"It's got that 'AI-built website' look, in fact it looks almost exactly like mine."

If this Reddit comment hits close to home, you're not alone. Website design ranks as the fifth most common frustration among small business owners using AI builders. The good news? With the right approach, you can transform even the most generic AI-generated site into something that looks professionally designed and actually converts visitors into customers.

Here's exactly how to do it.

Start Strong: Get Better Results From Your AI Builder

The biggest mistake happens before you even see your first design. Most people give their AI builder the bare minimum: "I need a website for my restaurant" or "Build me a site for my consulting business."

This generic input gets you generic results.

Instead, be specific about your business and goals. Compare these two approaches:
Generic prompt: "I need a website for a candle business"
Result: A broad, vanilla design covering all types of candles with no unique focus
Specific prompt: "I need a website for a soy candle business called 'Melt' with a maroon color palette, targeting eco-conscious customers who value handmade products"
Result: A more tailored design with appropriate colors, messaging, and imagery that actually reflects the brand vision
The lesson: Your AI is only as smart as the information you give it. Include your business name, specific niche, target customer, and even preferred style elements in your initial prompt.

Fix the Visual Foundation

Most AI builders give you a functional layout, but it probably looks like every other site they've generated. As one user put it: "Based on my tests, most AI website builders generate websites with plain and generic designs. The main reason is the AI is dependent on the data it's trained on... it's designed to cater to novice users, hence the generic results."

Here's how to make it uniquely yours:

Replace Everything Generic

Start with the obvious culprits. Those stock photos of people in business suits pointing at laptops? They have to go. Even photos taken with your smartphone of your actual work, team, or location will feel more authentic and trustworthy than generic stock imagery.

The same applies to your copy. If your site says you provide "quality services" or "customer satisfaction," you're using the exact same language as thousands of other AI-generated sites. One business owner realized this problem: "I was underwhelmed with the results. The website was shabby and would not appeal to the target audience (in my case, high-end real estate)."

Replace generic phrases with specific details: "same-day emergency repairs," "15 years serving downtown Portland," or "specialized in Victorian home restoration."

Make Your Brand Colors Work

Don't settle for whatever color scheme the AI picked. Your colors should match your brand identity and evoke the right emotions for your audience. A law firm needs colors that communicate trust and authority - think deep blues or professional grays. A children's daycare can use brighter, more playful colors.

Apply your chosen colors consistently across the entire site. This includes buttons, headings, and accent elements. Consistent color use makes your site feel intentionally designed rather than auto-generated.

Clean Up Your Layout

AI builders often create cluttered layouts with inconsistent spacing. Take time to organize your content into logical sections with clear headings. Make sure your most important information - your value proposition, main services, or contact details - appears prominently, especially on your homepage.

Pay attention to white space. Cramped layouts look amateur. Give your content room to breathe by maintaining consistent margins and spacing between elements.

Craft Content That Connects

AI-generated text is a starting point, not a finish line. Here's how to transform it into copy that actually persuades:

Find Your Voice

Go through every headline, paragraph, and call-to-action button and rewrite them in your brand's tone. If you're a friendly local business, make sure your wording reflects that warmth. If you serve high-end clients, your language should sound more sophisticated and professional.

This personal touch in content builds a stronger connection with readers and makes your business feel authentic rather than automated.

Create Clear Value Propositions

Your homepage needs to immediately tell visitors what you do and why they should choose you. AI content tends to be vague, so replace generic statements with specific benefits.

Instead of: "We provide excellent customer service" Try: "24/7 emergency response with guaranteed 2-hour arrival time"

Instead of: "Quality handmade products" Try: "Hand-poured soy candles using locally-sourced ingredients, with 40+ hour burn time"

Optimize Your Calls-to-Action

Check every button and link on your site. Replace boring defaults like "Learn More" or "Click Here" with compelling, specific language that tells people exactly what they'll get: "Schedule Your Free Estimate," "Download the Local Pricing Guide," or "Book Your Consultation Today."

Perfect the User Experience

A beautiful site that's hard to navigate won't convert visitors. Focus on these key areas:

Simplify Your Navigation

Review the menu structure your AI created. Remove any unnecessary pages and use clear, descriptive labels. Your visitors should never have to guess what they'll find when they click a menu item.

If your homepage is long, add anchor links or buttons that jump to important sections like "Our Services" or "Contact Us." Make it easy for people to find what they're looking for without scrolling through everything.

Make It Mobile-Friendly

Over half of web traffic happens on mobile devices, but many people forget to check how their AI-built site actually looks and works on phones. As one user discovered: "Mobile responsiveness was a bit off with the AI design – I had to fix font sizes. Make sure to check your AI-built site on mobile, since a lot of our customers find us on phones."

Test your site on multiple screen sizes and look for problems like text that's too small, images that don't fit, or buttons that are hard to tap.

Most AI builders create responsive designs automatically, but you still need to verify that everything scales properly and remains easy to use on smaller screens.

Speed Things Up

Slow-loading pages kill conversions. Compress any large images your AI added, and remove unnecessary widgets or scripts that might be slowing things down. Use tools like Google's PageSpeed Insights to check your site's performance and get specific recommendations for improvement.

Add Professional Polish

Small details separate amateur sites from professional ones:

Use a Custom Domain

If your site currently lives at something like "yourbusiness.aibuilder.com," get your own domain name. "yourbusiness.com" immediately looks more credible and professional.

Include Trust Signals

Add elements that build confidence in your business: customer testimonials with real names and photos, professional certifications, years in business, or awards you've received. AI builders won't add these automatically, but they're powerful for convincing visitors that you're legitimate and trustworthy.

Keep Everything Consistent

Use the same fonts, colors, and tone throughout your entire site. Consistency makes your business appear professional and established rather than thrown together quickly.

Test and Refine

Before you consider your site finished, put yourself in your customer's shoes. Click every link, fill out your contact forms, and read through all your content looking for typos or broken elements.

Better yet, ask a friend or colleague to spend a few minutes on your site and tell you if anything seems confusing or off-putting. Fresh eyes often catch issues you've missed.

The Bottom Line

AI website builders give you a functional starting point, but transforming that foundation into something that actually drives business requires strategic thinking about your specific industry, customers, and goals.

The businesses succeeding online today aren't necessarily spending more on design - they're being more thoughtful about how their websites serve their customers' needs and reflect their unique value.

Your website is often the first impression potential customers have of your business. With the right refinements, your AI-generated site can compete with anything a custom designer would create, at a fraction of the cost and time.

Want to skip the manual refinement process? Mysite.ai creates industry-specific designs that handle the strategic thinking for you - from color psychology to conversion optimization. Your AI employee understands what your specific customers need to see and builds it from day one. Try it free and see the difference strategic AI makes.