The Potential of AI for WordPress Websites

Artificial Intelligence, or AI for short, is a powerful tool that’s changing many industries worldwide. More recently, AI has made its way into the field of web development, transforming the way websites are created and managed.

Within the WordPress realm, several AI integrations have emerged offering help with various tasks. These include writing content, generating images, improving search engine rankings, adding live chat features, and making coding easier.

In this blog post, we’ll take a look at what is AI, how it’s being used in WordPress and other platforms, and its advantages in making website design, and development more accessible and efficient.

Understanding AI

AI refers to machines programmed to perform tasks that would typically require human intelligence. These intelligent systems can analyze data, make decisions, and perform tasks, often with remarkable accuracy and efficiency.

AI uses different technologies, like machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision, among others, which enables them to interpret information and learn from patterns to improve their performance over time.

Components of AI by Medium

Components of AI. Source: Medium

The potential use of AI is vast and incredibly diverse. From automating tasks to providing personalized recommendations, AI is revolutionizing how we interact with technology.

However, while AI has significantly advanced in recent years, it is still far from achieving human-level intelligence. It follows certain algorithms and learns from the information it’s given.

So, in simple terms, AI is a tool that can help us in various ways, making our work easier. It’s like having a helpful assistant as long as you know how to use it right.

WordPress and AI

WordPress, being one of the most popular content management systems (CMS), that allows users to easily build and manage their websites, even without deep technical knowledge, has embraced the capabilities of AI.

The dynamic duo between WordPress and AI has opened up lots of new possibilities for both businesses and individuals. It holds the power to make repetitive or complex tasks easier, improve how users experience websites, and make your online presence stronger.

By adding AI tools and plugins to WordPress websites, web designers, developers, and content creators are getting more done faster. This not only saves precious time and resources but also results in enhanced productivity.

Benefits of AI in WordPress

  • Time Efficiency: AI in WordPress excels in content writing tools. Instead of manually creating content, especially in large quantities, or hiring copywriters, AI tools help generate metadata, product descriptions, and even full-blown blog posts in a fraction of the time it would take a human. They can analyze data from various sources, understand user preferences, and create content that resonates with your target audience, freeing up time for more important tasks.
  • SEO Optimization: AI can improve your website’s search engine rankings by helping identify keywords, optimizing content, and ensuring alignment with the best SEO practices. Contrary to the common belief, search engines like Google don’t penalize AI-generated content. Instead, they prioritize the quality and relevance of the information, regardless of its origin. Therefore, as long as your content meets these standards, it can benefit your SEO efforts.
  • Personalized User Experiences: AI can provide your website visitors with more personalized experiences in various ways. This can be done through AI-powered assistive technologies, chatbots, and translation tools. These features make your website accessible to all users, provide real-time support with personalized interactions, and automatically switch to a user’s browser’s language preferences. This ultimately leads to higher conversion rates and increased revenue, without much effort on your side.

Exploring AI Tools, Integrations, and Plugins for WordPress

Numerous AI-powered WordPress plugins and tools are already available in the ecosystem, alongside products that have seamlessly integrated AI to elevate their functionality and user-friendliness.

Clearly, there are tons of developers experimenting with AI, so we can look forward to seeing more cool tools coming soon. You can keep track of both existing and emerging innovations through resources such as the WPFront list, the Top AI Tools list, and the official WordPress plugin repository.

Let’s take a look at some notable examples:

  • Jetpack: Jetpack, a popular WordPress plugin, incorporates AI features that help generate content, translate languages, and answer questions. Overall, it helps website owners save time and effort, through content optimization.
  • Yoast SEO: Although not entirely AI-based, Yoast SEO is a popular WordPress plugin that employs AI to generate title and meta descriptions, making it easier to improve your website’s SEO and not spend time on creating ​​unique titles and descriptions for each page manually.
  • accessiBe: For enhancing website accessibility, accessiBe is a valuable AI-powered widget that can be easily integrated into your WordPress website. It allows users to select their preferred accessibility profile, as well as customize content, colors, and orientation according to their specific requirements. This is crucial not only for enhancing user experiences but also for ensuring compliance with WCAG and ADA standards.
  • Elementor AI and Divi AI: These popular website builder plugins offer AI to help you create websites without any coding knowledge. Their AI integrations can generate, improve, and translate content, as well as create custom HTML, CSS, JS code, and image generation based on the website’s context. These features greatly help with workflow optimization, although the quality of AI-generated images is not yet perfect and may require further optimization using compressor tools.
  • ZipWP: ZipWP (not yet launched at the moment of writing) is a website creation platform that uses AI to generate the initial draft of a website. Although it looks promising it is important to consider that fully AI-generated website could potentially lack uniqueness, making it challenging for your brand to stand out. So, it is recommended to carefully weigh the pros and cons of this tool before implementation, just like any other.
  • Chat GPT: Although not WordPress-specific, ChatGPT and similar AI-powered chatbots can be integrated into WordPress websites to provide content generation, research, competitor analysis, and even instant customer support. Moreover, unlike copywriters who charge $15 to $80 per hour, these AI chatbots for WordPress are not only cost-effective but also deliver content in half the time.

