AI and Web Development: What Companies Should Actually Care About

AI is everywhere right now, and if you are hiring an agency or working with one, you are probably wondering what actually matters and what is just noise. We recently sat down as a team to talk through where AI is genuinely useful in web development today, and where it is still more hype than help. The goal was simple. Being honest, what does this mean for clients who want a better website for customers, not just throwing money at trends? Below are three specific ways AI can improve a website today, plus one hot prediction for you.

Disclaimer: this article was generated through a conversation amongst the Rose Agency team, the transcription from which was processed through AI to create a synopsis that was carefully structured and edited by a human hand… our preferred method, for now…

Search: How AI-Powered Website Search Helps Users Find the Right Information Faster

The search bar for a lot of websites can be polarizing for people, as it often does a poor job of identifying the right answers. AI can fix that by fully reading everything on your site, providing links back to your customers and even popping in a useful snippet with quick answers and summaries.

Sida gets to the core issue:

“You’re coming to a business’s website because you have a problem. If the site can’t help you find the right information quickly, that’s a failure.”

AI-powered search changes how this works. Instead of matching keywords, AI can read and understand all the content on a site, then answer questions directly. It can provide a short, clear response and link back to the most relevant pages. For resource-heavy sites, this is a big deal. Think professional associations, healthcare organizations, recruiters, or any business with deep documentation, guides, or articles.

There is also a side benefit that clients often don’t expect. AI search can show you what your site is not answering. When customers ask questions the system cannot figure out, that data reveals knowledge gaps. Megan pointed out why this matters. “Those unanswered questions are content ideas handed to you. They show you exactly what people are looking for but not finding.”

For clients, this means better search is not just a user experience upgrade. It is also a way to continuously improve your content strategy based on real behaviour.

Technical Help: When AI Chatbots Actually Work for Technical Documentation and Support

Chatbots have a reputation problem. Most people do not trust them, and many actively dislike them. Sida put it bluntly. “I would never, in a million years, use a traditional chatbot. I’m always just trying to get to a human.”

That frustration usually comes from chatbots that are too simplistic. They repeat canned answers, misunderstand the question, or block access to real support. But AI changes what is possible, especially for businesses in technical fields.

Diego gave a concrete example from the technical side:

“If the AI has crawled your documentation properly, it can pull a very specific answer out of a long guide and save the user from reading two thousand words just to fix one small issue.”

When a company has rich documentation, such as explainers, how-to guides, thought pieces or resources, an AI-powered chatbot can synthesize that information into precise answers. Instead of forcing a user to search through multiple articles, the AI can pull the exact step they need.

Megan highlighted an important requirement. “For this to work well, you need rich documentation in the first place. AI doesn’t replace that work, it depends on it.”

For clients, the takeaway is not that every website needs a chatbot. It is that when you are already set up with lots of background information on your site, AI can reduce friction by resolving small, specific issues quickly. That saves time for both users and staff, without pretending the AI can replace human judgment.

Customer Service: Using AI Chat and Text-Based Workflows for Modern Client Communication

For many service-based businesses, especially those with low volume and high touch relationships, chatbots often feel unnecessary. If you only work with a handful of clients at a time, why put a machine in the middle?

That question came up repeatedly:

“Some of our clients only talk to maybe ten or fifteen new clients a month,” Sida said. “They can jump on a call with everyone. So what would a chatbot even do?”

The answer may depend on who your future clients are. Younger demographics, especially Gen Z and Gen Alpha, strongly prefer text-based communication. Phone calls feel intrusive, stressful, or inefficient to them. Megan noted that many clients already ask agencies to add filters and steps before someone can even submit a form. “They don’t want to talk to everyone, and they definitely don’t want to answer the same questions over and over.”

So what if you set up an experience that caters to all ages? Using AI as a front door, it can answer simple questions quickly, and if they want to talk to someone, hand it off through either a scheduled call or text-based chat that your business team can jump on.

Sida framed it from the client side. “If a younger employee is asked to research partners for their boss, and they can avoid a phone call while still getting the information they need, that’s a win.”

For clients, this means AI can help you meet people where they are, without changing how you actually deliver your service. It is about accessibility and comfort, not automation for its own sake.

Bonus prediction: Getting a Bit Wild on AI Development

The most interesting AI applications may not look like chatbots at all. One idea we are watching closely is AI-driven behavioural flow analysis. Instead of popping up a chat window, AI could analyze how someone moves through a site and adjust calls to action in real time.

Diego described it as measuring intent rather than interrupting users:

“If someone is clearly getting closer to a decision, the site could respond by surfacing more relevant calls to action, instead of just showing the same thing to everyone.”

This could mean dynamically adjusting content, highlighting next steps, or changing how and when conversion prompts appear. Megan sees potential here. “AI and analytics are still pretty separate right now. Bringing them together in a meaningful way could be really powerful.”

For clients, this kind of application is less about novelty and more about performance. It focuses on helping the right users take the right action at the right moment, without adding friction or creepiness.

Where this leaves clients today

The big takeaway from our discussion is that AI is not something every business needs to adopt just because it exists. As Sida put it, “Just because everyone is leaning forward doesn’t mean it fits the kind of business you’re running.”

AI makes the most sense when it improves clarity, reduces friction, or helps users find what they are already looking for. For many clients, that means better search, smarter use of existing content, and more flexible ways for people to start conversations. Anything beyond that should be intentional, not trendy.

As an agency, our role is not to sell features. It is to help clients decide what actually supports their goals today, and what is better left for later.

With insights from Diego Lara Carvajal (Developer), Colin Rose (President & Creative Director), Megan Rose (Marketing Technologist), Sida Jiang (Project Manager) and Katherine Prieto (UX/UI Designer)