[Progress Blogs] How AI Assistants Help Visitors Find Answers on Your Website

Your customers have questions. Help them find answers. Progress Sitefinity AI Assistant can answer visitor search questions based on website content, citing its resources.

Picture a visitor landing on a credit union’s website looking for one specific thing: what they need to apply for a small-business line of credit.

The information is probably there, but it’s scattered across the product page, FAQs and perhaps a PDF that needs to be downloaded. Finding everything means knowing where to look, which terms to search for and which documents contain the relevant details.

Traditional site search helps, but it still leaves visitors to piece together information from different pages.

The Progress Sitefinity AI Assistant gives visitors another way to find what they need. They can ask questions in natural language and receive answers based on content the organization has already published, with citations linking back to the original sources.

Here’s what that experience looks like and how it works behind the scenes.

How Sitefinity AI Assistant Answers a Visitor’s Question


Instead of searching through the credit union’s website, the visitor could ask the assistant, “What documents do I need to apply for a small-business line of credit?”

Sitefinity AI Assistant searches the relevant published content and puts together a response based on what it finds.

For example, it might pull application requirements from a product page and supporting documentation from a PDF in the credit union’s content library. The response could summarize the required documents and provide citations to the original sources, allowing the visitor to check the details.

They could then ask a follow-up question without starting another search, such as: “Can a business that’s less than a year old apply?”

The visitor gets an answer to their question without having to locate the page or document that contains the information.

Why Citations Matter


Suppose the assistant tells someone which documents they need to apply for a business loan. How can that person verify the answer?

This is particularly important for financial institutions, healthcare providers, universities and government agencies, where incorrect information about eligibility, deadlines or requirements can have serious consequences.

Sitefinity AI Assistant can display citations alongside its responses, allowing visitors to open the original pages or documents.

For example, a prospective borrower could get a summary of the application requirements and then open the official application guide to confirm the details. The assistant saves them from searching through multiple pages while keeping the authoritative information accessible.

Citations also help content and compliance teams review responses against the published material. They don’t guarantee that every generated answer is correct, but they make it easier to check the information.

How Sitefinity AI Assistant Finds Relevant Content


Of course, giving visitors a chat interface is only part of the experience. What matters is where the answers come from and how organizations control that information.

Sitefinity AI Assistant uses retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), which retrieves relevant Sitefinity content to help generate responses rather than relying on a language model’s general knowledge alone.

Sitefinity also gives administrators control over what the assistant can access. For example, it only uses published, publicly available content, so unfinished drafts aren’t included in its responses.

Administrators can also configure a Knowledge Scope to select which content types the assistant can use and restrict content based on when it was last modified.

A financial institution, for instance, could focus an assistant on its customer-facing product information and supporting documents rather than every available content type.

These controls help organizations determine which information the assistant draws on, although the accuracy of its responses still depends on the quality of the underlying content.

Where Conversational Search Is Useful


The questions vary across industries, but the underlying challenge is similar: helping visitors find specific information across a large website.

Here are a few examples:

• Financial services: Customers can ask about loan requirements, account eligibility and application steps without searching through multiple pages.
• Manufacturing: Buyers can find product specifications, equipment details and technical requirements without reading through lengthy manuals.
• Higher education: Prospective students can ask about courses, entry requirements, tuition fees and application deadlines.
• Public sector and professional associations: Visitors can find information about certifications, renewals, eligibility rules and application procedures.

In each case, visitors can ask questions in their own words and follow citations to the original information. They don’t need to know exactly where the answer is published.

What Visitor Questions Can Tell You About Your Content


The assistant can also help your content team understand what visitors are struggling to find.

Sitefinity software supports conversation logging, allowing teams to review interactions and identify recurring questions.

For example, suppose visitors repeatedly ask whether a particular bank account is available to sole traders. If the website doesn’t clearly address that question, the content team has identified something worth fixing.

The same goes for a university where prospective students keep asking about part-time study options. Perhaps the information exists, but it’s scattered across several program pages.

Reviewing these conversations can help teams identify content gaps, clarify confusing information and prioritize updates based on what visitors are actually asking.

Keep the Content Accurate and Up to Date


An AI assistant can make information easier to find, but it cannot compensate for outdated or contradictory content.

If two published pages contain conflicting eligibility requirements, for example, the assistant may retrieve inconsistent information. Your team still needs to maintain accurate content and resolve those conflicts.

Sitefinity software helps keep the assistant aligned with website updates by automatically reindexing newly published content, typically making it available within seconds. Editors don’t need to manually synchronize a separate content library after every update.

For organizations planning their digital experiences for 2027, this offers a practical way to make better use of content they’re already managing. Visitors can find answers more easily, while content teams continue to control what gets published and updated.

To learn more, explore the Sitefinity AI Assistant or request a demo. For more ideas on improving website experiences with AI, check out the AI Your Way webinar.

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