Websites: designing for humans and AI

The world is changing, and as a marketer, my work has to change with it. AI is everywhere, it's more than a buzzword it's quickly becoming a new way of working, searching, and interacting.... and now that means websites.

As if we didn't have enough to think about in website design, we now need to design for two readers at once:

1. Human reader: skims. Needs hierarchy, plain language, summaries.

2. AI reader: parses. Needs structure, semantics, text-based data.

Let's break this down into what it actually means in practice, because no human wants to read a website made for AI, and AI won't grasp all that is needed for a great human-first-designed website.

1. For humans

• Put the main point at the top. - Humans like to read in order.

• Use clear headings, short paragraphs, and bullet points. Our attention span is short; we scan.

• Bold only the key phrases making them easy to see and read.

• Follow the “F-pattern”: place important info in the top-left and down the left side.

• Use plain language; avoid jargon or unfamiliar words.

• Don’t make people hunt. Answer first, details later. The easier you can solve the problem they landed on your site for, the better.

2. For AI

• Use proper HTML structure: h1-h6 headers, lists, tables, main, article etc.

• Add structured data like schema.org, meta descriptions, and alt text.

• Keep important text as text (not inside images, PDFs, videos, or JavaScript-only tabs).

• Use descriptive link text and button labels.

• Expose FAQs, specs, prices, ratings, and policies in clean, structured formats. This is heavily cited content for AI, making it valuable; keep it clean.

• Make sure the page is crawlable and accessible. Some websites prevent bots; if this is the case with your website, you may not be viewable by AI.

Most of these are also the key tools you need to show up in Google Search (which is AI-based)

3. For both

• One idea per section - keep it simple, keep each section focused.

• Use consistent terms.

• Put key info and actions in the first screen — AI agents often don’t scroll far.

• Don’t hide critical content behind popups, accordions, or tabs unless it’s also in the HTML.

• Avoid vague buttons like “Click here” or “Learn more.” Use 'My services' or 'About me' to add clarity.

• Don’t create separate AI-only pages unless you really need to. Well-structured human content usually works for both.

It's not about building for human, building for AI, or focusing only on SEO or AEO, your focus should be on starting with great (consistent) content, building the right structure with proper heirarchies and even nuanced audience text.

Does your website need a rebuild?

If you have a website that is older than 4 years, there have been significant updates in technology, best practices, and governance that may not have been included in a previous build

Julie Boake