Survey: 53% of US entrepreneurs use AI website builders as freelance web dev gigs fall
A Bluehost-commissioned survey of 201 US entrepreneurs found that 53% had adopted AI website builders instead of hiring professional developers, with respondents reporting average savings of about $850 and 32 working hours. Freelancer.com data cited alongside the survey shows website design postings fell 59% between Q2 2024 and Q3 2026, with PHP down 59%, WordPress down 58% and HTML down 55%; graphic design fell 43% while data entry rose 16%. Satisfaction was high — 72% strongly approved and 97% were at least moderately satisfied — but only 9% published the AI output unedited, and just 50% were willing to tell customers their site was AI-generated. The survey sample is small, carrying roughly 6.9 percentage points of uncertainty at 95% confidence, and postings from a single marketplace do not prove AI caused the decline.
It adds a quantified data point to evidence that AI is compressing demand for routine web development work, though the small survey and single-marketplace figures leave the causal link unproven.
- AI now handles website creation for 53% of surveyed entrepreneurs
- Business owners saved $850 and 32 hours using AI tools
- Website design job postings have fallen 59% since early 2024
Freelance website development opportunities have fallen sharply since 2024, while an increasing number of American entrepreneurs are using artificial intelligence to create websites independently.
Research commissioned by Bluehost found that 53% of surveyed business owners had adopted AI website builders rather than relying on professional developers.
The findings coincide with substantial declines in freelance programming advertisements, particularly in website design, PHP, WordPress, and HTML development.
Website development vacancies fall by nearly 60%
The Bluehost survey questioned 201 American entrepreneurs involved in decisions concerning their companies' online operations.