A polished AI-generated site can still leave you with broken DNS records, a contact form that goes nowhere, and no confidence in the result. This rebuild became a practical comparison between an AI-generated site and professional website implementation.
Client work had kept us busy, but our own site had become slow and parts of it had broken down over time. We used a short lull to test AI tools, rebuild in WordPress, and see where automation helped and where professional judgment still mattered.
Key Takeaways
- AI tools helped create a visual starting point and speed up parts of the website rebuild, but several tools created integration, DNS, and workflow problems.
- A polished AI-generated page is not automatically a finished website; forms, domain settings, responsive layouts, content migration, and business integrations still require testing.
- Professional experience made it possible to identify incorrect AI output, troubleshoot WordPress and DNS issues, and complete manual fixes faster than repeated AI attempts.
- The rebuilt WordPress site improved its Google PageSpeed score from 62 to 98 while preserving existing content and connecting contact forms to sales and marketing systems.
- The project showed that AI can support website production, but professional judgment remains essential for turning a visual result into a reliable business system.
Client Work Often Comes Before Your Own Website
When you work professionally, you can recognize problems in your own business long before you have time to address them. A mechanic may need to fix their own car, but customer alignments and strut replacements come first. We were in the same position with our website redesign.
Our own website needed work, but client work came first.
The old site had performance problems and no longer presented our work at the level we wanted. We sell hosting, eLearning development, and enterprise-level web projects. When projects can reach $70,000, $80,000, or $90,000, our business website needs to load quickly. A slow site can make it harder to support website traffic and present that work convincingly.
We had also paid for new website copy about two months earlier. Although we liked the copy, it didn’t improve conversions enough within the existing infrastructure.
The Rebuild Started With a Clean WordPress Install
Rather than keep patching an old stack, we started with a fresh WordPress installation. This gave us a foundation for clean code and a manageable design system while preserving our existing work.
- We created a clean database, plugin setup, and technology stack, while considering hosting and security.
- We kept hundreds of existing blog posts and media assets through a controlled content migration.
- We tested newer tools for faster production and asked whether they could export code suitable for WordPress.
- We intended to bring the finished work into a system we understood and could manage.
The goal wasn’t to discard our history. We wanted a cleaner foundation for the existing content, services, and business systems.
Several AI Website Tools Fell Short
Etch and Bricks Didn’t Fit the Time Available
We first considered building with Claude and Etch, a visual editor for creating sites. However, Claude didn’t connect with Etch the way it connected to other tools, and we found ourselves jumping through too many hoops.
That wasn’t a criticism of Etch or its creator. We hadn’t kept up with recent changes while handling client projects, and we only had a small break in our schedule. We also evaluated whether each platform could export code or integrate cleanly enough with WordPress. After roughly half a day, we moved on.
We also installed Bricks, hoping for a light and fast site. Yet, after attempting to connect it with Claude, we decided not to continue with that route either.
WP Vibe Was Temporarily Unavailable
Next, we planned to use WP Vibe with Astra, since we have an Astra lifetime license. At the time, though, WP Vibe’s site was unstable. The front end came and went, while the MCP subdomain connection didn’t work.
Several tools were ruled out before the rebuild could properly begin.
Lovable Produced a Site, but Not Confidence
Although we are WordPress professionals, we tried Lovable, an AI website builder, for a new Mañana No Mas! site. We spent hours over roughly four or five days correcting problems and working through messages that would be difficult for a typical customer to interpret.
Lovable gave us DNS code that didn’t work, then reported that the website URL was active when it wasn’t. We waited because the system said propagation could take up to 72 hours. Later, it told us the supplied code was outdated and gave us replacement settings for the custom domain, which required more waiting.
Eventually, the site loaded quickly. However, the page appeared complete even though its contact forms didn’t send submissions anywhere. We had to create a subdomain and add additional DNS settings before the form could send email notifications. This occurred while using Lovable’s paid plan, which cost $25 per month.
A tool can create a working page and still create a poor user experience.
The form-testing process added to the uncertainty. Lovable asked whether we wanted it to test the form. After we approved the test, it spent time processing before explaining that it couldn’t see the website and couldn’t test anything. It then told us how to test the form ourselves.
Because we run an agency, we could make some sense of the messages behind the scenes. A customer without that background would have little reason to trust the process.
