As digital marketing continues to evolve, artificial intelligence has emerged as a powerful tool for website development and SEO optimization. In today's video, we talk about how AI can streamline website creation, support SEO strategies, and save time on content generation.

WordPress: The Foundation for SEO SuccessBefore diving into AI applications, we need to establish a fundamental point: platform choice matters significantly for SEO success. While many businesses are tempted by the  simplicity of platforms like Wix, Weebly, Squarespace, or Shopify, these options often fall short of gaining solid SERPs."I'm very much about how we get traffic for people," Beth explained, highlighting that WordPress (specifically wordpress.org, not wordpress.com) remains the superior choice for businesses serious about their online presence. This is particularly important for e-commerce sites, where Beth recommends WooCommerce over Shopify for better SEO performance. And although Shopify can be mofidified to perform, it us usually cost prohibitive to do so.

AI-Assisted Website DevelopmentOne of the most impressive demonstrations showed how AI can dramatically accelerate the website creation process. Using WordPress with the Astra theme and Spectra page builder, Beth demonstrated a near-complete dentist website built in roughly 20 minutes.The process followed these steps:

Install WordPress with the Astra themeAdd Spectra as the page builderUse the AI Builder feature to define the business type (dentist)Provide a business description (generated through Claude AI)Select images and design preferencesLet the AI generate the website framework

This approach doesn't eliminate the need for customization but creates a solid foundation that would typically take hours to build manually. As Beth notes, this is particularly valuable for those who find WordPress intimidating but need a professional-looking site with good SEO potential.

Determining Website Structure with AIPerhaps the most valuable application of AI demonstrated was using it to determine optimal website structure and content strategy. Beth showed how asking Claude AI targeted questions about specific business types yields comprehensive outlines of recommended pages and services.For example, when asked what pages a dentist in Kingwood should include for SEO purposes, Claude generated a detailed list including:

HomepageAbout UsServices page (with specific dental services)Patient informationBefore and after galleryTestimonialsBlogContact information and map

The AI didn't stop there - it provided a breakdown of specific services that should be featured, essentially creating a content roadmap for the entire site. This same approach worked for other business types, including commercial real estate and translation services, demonstrating its versatility.

The Critical Role of Keyword ValidationWhile Beth showcased AI's power, she repeatedly emphasized a crucial point: "AI is thought-provoking, not thought-replacing." This became particularly evident when examining keyword suggestions.Using the "Keywords Everywhere" tool (a Chrome extension that shows monthly search volumes), Beth demonstrated how some AI-suggested terms have zero monthly searches, making them ineffective SEO targets. For instance, while Claude might suggest "property acquisition and sales" for a commercial real estate website, keyword research revealed that potential clients actually search for "buy commercial real estate" (10,000 monthly searches) or "sell commercial real estate" (1,600 monthly searches).This validation process is essential for transforming AI suggestions into effective SEO strategy. As Beth explained, "I don't want to see you go down an AI road and just give the AI answer just because it's giving you the answer... It's not smarter than you are."

Creating Content Depth Through Page Hierarchy