Being first to market can be a major advantage. A new study by Hostinger, one of the best website builders, suggests that AI is helping entrepreneurs get their business online faster than ever before.
The results of the study, shared exclusively with TechRadar, highlighted that 40% of entrepreneurs asked were able to turn their ideas into businesses in less than a month. This is thanks in large part to the use of some of the best AI website builders and other AI tools.
The study showed that 71% of entrepreneurs said that they use AI when starting, building, and scaling their online businesses. This wasn’t exclusively at the website building stage, although 42% of respondents did show that they used AI when creating their site. In contrast, 35% used AI within their SEO and marketing strategies, and 31% harnessed AI to generate ideas for content marketing or business strategy development.
A large proportion of these users found that AI saved them time, especially when applied to simple and/or repetitive tasks.
AI and the future of website building
Hostinger isn’t alone in offering an AI website builder to users. AI-powered tools are fast becoming a staple among website building platforms with big players including Wix, Squarespace, and GoDaddy all with skin in the game.
But AI isn’t just a gimmick within the website building space. Hostinger’s study found that entrepreneurs are adopting AI tools quickly, using them to speed up processes, make strategic decisions, and save money.
Auksė Žirgulė, Head of Hostinger Website Builder, says it’s surprising how quickly entrepreneurs have adapted to the new reality: “Out of around 900,000 websites created with Hostinger Website Builder, approximately 700,000 were created using AI Builder.”
Concerns over AI adoption
The survey also revealed that platforms such as Hostinger still have some way to go before achieving full AI adoption.
Notably, 29% of SMBs said they were not currently using AI at all. 12% of these noted that they are interested in leveraging AI, but didn’t currently have the time to explore it and 20% stated that they simply didn't know how to use it. More worryingly, 15% of these respondents noted that they did not trust AI and have privacy concerns about using it and another 10% said they had used it in the past only to find the results were of a poor quality.
With this in mind, it is clear that the industry must continue to create better AI tools and develop better communication and education strategies around them.
About the study
Hostinger’s survey included answers from 208 active business owners from across several English-speaking countries including the UK, US, and India in July and August 2024. The study targeted Hostinger users, with around nine out of ten respondents having created their online shop with Hostinger, either by using the Hostinger Website Builder or WordPress.