Recreating the Design in WordPress
Once WP Vibe returned, we used the Lovable version as a visual reference. We connected Claude to WP Vibe and opened our clean WordPress installation with Astra. Then we asked Claude to recreate the modern website. We checked its responsive design across different screen sizes, including the core page structure and landing pages.
For the most part, it worked, and Claude produced a strong first version of the new design. But a visual reference or export code isn’t automatically a finished, maintainable site. It missed a few details, and requests for changes created unexpected results.
The logo became the clearest example. We asked Claude to display it differently, but it claimed the problem was fixed when the page still showed the wrong result. The issue exposed a gap in the design system, since brand rules need consistent application. After repeated attempts, we told Claude to remove the logos and return the site to an earlier version.
We then made the needed changes manually in about two minutes. Manual correction kept the WordPress implementation controlled and the clean code easier to maintain. Claude had spent roughly 20 minutes trying to solve the same issue.
AI isn’t coming for our jobs. It can help us start, but experience tells us when the output is wrong and when it is faster to fix the work ourselves.
The New Site Reached a 98 PageSpeed Score
The rebuilt site raised its Google PageSpeed score from 62 to 98, although PageSpeed is only one factor in search engine rankings. This SEO optimization work helps About, Services, Work, and Contact load quickly on desktop screens and mobile devices. Earlier posts, media, and links to our work remain, helping protect existing website traffic.
The Work section connects visitors with projects and expertise that include Powersport Academy training programs, LifterLMS eLearning tools, the Agency Action Show, and our local WordPress meetup. We were calling the blog area the “Wisdom Channel” at the time, although we were still deciding whether that name would stay.
The site also reflects the types of work we want to discuss, including enterprise eLearning projects, community and membership sites, and ecommerce sites. Those projects require more than a fast front end, so the contact system needed to connect to the business systems behind the website.
Contact Forms Now Feed Sales and Marketing Systems
We built our contact forms with Bit Form. When someone submits one, the entry goes into our business CRM as a lead, where it can enter a sales pipeline and receive lead scoring.
At the same time, Fluent CRM acts as the marketing CRM inside WordPress. It handles mass emails, broadcasts, newsletters, funnels, and the digital marketing follow-up connected to those efforts.
The form integration follows a clear path:
- A prospect completes a form built with Bit Form.
- The submission enters the sales CRM as a lead.
- The same person joins the general Fluent CRM list for newsletter communication.
This setup lets a site with a 98 PageSpeed score run a sales CRM, a marketing CRM, and the integrations between them while keeping the older site content intact.
Professional Experience Still Finishes the Job
AI helped us test ideas, create a visual starting point, and move faster in parts of the rebuild. Yet the project still required a web design agency’s judgment, along with tool selection, DNS troubleshooting, WordPress knowledge, and manual corrections.
Our WordPress website services are built around that kind of work. The value isn’t in producing a page that looks complete. It’s in knowing how website traffic moves, whether visitors reach the right pages or convert into leads, and how the site behaves. That means checking form destinations, lead handling, and website analytics.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can AI rebuild a complete business website?
AI can create a strong visual starting point, but it does not automatically produce a complete business system. DNS, forms, analytics, content migration, integrations, and testing still require careful implementation.
Why did the team rebuild the site in WordPress?
A clean WordPress installation provided a manageable foundation for the new design, existing content, and business integrations. It also gave the team control over the code, plugins, hosting, and long-term maintenance.
What problems did the AI website tools create?
The tools caused issues with DNS settings, domain status, form delivery, platform connections, and design changes. Some problems were difficult to interpret without professional knowledge of websites and hosting.
How did professional experience improve the final result?
Professional experience helped the team select suitable tools, diagnose failures, preserve existing website traffic, and connect forms to sales and marketing systems. It also made it clear when a manual fix was faster and more reliable than another AI-generated change.
Did the rebuilt website improve performance?
Yes. The site’s Google PageSpeed score increased from 62 to 98, while the rebuild preserved older posts, media, and links to existing work. PageSpeed is only one factor in search rankings, so the team also focused on usability, conversions, and business integrations.
Professional Judgment Is the Difference
The finished Mañana No Mas! website is faster, cleaner, and connected to the systems we need to run the business. More importantly, the process confirmed that a polished AI output is only part of a web project.
Professional experience remains the difference between an AI-generated result and a working business system. For more of Kurt von Ahnen’s work and background, visit Kurt von Ahnen’s biography.