I Built More Websites This Year Than the Previous Five Combined
One year ago I announced I would stop supporting WordPress. Since then I have built about 30 websites, more than the previous five years combined. Here is what AI-first web development actually looks like, and why ending WordPress support was one of the best business decisions I have made.
By Michael Baker ยท
Agency-grade web art direction. AI-powered development. No employees. No developers. Just me and my alien robots. 👽🤖
One year ago on June 1st, I announced that I would stop supporting WordPress as of February 1, 2026.
After 15 years, hundreds of websites, becoming a WP Engine Partner, and earning 50+ five-star reviews on Fiverr, that was a pretty big statement.
But I meant it.
For most of my career, WordPress was the answer for a business website.
Need a website? WordPress. Need a custom theme? WordPress. Need custom functionality? WordPress. Need content management? WordPress.
For a long time, it was the best tool available.
Then AI happened.
Since that announcement, I have built about 30 websites. In the meantime, I have migrated WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, GoDaddy and Duda websites to AI-built solutions. Turns out WordPress was not the only platform showing its age.
That is 30 websites, more than I built in the previous five years combined.
Not because AI magically builds websites. Because building websites is no longer about fighting with plugins, themes, updates, databases, and compatibility issues.
Much of the work is now conversation based. I can describe a feature instead of coding every piece manually. I can prototype in minutes instead of days. I can troubleshoot faster. I can generate content faster. I can research integrations faster. I can make large-scale changes across an entire project faster.
Most importantly, I do not need to coordinate a designer, developer, copywriter, QA tester and project manager to get something done. The technology handles much of that overhead.
My job is knowing what to build, what not to build, when to use AI, when not to use AI, and how to connect everything together into something that actually works.
It is because I now have access to tools like Replit, Claude, ChatGPT and others that allow me to move dramatically faster.
The key word is experienced. AI does not replace knowing what you are doing. It does not replace understanding user experience, e-commerce, integrations, hosting, analytics, conversions, accessibility, performance, or client goals. It just removes a lot of the friction.
I still know when Shopify is the right answer. I still know when WooCommerce should stay. I still know when a third-party service should be integrated instead of reinventing the wheel. I still know when AI is giving me a bad answer.
The difference is that I now have the equivalent of a web development team sitting beside me all day.
Looking back, ending WordPress support was one of the best business decisions I have made.
If you are curious what AI-first web development actually looks like, take a look at this site. The site itself is probably the best example. It is my own custom portfolio, CMS, project tracker, task log, video archive and marketing platform built exactly the way I wanted it to work.
It started on WordPress. Then moved to Webflow. Now it is built with AI. Each version was better than the last.
The difference today is that I am no longer limited by the capabilities of a CMS, a theme, a plugin, or a developer's availability. If I can imagine it, I can usually build it.
As an agency-grade web art director, that is a pretty exciting place to be.
Every project, migration, task log entry, video and website build is documented publicly. The work is all there.
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