How is AI search changing the way websites are designed?

Artificial intelligence is changing the way people search for information online, and as a result, it’s also changing how websites are designed. Tools like Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE), ChatGPT, and Perplexity no longer just list links. Instead, they deliver direct answers, pull structured data from multiple sources, and summarise complex information instantly.

This shift marks a fundamental change: websites are no longer the final destination, but a source of content for AI to interpret and deliver elsewhere. That means modern web design isn’t just about visual appeal or user journeys anymore. It’s about creating clear, structured, and machine-readable content that can be surfaced by AI systems, often without the user ever visiting the site.

Let’s explore how this evolution is changing the structure, purpose, and priorities of web design today.

AI Search Prioritises Answers, Not Aesthetics

Traditionally, websites were designed to be visually engaging and guide users through a carefully considered experience. From homepage to contact form. But AI doesn’t browse the way people do. It parses data, interprets structure, and surfaces relevant answers based on intent.

When a user types or speaks a question, AI looks for:

• Clear headings and subheadings

• Concise, factual answers

• Structured data (like FAQs or schema markup)

• Context that matches the search query

If your content delivers this, AI will prioritise it. If not, even a beautifully designed site may be invisible in the new AI search ecosystem.

Every Page Must Stand on Its Own

Homepages used to be the most visited part of a website. Today, AI search increasingly bypasses them. Users are directed straight to specific content, a blog post, a service page, or a case study that answers a particular question.

This means:

• Each page must have a clear structure and focus

• Pages need to make sense independently, without relying on homepage context

• The first few sentences should answer the question, not just introduce it

Design must therefore support immediate clarity. Visual hierarchy, typography, and layout need to lead users (and machines) to the most important content first.

Structured Content Is the New Design Priority

AI prefers content it can break down and reassemble. That’s where structured content comes in. This includes:

• Heading tags (H1, H2, H3…)

• Schema markup (for products, articles, events, etc.)

• Ordered and unordered lists

• Short paragraphs and question-based subheadings

A page built with this structure is far more likely to appear in AI-powered results. Designers and developers must now collaborate more closely with SEO strategists and content writers to ensure technical clarity matches creative design.

SEO Alone Isn’t Enough - Enter AEO

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is evolving into Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO). While SEO focused on keywords and link-building, AEO focuses on how well your content can answer specific questions.

Designing for AEO means:

• Including FAQ sections in a user-friendly layout

• Avoiding jargon or vague headlines

• Prioritising clarity over cleverness in key content areas

• Ensuring mobile-first design for fast content access

This changes the tone of web copy, the way navigation is used, and how designers prioritise visual elements around high-value information.

AI Search Prefers Speed and Simplicity

AI rewards performance. A slow or overly complex site won’t be favoured, even if it contains the right answers. As such, modern web design needs to:

• Prioritise speed with lean, efficient code

• Avoid unnecessary animations and scripts

• Reduce clutter, especially around core content

• Improve accessibility for screen readers and structured scanning

Simple, fast-loading designs not only help AI interpret your site but also improve the user experience for actual visitors.

Design Must Serve Two Audiences: People and Machines

The biggest shift is philosophical. Designers are no longer creating solely for the user. They’re also creating for the AI systems that decide what content users see.

This means every design decision, from layout to typography, must balance emotional engagement for people with semantic clarity for machines. It’s a new kind of dual-audience communication.

• Images need descriptive ALT text

• Buttons need context-rich labels

• Interactive features should degrade gracefully for indexing

The more AI-friendly your site is, the more likely your content is to appear in voice search, summarised answers, and chat-based queries.

Design Isn’t Dead, It’s Evolving

AI isn’t replacing web design. It’s reshaping it. Visual identity, storytelling, and user experience still matter. But they now operate alongside a new priority: discoverability in AI-driven environments.

At Horizium, we design with this duality in mind, crafting brand experiences that are not only visually powerful but structurally optimised for intelligent search. The future of web design isn’t about choosing between creativity and clarity. It’s about combining them to stay seen, stay relevant, and stay ahead.