowing that I could easily spend the other 150 minutes of my initial expectation toggling around and fine-tuning each area of my site, I was happy with what Wix built for me in 30. 

Should you try Wix's AI Website Builder?

The website design Wix AI came up with for me.

Screenshot by CNET

As someone who has entered -- and quickly exited -- a $1,000 website design course, I enjoyed the Wix AI Website Builder for its design process. The chat system was my favorite part; it felt like I was working one-on-one with a design consultant. And since it forced me to think about my end goal and design needs (which I believe is half the struggle), navigating a website design after the structure is laid out based on your specific needs feels much more approachable.

Now, I absolutely label myself as someone with no design experience, who is short on time (and patience) and whose end goal was to get something up to consider it complete. The Wix AI Website Builder wasn't created for someone who designs daily, but a design-savvy professional could find the website-building experience a fun tool to navigate and explore. And for someone with no design experience, it made the task easy, possible and fast.

I could name numerous activities that waste 30 minutes -- you know, those that seemingly feel like three hours -- but I wouldn't rank Wix AI's Website Builder up there. We all deserve to express our needs and have them met, even if it's with an artificial intelligence platform. 

And it listens! And responds accordingly. Fascinating.