Connecting AI to Your Website: How AI Assistants Now Work Directly With WordPress

ByFrank Deardurff

For the last couple of years, using AI on your website meant a lot of copying and pasting. Ask ChatGPT for a blog post, copy it, paste it into WordPress, fix the formatting, add the headings, upload the image. AI wrote; you did the work.

That’s changing fast. AI assistants can now connect directly to your WordPress site and do the work themselves: create pages, publish posts, update SEO settings, upload images and change your design, with you directing and approving along the way.

I’ve been testing this on my own sites. A good chunk of the site you’re reading right now was built this way.

How it works

There are two main ways an AI assistant can talk to WordPress.

The WordPress REST API

WordPress has had a built-in REST API for years. It’s how apps and other services read and change content on your site. An AI assistant that can run code (like Claude or ChatGPT with the right tools) can use it to create and edit pages and posts, upload media, manage categories and more.

To let it in safely, you use an Application Password: a separate password you create under Users → Profile in WordPress. It works only for the API, never for the normal login screen, and you can revoke it with one click.

MCP connectors

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard that lets AI assistants plug into other software through “connectors.” Think of it as a universal adapter. Instead of the AI figuring out your site’s API on its own, an MCP connector hands it a menu of things it can do, like “create a page,” “update the menu,” or “change the site colors.”

For WordPress, that usually means installing a plugin on your site that provides the MCP connection, then adding the connector to your AI assistant. WordPress itself has been adding pieces to make this easier, including an Abilities API that lets WordPress and plugins describe what they can do in a way AI tools understand. Some plugins, like the Rank Math SEO plugin, now offer their own AI connections too.

Here’s a video where I build a website with AI:

What you can actually do with it

Some of the things I’ve had AI handle directly on a WordPress site:

  • Build pages from a description, with proper headings, columns and buttons
  • Write and publish blog posts in the right category, with formatting intact
  • Set SEO titles, descriptions and focus keywords across a batch of posts
  • Run an SEO audit and fix what it finds
  • Upload images and add alt text
  • Update the menu and site settings
  • Change the design on block themes: colors, fonts, spacing, the header and footer

The biggest win isn’t any single task. It’s that you can describe what you want in plain English, see it on your site, and ask for changes, without bouncing between five tabs.

What it can’t do (yet)

  • Page builders are hit and miss. Builders like Elementor and Beaver Builder store layouts in their own formats. AI usually works best with the standard WordPress block editor and block themes. With a page builder, it can still hand you code to paste in.
  • It depends on your server. Some hosts and server setups block the API or strip the login information it needs. (I ran into this on my own server and had to adjust the configuration.)
  • It isn’t a replacement for judgment. It will happily build what you ask for, even if it’s not a great idea.

Ground rules for letting AI into your site

Giving an AI tool access to your website is giving it the keys. Treat it that way.

  • Back up first. Always. If you don’t have a backup routine, start with the Backup Checklist.
  • Create a separate Application Password for each AI tool, named so you know what it’s for. Revoke it when you’re done or if anything looks off.
  • Use the lowest role that works. If the AI only writes posts, an Editor or Author account may be enough. Not everything needs Administrator.
  • Start with drafts. Have it create drafts or private pages you review before anything goes live.
  • Try big changes on a staging site. A copy of your site is the safest place to experiment with design changes.
  • Only install connector plugins from trusted sources, and keep them updated like any other plugin.
  • Never share your main admin password with an AI tool or paste it into a chat.

My AI Safety Checklist has more on using AI safely with your business data.

Should you try it?

If you manage your own WordPress site and you’re comfortable with backups, yes. Start small: have it draft a blog post, or fix the SEO titles on your older posts. You’ll get a feel for what it does well.

If you’d rather have someone set it up for you, or you want a site built this way, get in touch.

Similar Posts