Besides those, there are tons of more out there. Our team members at WPBakery have been using and loving Fireflies.ai to generate meeting recaps, Geekbot to automate daily standups, Bard by Google, and ChatGPT, of course, to assist with various tasks in our daily work lives.

Conclusion

AI offers immense potential for WordPress websites, from automating tasks to personalizing user experiences. With AI-powered plugins and tools, you can boost your website’s functionality, save time, and engage users effectively.

AI won’t replace experts, but it has already excelled in tasks like content and code generation, one-click SEO optimization, and even initial website drafts. It’s clear that embracing AI can help you stay ahead in the ever-evolving world of technology and website development.

While we’ve explored some WordPress AI tools like Jetpack and Yoast SEO, there is a whole world of AI tools waiting to be discovered. Developers are experimenting, and creating new ways to use AI.

So, don’t hesitate to share your AI tool experiences and tell us which ones you’re eager to implement into your existing workflow. Your insights can help shape AI’s future in WordPress and beyond.

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10 Educational Websites Powered by WPBakery Page Builder

As the back-to-school season approaches, students are getting ready for their academic journeys, and educational institutions are preparing both in the classrooms and online.

From colleges, universities, and schools to organizations that share knowledge, websites with the .edu domain are symbols of trustworthiness. These domains are exclusively for accredited educational institutions in the US, showing their dedication to top-notch education.

While there are countless educational websites powered by WPBakery, we’ve handpicked 10 that showcase innovative designs and captivating user experiences. So, whether you’re a student, parent, educator, or someone who appreciates fine design, join us as we study these professionally-designed websites together!

The City University of New York (CUNY) website

CUNY

The City University of New York (CUNY) is the largest urban public university in the U.S. with 25 colleges across New York City. The website features a modern layout and comprehensive navigation.

The homepage header section features a video background that highlights CUNY’s diversity, with buttons linking to the university’s most important information. The buttons are styled using the general styling options in the button element settings, as well as the design options that each of the over 50 different native WPBakery elements have.

As you scroll through homepage sections images gracefully slide in, creating an interactive experience. This effect is achieved through built-in CSS animations, available for multiple WPBakery elements.

Overall, the CUNY website is a prime example of how a university website can be designed to be informative, engaging, and accessible.

Theme: CUNY MPT (Custom theme)
Addons and Plugins: Easy Tables, Feed Them Social, Ajax Search Pro

Johns Hopkins Universities Machine Learning Group website

JHU Machine Learning Group

Johns Hopkins University, the pioneer of research universities in the U.S., is known for fostering a collaborative spirit that transcends its various divisions. This site is dedicated to their machine learning program.

The courses section is neatly organized with WPBakery’s Tour content element, grouping multiple content pieces under tabs for easy access. Their research and people sections follow suit, using WPBakery’s post grids for seamless organization tailored to this site’s unique requirements.

In summary, the website’s consistent design brings everything together smoothly. Also, the large font sizes ensure that the texts are easy to read, and the negative spaces add a sense of calm and focus.

Theme: Unicon Child Theme (custom child theme, parent theme: Unicon)
Design and Development: Pendari
Addons and Plugins: Contact Form 7, Pods

TAQADAM Startup Accelerator website

Taqadam

TAQADAM, powered by KAUST and SAB, has been helping startups since 2016. They offer funds, tools, and hands-on help to shape game-changing businesses. The modern feel showcases their aesthetic, with a consistent color scheme and small design touches that tie the site together perfectly.

One clever feature is the signup form that’s hidden in the header. It’s not a common practice, but the header is so attractive you’ll want to click. By the way, WPBakery is compatible with a wide variety of contact form plugins for WordPress.

Within the About page, the well-structured Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section stands out. Leveraging the FAQ element in WPBakery, the site efficiently presents a wealth of information in a user-friendly manner, allowing visitors to toggle open and close specific sections they’re interested in.

Theme: Pofo
Addons and Plugins: Smush, Yoast SEO, Contact Form 7

The Reuben V. Anderson Institute website

The Reuben V. Anderson Institute

Established in 2020, the Reuben V. Anderson Institute for Social Justice at Tougaloo College is committed to addressing big issues like poverty, racial, and economic injustice. They offer educational programs in legal advocacy, social justice training, and leadership development.

Their website serves almost as a landing page or an online brochure, containing all information in only two pages. Interestingly, the menu is at the bottom of the header, and thanks to the blank page wizard you also can create headers as part of the blank page content.

Their Grassroots Initiatives section utilizes a content slider. You can replicate this using the post slider element. It allows you to showcase posts, pages, or both while keeping everything organized. Additionally, you can integrate one of the over 250 addons, to add additional functionalities to your posts and pages, such as sliders.

Theme: Reuben V. Anderson Social Justice Institute at Tougaloo College (Custom theme)
Design and Development: Fahrenheit Creative Group
Addons and Plugins: Smooth Back To Top Button, MonsterInsights

Trust and Identity website

Trust and Identity

The AAF Trust and Identity Framework is dedicated to identity and access management within the Australian research ecosystem. Its overarching goal is to offer researchers a seamless and secure pathway to accessing national research capabilities.

