What to leave out
AI adds everything a page usually has. A person leaves out what your customer doesn't care about, so what they do care about stays visible.
Agencies, freelancers and AI
A website in an afternoon. Customers can tell that's how it was made.
More and more agencies and freelancers generate a site with an AI tool, swap in the logo and hand it over as custom work. It's fast and cheap for them; you get a site with no visual thinking behind it that looks like a hundred others. Here's how it compares with the way we work, and twelve signs that give such a site away – before you sign the quote.
- A headline that fits any business
- Purple gradient and sparkles
- Three identical, empty cards
- What, where and how much – in the headline
- Phone and enquiry always visible
- The company's real numbers
Three routes
STRUO, a rushed AI build or a traditional agency?
All three get you a website. The difference is how much thinking goes into it, what it looks like and who is there once it's live.
| STRUOCustom design, AI only as a toolRecommended | Rushed AI buildAn agency or freelancer who generates the site | Traditional agencyWordPress or custom | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who decides on design | A designer who knows your industry and customers | An AI tool; the provider swaps the logo and colours | A designer, often starting from a purchased theme |
| Look | Unique, tailored to your brand | Generic, same as the provider's other clients | Depends on the theme and budget |
| Copy | Written with you, in your words, with a concrete offer | Generated, vague, often with invented facts | Often you have to provide it |
| Photos | Your real photos, edited for the web | Generated or stock images that aren't yours | Stock or yours, depending on the deal |
| Upfront cost | €249 | Often a few hundred euros for a few hours of work | €1,500 or more, plus theme and plugin licences |
| Time to launch | 1–2 weeks | Fast, but fixes drag on because there's no plan | Several weeks to a few months |
| Mobile, speed, SEO | Tested on real devices, lightweight code | Rarely checked on a phone, basic SEO missing | Depends on the theme and plugins |
| Legal pages and cookies | Included and GDPR-compliant | Empty or copied from abroad | Often an extra charge |
| After launch | Hosting, updates and support in the plan | Often nobody – the provider has moved on to the next site | Maintenance billed separately |
Who decides on design
- STRUO
- A designer who knows your industry and customers
- Rushed AI build
- An AI tool; the provider swaps the logo and colours
- Traditional agency
- A designer, often starting from a purchased theme
Look
- STRUO
- Unique, tailored to your brand
- Rushed AI build
- Generic, same as the provider's other clients
- Traditional agency
- Depends on the theme and budget
Copy
- STRUO
- Written with you, in your words, with a concrete offer
- Rushed AI build
- Generated, vague, often with invented facts
- Traditional agency
- Often you have to provide it
Photos
- STRUO
- Your real photos, edited for the web
- Rushed AI build
- Generated or stock images that aren't yours
- Traditional agency
- Stock or yours, depending on the deal
Upfront cost
- STRUO
- €249
- Rushed AI build
- Often a few hundred euros for a few hours of work
- Traditional agency
- €1,500 or more, plus theme and plugin licences
Time to launch
- STRUO
- 1–2 weeks
- Rushed AI build
- Fast, but fixes drag on because there's no plan
- Traditional agency
- Several weeks to a few months
Mobile, speed, SEO
- STRUO
- Tested on real devices, lightweight code
- Rushed AI build
- Rarely checked on a phone, basic SEO missing
- Traditional agency
- Depends on the theme and plugins
Legal pages and cookies
- STRUO
- Included and GDPR-compliant
- Rushed AI build
- Empty or copied from abroad
- Traditional agency
- Often an extra charge
After launch
- STRUO
- Hosting, updates and support in the plan
- Rushed AI build
- Often nobody – the provider has moved on to the next site
- Traditional agency
- Maintenance billed separately
Indicative values for a small business presentation site. Agency and freelancer offers vary – AI isn't the problem, a site without thinking is.
How to spot a rushed site
Twelve signs a site was rushed out with AI.
One sign on its own means nothing. When you see five or six together in an agency's portfolio, the site was generated and barely touched. Your customers notice too, even if they can't say why the site doesn't feel trustworthy.
Pick a sign from the list or a number on the example.
Look
The default palette of nearly every generator: dark background, purple-blue gradient, a soft glow behind the headline. It has nothing to do with your brand.
What a person doesColours come from your logo, your industry and the place you work.
A ✨ next to every heading, a rocket for “fast”, a shield for “secure”. Symbols that say nothing about your service.
What a person doesIcons only where they help reading – or a real photo instead.
Every section is a grid of three cards with an icon, a title and two lines of text. The page has no rhythm; everything is equally important.
What a person doesSections take different shapes because they carry different content.
Centred headings, equal spacing, the same type size everywhere. The eye doesn't know where to look first.
What a person doesClear hierarchy: one main line, one next step, the rest supports it.
Content
“Elevate your business to the next level”, “Innovative solutions for your success”. Swap the company name and it works for a hairdresser or a lawyer.
What a person doesThe headline says what you do, where and for whom – in the first five words.
“500+ happy clients”, “98% success rate”, a review from John D. with a photo of someone who doesn't exist. Customers check, and trust is gone.
What a person doesOnly real numbers, real reviews and a name you can call.
“Not only… but also”, adjectives in threes, “your trusted partner”. The sentences are correct, but nobody talks like that.
What a person doesCopy in the language your customers know you by – including your industry's own terms.
People who are too perfect, odd hands, unreadable text on a T-shirt, a workshop nobody recognises. Local customers see straight away that it isn't you.
What a person doesYour people, your place and your products – even from a phone, if well edited.
Function
“Get started” reloads the same page, footer links point to #, the form sends nothing. The site looks finished but doesn't work.
What a person doesEvery button has a purpose: a call, an enquiry, a price estimate or a booking.
Fine on a laptop; on a phone, overlapping text, a menu that won't close and oversized images. Yet most of your visitors are on a phone.
What a person doesThe site is tested on real phones, not just in a preview.
The privacy policy is copied from the US or missing, the cookie banner blocks nothing, company details are absent. For an EU business that's a risk.
What a person doesLegal pages and cookies under local rules and GDPR.
Everything moves: the headline floats, cards spin, counters run. The site gets slower and distracts from the point.
What a person doesMotion only where it helps understanding or guides attention.
The human touch
What is the “human touch”, really?
It isn't taste. It's the decisions a tool can't make for you – and that a rushed provider skips.
Who the customer is
A retiree looking for a fence reads differently from a company booking freight. Type size, words and order are decisions made for them.
What counts as proof
Real projects, location, years of experience and a face. Things customers can verify – which is what makes a site trustworthy.
What the next step is
A call, an enquiry or a price estimate. One clear path you see on every screen, not five buttons competing with each other.
Honestly
Do we use AI?
Yes – as a tool. It helps with code, first drafts and checks. It doesn't decide the design, copy or structure of your site. We make those decisions, together with you, and we stand behind them after launch.
- Design by a person
- Copy reviewed with you
- Your photos, not generated ones
- Tested on real phones
Get in touch.
Tell us what you need – a managed small-business website or a custom project. Expect a reply in under 24 hours.
Your contact person
Lan Sojer
Sales and advice
- Email:
- lan.sojer@struo.si
- Phone:
- 030 372 100
- Location:
- Ljubljana · working across Slovenia and the EU