The Four Pillars of AI-Driven Web Personalization

Delivering a unique and compelling experience to users who engage with a brand is at the top of every savvy marketer’s to-do list. One of the critical functions AI can assist with is web personalization—the ability to provide an individualized user experience to consumers and interested parties across the marketing ecosystem. Successfully bringing this power to websites requires focus on four key pillars:

The first is data. Having data about the specific user on the site or an abstraction of the user built out based on known demographic, psychographic and behavioral data is the foundation to successfully implementing this on websites. The second pillar is the structured information of the website. While AI can scan and reuse any piece of a website, it is critical to guide the categorization of information and structure its delivery; treating product details, employee bios, and news articles in unique ways. The third pillar is brand. As AI makes it easier than ever to flood the internet with content, it is even more critical to maintain a strong brand, prioritizing the brand experience in design and tone. The final piece is user experience. AI must be trained to follow guidelines set for accessibility and established models of user experience.

Below, we explore these four pillars:

Better Data Equals Better Personalization

We’ll be the first to admit it: the standard implementation of analytics for site tracking data is due for a major overhaul. If AI is going to have the data detail it needs to predict user behavior for web personalization, then we are going to have to add more specificity to what is collected. For example, if today we are collecting time on page, then in the future, we need to understand time on content block. Expect to see more content tied to interactive elements (e.g., expand details, open accordions and tabs). And behind the scenes, look for more metadata to inform the categories and subject areas of interaction within discrete content blocks by connecting tools that gather mouse movement and finger swipes for AI to ingest.

Structured Content Provides Context for AI

Structured content provides two advantages for AI. The first is it provides guardrails for what can and cannot be manipulated. The second is it provides context for all the data within the structure. Imagine a product with all its specifications: marketers can instruct AI tools to rework the marketing language but prevent it from changing the dimensions, applications, color, materials, calories, etc. Giving context and category to each of these pieces of data enables AI to optimize a whole series of landing pages with a message and structure that highlights information matching the visitor’s desires and drivers. It can, for example, rework the suggested product cards to include “sort by” features and unique attributes tailored to each audience segment.

Brand Guardrails Ensures Uniqueness

AI tools typically offer a way to train their models to match a brand’s voice and design templates. Websites require the same guardrails. These directions and restrictions are critical to delivering something unique and ownable in an exponential flood of generic content enabled by unrestricted AI. Policing and refining your AI model is what will move your focus from content creator to content curator, and it’ll ensure that your brand cuts through the noise and creates memorable experiences.

Feeding new ideas and suggestions will also provide more for AI to optimize. For example, add design templates for full pages, content blocks and site elements along with fresh content. Once the AI machine is up and running, it can provide insights into what’s working. This information can glean inspiration for design teams.

Favor Usability Over Personalization

Much like structure and brand, usability has its set of guardrails. Allowing AI to change elements, like navigation, can create UX confusion for returning customers. Therefore, it is important to establish where AI can jump in and have full rein and where it must be restrained. Remember to err on the side of consistency for key wayfinding features and data-heavy information.

AI offers a dramatic upside in terms of website usability. Imagine AI detecting screen-reader technology and delivering a blind-optimized site experience. With AI, there is a future where marketers don’t have to compromise to serve multiple needs on a single page; rather, we can deliver an ideal page that accommodates each user.

A Shift in Thinking: Building Frameworks, Not Final Products

As we build websites moving forward, we should seek ways to integrate AI into design, optimization, delivery and management. This will require a shift in our thinking away from building static sites and formulating complete ideas to building frameworks with governing principals, templates and structures. If we successfully make this shift alongside advancements in AI tools, we’ll be able to achieve unprecedented levels of web personalization, which will improve customer experience with brands in dramatic ways.