Clients ask me more and more often: do you use AI too? The honest answer is yes, every day. But probably not in the way you think.
A colleague, not a replacement
I work on my own. That means I am the designer, developer, copywriter and project lead all at once. For me, AI is the colleague who never gets tired: someone to think things through with, who speeds up the boring work and catches what I might miss.
I make the decisions. Whatever goes live, I have checked. That is the key difference between using AI and letting AI do the work.
What I use AI for
Building faster
I use Claude as a programming assistant. It writes a first version of a piece of code, helps track down bugs and thinks along about the approach. Work that used to take an afternoon now takes an hour. I spend that time on what really makes a website better: the design, the copy and the details visitors notice.
Websites in multiple languages
My own website is available in seven languages. Without AI, that would hardly have been affordable for a small business. AI makes the first translation, then I check the tone and the terminology. That makes a multilingual site realistic for smaller companies too.
Findable on Google and in AI
More and more people don't just search on Google, they ask ChatGPT, Claude or Perplexity. If you want to be mentioned there, your website needs to be ready for it: clear copy, a logical structure and structured data, so an AI understands who you are, what you do and where you are.
This is called GEO: Generative Engine Optimization. I apply it to my own site and to client websites with Maintenance & Growth.
Measuring whether it works
Every month I ask several AI assistants the same questions for those clients. For example: which acupuncturist in Amsterdam would you recommend? Is the client mentioned or not? That shows in black and white whether you are visible where your customers are searching today.
What I deliberately don't use AI for
- Your story. Why clients choose you is something I learn from a conversation with you. Not from a language model.
- The final call. AI makes suggestions. I decide what is right, what suits you and what goes live.
- Copy without a human touch. You can often spot AI copy right away: too smooth, too many lists and the same long dashes everywhere. I write myself and use AI as a sounding board at most.
Won't AI take over the work?
I get this question a lot: aren't you afraid AI will take over your work? It can build a website in no time. True: within minutes something appears on the screen. But something that looks good is not yet a good website.
I see myself as the conductor. AI is an orchestra of lightning-fast musicians. Without a conductor everyone plays at once. I decide what is played and at what tempo, and I hear straight away when something sounds off. AI lacks that overview, and the responsibility for what goes live.
Putting a website online is only the beginning. A professional website has to be:
- Secure: an encrypted connection, protected forms, security settings and updates, so nobody gets in unnoticed.
- Fast: well-compressed images and lean code, because visitors leave a slow site.
- Findable: search engine optimisation, structured data and copy that AI assistants can understand too.
- Legally compliant: privacy statement, cookies, GDPR, accessibility and the right company details.
- Maintained: updates, backups and monitoring, even when nobody is looking any more.
That is the difference between an amateur and a professional website. An amateur, with or without AI, mostly sees what is on the screen. A professional also thinks about everything underneath, and stays responsible when something goes wrong.
What's in it for you?
Your website goes live sooner and you pay for fewer hours for the same result. Multiple languages become affordable, and you get found where people search today. Meanwhile you still talk to one person who sees the whole picture.
Curious what AI could do for your website? Book a free 30 minute intro call and we'll look at the opportunities together.