AI Websites Are Failing SEO: What Kiwi Businesses Need to Know

An alarming pattern has emerged. Recent research by SEO analyst Kasra Dash examined over 6,000 websites built with AI-driven site builders. None of them ranked in Google’s organic results, and they shared the same serious technical flaws. That should be a wake‑up call for New Zealand business owners considering AI‑built sites.

This isn’t just an overseas curiosity. More Kiwi companies are exploring automated website tools that promise fast and beautiful sites at a fraction of the cost. But if those sites don’t show up when potential customers search, the investment may be wasted. Below, we break down the findings, explain why they matter for NZ, and offer practical steps to protect your online visibility.

What the Data Shows

Dash’s analysis highlighted three critical issues across every AI‑built site he reviewed:

• No rankings: Not one of the analysed sites appeared in organic search results for relevant terms.
• Severe indexing problems: These sites are rendered primarily in JavaScript after the page loads. Google’s crawler sees an empty shell and moves on.
• Foundational SEO errors: Broken schema markup, page titles that never make it into the actual HTML, and multiple H1 headings on each page.

Dash compared these sites to “a premium shop on the 15th floor of a warehouse with no elevator and no sign,” arguing that a polished design means little if search engines can’t find you. He warned business owners to think twice before switching from WordPress or other proven platforms to AI‑built systems if organic search is a key traffic source.

Why This Matters in New Zealand

Local search drives business for tradies, home services, professional firms and e‑commerce operations across Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and the regions. If you’re a roofer looking for leads or a boutique selling clothing online, you would rely on customers finding you through Google.

An NZ‑based builder that invests in an AI‑generated website might end up with a site that looks slick but doesn’t appear when someone searches for “roofing contractors Auckland” or “online gift shop Christchurch.” That can mean lost enquiries, lost calls and lost revenue.

It’s especially risky for businesses serving local areas. Generic AI platforms often fail to implement structured data correctly, which can harm appearances in the map pack and rich results. They also struggle with location‑targeted keywords and may not support the intricacies of NZ search behaviour. If you rely on organic search for leads, a poorly built site can take you out of the running entirely.

Understanding the Technical Problems

To make sense of Dash’s findings, it helps to understand how search engines crawl and index sites. Google follows links, fetches HTML, and interprets the content. While it can render some JavaScript, it doesn’t always wait for scripts to load before moving on. When an AI‑built site loads content via client‑side scripts, Google may see nothing.

Other common issues include:

• Schema markup errors: Schema helps Google understand your business type, location, reviews and services. AI builders often implement it incorrectly or omit it, which means you miss out on enhancements like star ratings or local business panels.
• Title and heading problems: Search engines expect a single, clear H1 heading and properly formatted title tags. Multiple H1s and broken titles confuse crawlers and weaken your relevance.
• Bundled content: When text lives in a bundled JavaScript file rather than the HTML, crawlers have trouble parsing it. The content isn’t obvious, so it doesn’t get indexed.

These issues aren’t small mistakes you can tweak away. They are often baked into how the AI platform generates the site. That’s why Dash advised switching back to platforms built for SEO if search is important.

What Kiwi Businesses Should Do

Stay On Platforms Designed for SEO

For most businesses, WordPress remains the most flexible and search‑friendly option. It outputs clean HTML, supports structured data, and can be customised with SEO plug‑ins. Platforms like Shopify (with its pros and cons) or custom-coded sites can also perform well if built properly.

If you’re considering a trendy AI builder, treat it as a prototype or landing page tool, not your primary website. It might be fine for a quick campaign or MVP. But if your business depends on ranking in Google and generating leads, these tools pose a risk.

Focus on Fundamentals

No matter what platform you use, some fundamentals never change:

• Ensure content is accessible in HTML: Avoid relying on heavy JS frameworks for essential text.
• Use proper schema markup: Add local business, product or service schema to help Google understand your offering.
• Optimise titles and headings: Use unique, descriptive title tags and a single H1 per page.
• Improve speed and user experience: Our article on why website speed matters explains why slow pages harm both rankings and conversions.
• Build content that answers customer questions: Good content helps you rank and converts visitors. Our guide can help you understand why your website isn’t generating leads.

Migrate If You’re Already on an AI Platform

If you’ve already invested in an AI‑coded site and you’re seeing poor organic results, the uncomfortable truth is that there may be no simple fix. Dash’s analysis suggests these issues are structural. The most practical solution is often to migrate to a platform with proper SEO foundations. Migrating can feel costly, but continuing to pay for ads and losing organic traffic is usually worse.

Key Takeaway

New Zealand businesses should be cautious about adopting AI‑generated websites for primary online presence. The evidence suggests that these sites struggle to rank and suffer from fundamental technical issues. While AI tools are impressive for rapid prototypes, internal tools and campaign landing pages, they are not yet suitable for an SEO-driven site.

In a competitive market where local search drives real sales, choosing the right platform and focusing on technical fundamentals can be the difference between a silent phone and a steady stream of enquiries. Before you spend thousands on an AI website, check whether it can be read by search engines. It’s smarter to invest in an approach that ensures your customers can find you.