From vibes to websites: the opportunities and pitfalls of vibecoding for marketers
Coding websites purely based on vibes. Sounds like a Gen-Z-fueled fantasy, doesn’t it? Yet since early 2025, the marketing world cannot stop talking about vibecoding. But what exactly is it? Where do we stand today? And most importantly, what are the potential pitfalls?
Vibecoding is a relatively new approach to software development. As you might have guessed, it is all about AI. The principle is simple: you tell an AI system what you want to code, and it does the rest. You define the vibes, and AI writes the code. With tools such as Lovable, Cursor, and Bolt, a few simple prompts can produce a functioning website or application that does what you asked for. Impressive, right?
Many marketers see a new world opening up. They no longer need a developer to launch a quick campaign landing page or a product showcase. What once required a web team or external agency can now be done by a savvy marketer in a single afternoon. It makes testing and experimenting with marketing actions faster, cheaper, and more flexible.
The idea quickly spread to other marketing domains, giving rise to vibemarketing. Vibecoding focuses on writing code, while vibemarketing focuses on creating content, campaigns, and outreach. It is marketing that radiates the right vibe, fits your brand, and resonates with your audience.
Just vibe with it?
The term vibecoding was coined by Andrej Karpathy, a Slovak-Canadian AI researcher and one of the founding members of OpenAI. The days when code was written line by line by a lone computer wizard seem to be over. Today’s large language models (LLMs) are advanced enough to write complex code based on high-quality input. But the real question remains: are vibes enough?
As Karpathy’s influential post on X (formerly Twitter) suggests, vibecoding shifts the focus from the code to the vibe. And that is precisely where the danger lies for marketers.
Building blocks or stumbling blocks?
Think of code as the building blocks of a website or app. Are you building a grand villa, a cozy townhouse, or a towering apartment block? And what should it look like exactly? That is your vibe. But you would not start laying bricks without a clear plan. Here are five common pitfalls to watch out for in vibecoding.
Pitfall 1: Messy code
AI-generated code usually does what you ask, but how it does it can range from elegant to unnecessarily complex. Vibecoding tools start generating code from your very first prompt, and you refine from there. That is fine for developers, but for marketers with limited technical knowledge, that can quickly become a problem. You are building on unstable foundations. Like an extension added to a house without proper support, your website might work at first, until it all collapses under its own weight.
Pitfall 2: Token limits
AI systems have a memory limit, known as the token limit. Just as an architect cannot make endless revisions, you cannot send an AI back to the drawing board forever without paying for it. Each question or revision costs tokens, and when you hit that limit, the system begins to lose track of earlier instructions.
Ask for a last-minute carport, and it might forget that you also wanted a kitchen. In marketing terms: add a signup form, and your brand colors might mysteriously disappear. Vibecoding works brilliantly for small projects, but scaling up requires proper planning.
Pitfall 3: No CMS
Vibecoded websites and apps do not usually come with a built-in CMS, and that is a big deal for marketers. You end up with a static project that might look great, but you cannot edit or update it. It is like having all your furniture cemented into place. Stylish, but completely impractical.
That becomes a problem when you need to update visuals, add a blog post, or expand an event page. Without a content management system, you have to go back into the code every time. Fortunately, there are workarounds, such as integrating a headless CMS through a technology partner, but that requires a more technical setup.
Pitfall 4: Limited SEO
You can build the most stunning house, but if it is hidden deep in the woods with no road leading to it, no one will ever find it. The same goes for SEO. AI often generates visually appealing websites, but they are not automatically optimized for search. Semantic HTML, smart keywords, and structured data are crucial for being found when people are actively looking for what you offer.
Pitfall 5: No strategic foundation
Vibecoding invites you to start building right away, skipping the architect entirely. But when you skip strategy, you risk ending up with a beautiful website that does not actually solve your business or user needs. In a traditional web process, you start with brand positioning, audience insights, information architecture, and wireframes. Vibecoding makes it tempting to skip those steps. The best results come when you feed the AI with a clear blueprint. Vibecoding should be the final step in your web process, not the first.
More than just a vibe: vibecoding the right way
Vibecoding is without a doubt an exciting step in the evolution of software development, especially for marketers. It makes building websites and apps faster, more creative, and more accessible than ever before, without the need for coding experience. And let’s be honest, seeing your idea come to life within hours is just plain fun.
Vibecoding is perfect for experimentation, prototyping, and small-scale projects. A basic website for a plumber or lawyer, for example, can be up and running in just a few prompts. Upload your logo, brand colors, fonts, and images, and AI delivers a decent website in no time.
But because the barrier is so low, it is easy to overlook strategy, structure, and technical foundations. Anyone looking for scalable, maintainable, and SEO-friendly digital solutions will quickly hit the limits of vibecoding.
Our advice: combine the creative power of AI with a solid foundation of strategy, information architecture, and technical control. That is how you turn vibes into sustainable digital marketing.
Looking for a partner to guide you through a well-thought-out website project? The experts at Unikoo are here to help.
Curious how to turn your brand’s vibe into fully AI-driven, on-brand content and a scalable website or app? Then the “Vibecoding for Marketers” bootcamp by our AI studio Markomatic might be just what you are looking for.
