B2B websites play a crucial role in business development. Not only does a high-quality website boost the perception of your business through content and design, but a great B2B website is also a 24/7, always-on “digital sales assistant,” ready to funnel users into your sales pipeline the moment they click the home page.
AI in web design is gaining traction as user-friendly tools hit the marketplace, enabling non-developers to launch a new website or update their site’s content.
We’ve seen a surge in non-developers trying to enhance aspects of their websites by implementing AI-generated code. While it’s true that, under the right circumstances, AI can create code that results in a nice-looking website, B2B web design is about more than that. It’s about a website that generates quality business leads. And that’s where AI falls short.
How do B2B websites turn visitors into leads?
Lead generation is a fundamental aspect of B2B web design, not an afterthought. The website’s back-end file structure, systems architecture, and user experience should all take into account how potential customers are engaging with the site – and how they can be funneled into the next step of conversion.
B2B websites feature many touchpoints for lead generation, some more obvious than others. In addition to on-screen call-to-action (“CTA”) buttons throughout the site, contact forms, gated content, email subscription registration, product demo requests, online appointment scheduling, and webinar/event registration are all ways potential customers can enter your sales orbit.
This lead information is designed to ensure you capture the right details, route them to the right team members, and use the data to support your growth objectives. None of this functionality exists in a vacuum. It’s all carefully considered before your website is launched.
Why using AI for lead gen is a dead end
Getting AI to build a website is one thing. But getting your website to bring in qualified leads takes more than a few prompts. Here are some of the ways using AI for web design can stymie your company’s lead gen efforts and create trouble for your sales pipeline.
- Not employing best practices. AI can build a form, but it needs direction on what information to collect, how short to keep it, and how to prevent spam submissions.
- Creating pages that don’t guide visitors toward action. Generic layouts might not place calls to action where they’re most likely to engage.
- Losing prospects before the page loads. Bloated AI-generated code can slow page load times, which may increase bounce rates and negatively impact SEO and GEO.
- Delivering a frustrating user experience. AI can only simulate the experience of a person interacting with your website, which might ultimately leave real visitors confused about where to click or what to do next.
- Breaking functionality when making changes. Without consistent site architecture and human-led checks and balances, an AI-generated update can disrupt forms, break pages, and cost you leads.
- Leaving gaps in the conversion process. Mishandling form submissions and haphazard CRM integrations can halt leads midway through your sales pipeline.
- Not understanding the nuances of your business. Leads from your website should flow seamlessly into your daily operations, which requires a practical understanding of your business.
Better leads require understanding the bigger picture
AI understands how to execute on very specific tasks given under very specific direction, but it lacks the understanding of how your website should support your business, and how your site’s functionality might need to evolve to advance your sales goals. For that, there’s no substitute for an experienced B2B web design partner.
All the team members at a web design agency understand how to structure your site – from the technical to the practical to the aesthetic aspects – to generate and capture more quality leads.
While some developers use AI for web design as part of their jobs, we don’t recommend that non-professionals use AI in B2B web design.
The bottom line
AI does have a place in web design. We’ve seen non-developers use it successfully in low-stakes scenarios like personal blogs or portfolio sites where the website needs only to display basic content. But in scenarios with real business consequences, AI isn’t yet a reliable enough partner.
Don’t risk losing leads by cutting corners with an AI-developed website. What might be a perfectly functional execution in the back-end code of a B2B website could be a confusing, unhelpful experience for the only users who matter: the humans ready to become your next customers.
Are you ready to capture more leads with your B2B website? Let’s talk about building a site that delivers results.
