I remember when visiting a new website felt exciting. You’d click a link and wonder what might open up: a song that stuck in your head, an energetic video, maybe even a wild 3D animation that made the brand feel alive. Now? Most sites look like carbon copies of each other, if you even bother to land on one.
The truth is, the need for websites has changed. Nine times out of ten, you already know what you want to search because you saw a TV ad or heard a friend’s recommendation. So you head straight to Instagram or TikTok for the details instead.
Now add AI to the mix. More people are turning to ChatGPT or other AI extensions to get answers quickly. What used to be a website filled with knowledge, storytelling, and value is now scattered across platforms. And yes, the AI tool will have the sources cited in the corner sometimes, but how often do we actually click?
Most of us just take the answer and move on with our day. If AI is handing your customer a repackaged version of your work, does your original page even matter? Let’s understand what’s happening here.
The Shift to Social and AI Discovery
Using search engines is starting to feel a lot like reading an academic paper. You know the drill: you skim the abstract, glance at a few in-line citations, and move on without ever opening the actual sources. AI tools work the same way. They paraphrase your carefully crafted content, stick a tiny citation in the corner, and most people never click through. Recent reports even point out that 60% of searches now end without a click. That’s a huge shift. And if we add voice searches from Alexa or Siri on top of that, we would be opening a whole other can of worms.
Oddly enough, it would be premature to declare the death of corporate websites.
Think back to the dot-com boom when many thought physical storefronts were doomed. Online shopping did disrupt brick-and-mortar stores, but it didn’t erase them. Walk through any major city today and you’ll see bustling coffee shops and boutiques thriving alongside e-commerce giants.
The same thing is happening here. Weak, cookie-cutter websites are fading into the background, but strong ones still pierce through the noise. The brands that win are the ones creating an experience people can’t get from a paraphrased AI answer: a space that feels human, credible, and alive.
What Strong Websites Are Doing Differently
Rather than mourning the decline of the traditional corporate webpage, this is a chance to rethink it. The “front door” of your brand is no longer a single URL. It’s a network of touchpoints—AI assistants, social feeds, voice searches, and yes, your website—that all need to tell the same story.
Buyers are also notably entering the funnel much later. They’ve already collected recommendations, watched influencer reviews, or asked an AI for a quick summary before they ever see your homepage. By the time they arrive, they expect confirmation, not persuasion. If your site simply repeats what they’ve already heard, you lose credibility fast. Instead, it needs to deepen the story: interactive tools that AI can’t replicate, side-by-side comparisons, or data-backed insights that show you know your space better than anyone else.
Owning your narrative matters more than ever. AI might be the messenger, but your website is your last line of defense and where you set the record straight. Rethinking lead generation is part of this shift. Static “Contact Us” buttons won’t cut it. The power of interactive demos, community building, or offline pop-up events is increasing, giving people a reason to stay and explore.
If there’s anything you can start doing today to move in this direction, it should be these:
- Make AI want to quote you correctly: If you want your brand’s story to survive in summaries, give it clear, structured content that is easy to reference. Inject bullet points, stats, and shorter sentences, so AI doesn’t twist it.
- Give people a reason to stick around: Interactive tools, freebies, demos, anything that makes them pause and think, “Okay, I didn’t get this from a TikTok clip.”
- Be the expert without bragging: Share insights, behind-the-scenes thinking, and lessons you’ve learned. People remember value more than slogans.
- Offer layers, not just the surface level: AI gives a summary, but they want more. Your website should let them dig into context, examples, or a real proof of concept.
In A Few Words
A well-crafted website is still the one place you fully control. It’s where you can show depth, context, and personality that no AI summary or social clip can capture. Businesses that invest in distinct design, meaningful content, and seamless user experiences will not only survive this shift but thrive in it.
AI is not the death of the corporate website for now. It is a wake-up call. The brands that adapt will turn their sites from static pages into dynamic, strategic assets that complement the new ways people discover and decide. The websites that matter will matter more than ever.
