Are AI-built Websites Optimized for SEO?

Search engines process billions of queries each day, and businesses need their websites to appear in those results. The AI website builder market reached $3.1 billion in 2024, with projections showing growth to $25 billion by 2035. This expansion raises a practical question for anyone building a website: can AI tools create sites that actually rank in search results?

The answer depends on several factors. Some AI-built websites perform exceptionally well in search rankings, while others struggle to gain visibility. The difference often comes down to the specific platform used, the quality controls in place, and how well the site owner understands the fundamentals of SEO. Recent data from Ahrefs indicates that 48% of sites utilizing AI content tools achieve a first-page ranking on Google within three months. At the same time, Google has started penalizing websites that rely solely on low-quality AI content, with affected sites losing an average of 17% of their traffic after the March 2024 algorithm update.

How AI Website Builders Handle Technical SEO

AI website builders approach technical SEO differently than traditional development methods. These platforms generate code automatically, create sitemaps, and implement basic optimization features without requiring manual configuration. According to Yoast research, 71% of small websites using AI saw improved on-page SEO performance scores.

The technical implementation varies widely between platforms. Some AI builders create proprietary code structures that limit customization options. Users often find that they cannot modify meta descriptions, title tags, or structured data without upgrading to a premium plan or working within restrictive templates. WordPress-based AI builders operate differently. They generate standard WordPress sites that accept plugins and custom modifications, allowing users to control technical SEO elements.

Performance Metrics and Page Speed

Core Web Vitals have become essential ranking factors, and AI-built websites show mixed results in this area. Research from Duda indicates that 82% of websites built on their platform fall within the “good” range for Interaction to Next Paint (INP), which replaced First Input Delay in March 2024. For context, optimal performance requires LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) to be faster than 2.5 seconds, FID (First Input Delay) to be under 100 milliseconds, and CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) to be less than 0.1.

AI builders that prioritize performance often achieve better results than manually coded sites. Agrofy experienced a 70% improvement in LCP after implementing AI-powered optimizations, which corresponded with a 76% reduction in load abandonment. Yahoo! Japan saw measurable improvements after optimizing Core Web Vitals, resulting in 15.1% more page views per session, a 13.3% increase in session duration, and a 1.72% decrease in bounce rate.

Content Quality and Google’s Algorithm Updates

Google’s position on AI-generated content has evolved considerably over the past year. John Mueller, Google’s Senior Search Analyst, stated at Search Central Live in Madrid that quality raters should watch for pages with main content created using automated or generative AI tools and rate them as lowest quality. This guidance appeared in the January 2025 update of the Search Quality Rater Guidelines.

The March 2024 core algorithm update specifically targeted low-quality AI content. Google aimed to reduce non-original content in search results by 40%. Research analyzing 487 search results found that human-written content dominates top positions for competitive keywords. Yet the data also shows that AI-built content reduced bounce rates by 23% compared to manually written sites, according to Google Analytics data. This contradiction suggests that quality matters more than the method of creation.

SEO Success Rates with AI Builders

Real-world performance data provides insight into how AI-built websites actually perform. Content created with AI often appears in search results within two months, considerably faster than traditional content creation methods. Nearly seven in 10 companies report better returns after integrating AI into their SEO and content workflows.

Small businesses have enthusiastically adopted these tools. Data from Statista shows that 68% of small businesses globally used AI-assisted tools for web creation in 2024. SCORE reports that 73% of small retailers used AI builders to launch online stores during the same period. Additionally, HubSpot found that 62% of users with e-commerce sites reported a 25% or greater increase in conversions after using AI layout suggestions.

WordPress-Based AI Builders vs. Proprietary Systems

The platform underlying an AI builder has a substantial impact on SEO capabilities. Proprietary AI website builders often restrict access to essential SEO features. Users cannot install third-party plugins, modify code directly, or implement advanced optimization techniques. These limitations become problematic as websites grow and require more sophisticated SEO strategies.

WordPress-based AI builders offer a different approach. Since they create standard WordPress sites, users retain full control over SEO implementation. The WordPress plugin directory contains over 58,000 options, including powerful SEO tools such as Yoast SEO and RankMath. This flexibility allows site owners to optimize meta descriptions, implement schema markup, and adjust technical settings as needed.

GreenGeeks’ WordPress-Based Solution

GreenGeeks launched their AI Website Builder in January 2025, built specifically on WordPress architecture. The system includes pre-configured SEO settings that implement optimization automatically. Page analysis using several free online tools showed that sites created with GreenGeeks’ builder include smart SEO defaults that beginners or busy business owners typically overlook.

The builder creates actual WordPress sites rather than proprietary structures. This means users can install any WordPress plugin, add custom code, or switch themes without losing their content. The platform’s SEO-ready templates help sites get indexed faster while maintaining performance standards. Since the underlying technology remains WordPress, users aren’t locked into a specific ecosystem and can migrate their sites if needed.

Traffic Growth from AI-Powered Search

Search behavior continues to change as AI-powered search tools gain adoption. The 2025 Previsible AI Traffic Report tracked 19 GA4 properties and found that traffic from large language models rose from approximately 17,000 to 107,000 sessions when comparing January to May 2024 with the same period in 2025. This represents a 9.7% growth in AI traffic since 2024, with Gen AI traffic growing 165 times faster than organic search traffic.

Xponent21 provides a compelling case study. By spring 2025, they held the top result for “Top AI SEO Agency” in both Google’s AI overviews and Perplexity’s search results. One client’s monthly AI referral traffic grew by 2,300% and appeared for 90 keywords within AI overviews, compared to zero before optimization.

Balancing Automation with Human Oversight

Successful SEO with AI-built websites requires understanding what automation handles well and where human intervention adds value. According to industry data, 75% of marketers utilize AI to reduce the time spent on manual tasks, such as keyword research and meta-tag optimization. Meanwhile, 52% of SEO professionals noticed performance improvement from using AI for on-page SEO.

The most effective approach combines AI efficiency with human quality control. AI excels at generating initial content, identifying keyword opportunities, and implementing technical optimizations. Humans provide context, verify accuracy, and ensure that content serves the actual needs of users. Sites that demonstrate genuine expertise consistently outperform those that merely check SEO boxes.

Future Outlook for AI Website SEO

The AI SEO software tool market is expected to reach an estimated $4.97 billion by 2033, up from $1.99 billion in 2024. This growth reflects continued investment in AI-powered SEO solutions. The June 2025 Google core algorithm update emphasizes topical authority and E-E-A-T – Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust – in preparation for the wider deployment of AI-driven features, such as AI Overviews.

Over 20 million websites globally now use AI-based website builders, according to BuiltWith. As these numbers increase, search engines will continue to refine their ability to identify and evaluate AI-generated content. Success will depend on choosing platforms that offer flexibility, maintaining high-quality content, and adapting to algorithm changes.

Making AI Work for SEO

AI-built websites can achieve strong SEO performance when implemented correctly. The data reveals clear patterns: WordPress-based solutions outperform proprietary systems in terms of SEO flexibility, quality content matters more than the generation method, and technical optimization remains essential regardless of how sites are built.

For businesses considering AI website builders, the choice of platform makes a substantial difference. WordPress-based options, such as GreenGeeks’ AI Website Builder, combine the benefits of automation with the control necessary for effective SEO. These platforms handle technical basics automatically while allowing customization as sites grow. The key lies in selecting tools that support long-term SEO goals rather than limiting future options.