Why we recognise "AI smell" in website copy immediately — and what SME websites need in 2026 instead

We recognise AI-generated website copy within seconds. Not because we use a tool for it — but because, after a while, certain patterns become as familiar as a known face. The article you are reading right now is from a human pen. And if you are uncertain whether your own website passes this test: here is what we look for.

What "AI smell" is, and why it appears

AI language models are very good at producing plausible text. They are not good at describing experiences they have never had. The result is text that sounds correct but is empty — complete, but without substance.

The problem is not the tool. AI can be a valuable aid for text — for structural suggestions, for translations, for first drafts. The problem is when AI text lands unchanged on a website because that is faster than actual writing.

From the customer's perspective it reads like this: you land on a page that somehow feels complete, but you could just as well read it on the competitor's website. No concrete example, no regional reference, no person standing behind the text.

The phrasings that warn us immediately

There are certain openings and phrases that appear in AI-generated marketing text with statistically remarkable frequency. Some of them:

"In today's fast-paced world..." — this opening appears in a frightening number of texts. It says nothing and could form the start of about 40 percent of all corporate websites.

"Discover our innovative solutions." — the word "innovative" without proof is a sure sign. Innovation is something you show, not claim. What is concretely different from the competitor?

"We stand by your side with an experienced team." — no name, no face, no proof of experience. How many years? In which projects? Where?

Bullet lists without connective tissue — three bullet points, each one sentence long, no explanatory paragraph before or after. AI loves lists because they look structured. Texts that consist of accumulations of lists are rarely written by humans for humans.

Every paragraph closes with a call to action — "Contact us today.", "See for yourself.", "We look forward to your enquiry." One paragraph per page that contains this is completely normal. When it appears in every third paragraph, it feels like training on sales copy.

What good website copy delivers instead

Specificity is the opposite of AI smell. Anyone who writes specifically must know what they are writing about. That cannot be effortlessly generated.

An example from our own practice: on our web design page it does not say "We create tailor-made websites for your company." It says — or should say — what concretely happens: which technology, which timeframes, what a typical project costs and why, and what a poor website costs a business per year in lost enquiries.

The second factor: regional anchoring. An IT consultant in Anger, Bavaria, writes differently about digitalisation than a faceless software house. Regionality is specificity — and specificity is trust.

What we do differently when writing for customers

We do not write website copy alone. We first hold a conversation — sometimes two — in which we ask concrete questions: what is the most unusual project you have completed in the last twelve months? What do customers most often ask before they hire? What makes your work harder to describe than that of a competitor? What can you do that no one else in your region can?

The answers to these questions do not yield generic copy. They yield text you cannot find on ten other websites. That is the difference.

For customers in Bavaria, we always offer web design and web development together with a copy concept conversation. Anyone who wants to have their existing copy reviewed or reworked can also contact us directly — via our page on Advertising & Marketing or simply by email.

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