A noteworthy design feature of this website is its sticky menu on scroll. While themes handle headers, footers, and sidebars, you can create customized menus and enable stickiness using addons like One Page Navigation and Smart Sections Theme Builder.

Furthermore, section headings are highlighted with separators, which are tailored to match the website’s style. Notably, the Benefits to Researchers section enhances the text with descriptive icons. WPBakery provides a vast selection of icons, including Font Awesome and different social icons, which are a must-have in this day and age.

Theme: TheCraft
Addons and Plugins: Responsive Tables

Houghton University website

Houghton University

Houghton University is an institution that offers education grounded in both liberal arts and science. Their curriculum is designed to challenge students intellectually, while also encouraging them to view subjects through a Christian perspective.

The website’s structure, design, and content are well-organized. WPBakery makes it easy to handle complex structures and keep track of used elements in the backend editor, while the frontend editor allows you to create and customize your posts and pages in a visual way.

On the website, you’ll notice sections with background images that stay intact as you scroll. This is achieved by adding a simple parallax effect to rows.

Theme: Houghton (Custom theme)
Addons and Plugins: Responsive Tables, Gravity Forms, The Events Calendar

Schools of Early Learning website

Schools of Early Learning

Schools of Early Learning (SOEL) is a family-owned business that provides high-quality care for children from 6 months to 6 years old in Perth, Western Australia.

The use of hand-drawn imagery throughout the website not only matches its whole theme but also is a design trend of 2023.

As you explore the site, you will notice very bright and colorful imagery, which makes the design vibrant. However, balancing text readability on such images while maintaining optimal contrast presents a challenge.

To address this, the website employs a clever tactic – the website header’s column containing the text and button has a slightly transparent background color, ensuring readability without compromising the visual experience

Theme: The7
Addons and Plugins: Jetpack

West Virginia University at Parkersburg website

West Virginia University at Parkersburg

Founded in 1961, West Virginia University at Parkersburg (WVUP) is an independently accredited community and technical college in Parkersburg, West Virginia. They’re committed to providing affordable, accessible, and high-quality education to students from all backgrounds.

Their website has a harmonious blend of navy blue and bright yellow tones. In WPBakery you can create your own color theme to match your brand identity perfectly.

Even though WPBakery allows you to create WordPress pages without code, you can still add custom styling and functionalities by adding custom CSS and JS. For example, the latest news section on the home page showcases posts with an attention-grabbing box shadow. This can be achieved by adding an extra class name to any element of your choice and adding custom CSS in the WPBakery page settings:

.your-extra-class-name {
box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.35) 0px 5px 15px;
}

This simple trick lets you make your website design look more interesting without having to do a lot of hard coding.

Theme: Academia
Addons and Plugins: WooCommerce, Timeline and History slider

Stanford Vision and Neuro-Development Lab website

Stanford Vision and Neuro-Development Lab

The Stanford Vision and Neuro-Developmental Lab (SVND) is a research lab that studies infant and child visual development and is part of Stanford University, one of the top five universities in the world.

Their website is designed to be compatible and responsive on all devices, a feature effortlessly achieved through WPBakery. This ensures a seamless user experience across mobile, tablet, and desktop platforms.

With the WooCommerce integration, they’ve established a shop page. This is a common practice, as universities often sell merchandise items like t-shirts, hats, and mugs to foster school spirit among students.

Theme: Crown
Design and Development: Pendari
Addons and Plugins: WooCommerce

Pedare website

Pedare Christian College

Pedare Christian College is an Anglican and Uniting Church school in Golden Grove, South Australia. It offers coeducational programs for Junior (R-5), Middle (Years 6-9), and Senior School (Years 10-12) students.

The website features captivating layouts and image overlays. You can replicate this effect with tools like the Layer Images addon, enhancing your site with unique designs.

Moreover, their website integrates a Google Maps snapshot of their location at the last section of their homepage. With WPBakery, you can seamlessly embed any Google Map to your pages to help visitors locate your business easily.

Theme: Pedare (Custom theme)
Design and Development: Digital Noir
Addons and Plugins: Yoast SEO, Gravity Forms

Conclusion

From universities to research labs, each website brings its unique touch to the world of education. Incorporating a range of themes and plugins, these websites are a testament to the versatility and capabilities of WPBakery Page Builder.

We’re all about supporting education in multiple ways. Beyond giving you the tools for building websites, we’re excited to offer students a 20% discount. Just get in touch with us at [email protected] from an email that you received from your University. Your learning journey matters, and we’re here to help!

With its intuitive interface, creating stunning WordPress posts and pages that offer exceptional user experiences has never been easier. Plus, with WPBakery’s lifetime licenses, you can enjoy their benefits for the long haul.

If you’ve found inspiration in this showcase, subscribe to our secret newsletter and make sure to visit our Hall of Fame showcase for even more remarkable examples.

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