AI agents are changing how people discover, evaluate, and act online. The way we design for the internet must evolve with them.
Over the past three decades, the internet has gone through a series of tectonic shifts—from static pages to dynamic content, from desktop to mobile, from keyword search to social feeds. We’re now entering the next major evolution: the rise of the agentic web.
What Is the Agentic Web?
The agentic web is an emerging internet paradigm where intelligent agents—not just humans—are the primary explorers, decision-makers, and even actors on the web.
These agents might:
- Research options for a vacation based on a user’s preferences
- Choose the best product for a specific budget and set of needs
- Summarize websites and recommend services, often without the user ever clicking through
They already exist in the form of tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE). But these tools are quickly evolving from passive assistants to active agents—capable of making decisions, taking actions, and shaping outcomes on behalf of users.
Why This Shift Matters
This isn’t just a UX trend—it’s a fundamental change in how visibility and influence work on the internet.
In the traditional web, discovery happened through search, social, and ads. Brands fought for human attention. The goal was to attract clicks, optimize conversions, and persuade users.
In the agentic web, brands must first persuade the agents.
That requires a different kind of presence. Agents don’t respond to visual polish, catchy slogans, or emotional storytelling. They evaluate content based on clarity, structure, specificity, and authority. And their decisions happen in milliseconds—before a human ever gets involved.
Implications for Content, Design, and Growth
To thrive in this new environment, businesses and creators need to rethink how they show up online. That includes:
- Machine-readable clarity: Structured data, transparent claims, and content designed to be easily parsed and summarized.
- Intent-based experiences: Pages that directly answer questions and match specific goals—rather than generic brand messaging.
- Reputation signals: Cited sources, consistent updates, and cross-channel presence that AI agents use to evaluate trustworthiness.
In the agentic web, content isn’t just for people. It’s also for the machines advising them.
This Is Happening Faster Than You Think
The shift to agentic discovery isn’t years away—it’s happening now. AI summaries are already replacing links. Product recommendations from bots are already influencing purchases. The design and growth playbooks of the last decade are becoming less effective every month.
Those who adapt early will benefit from visibility and influence. Those who don’t may struggle to be discovered at all.
The Bottom Line
The agentic web is not just another phase of the internet. It’s a reframing of who your audience is, how decisions get made, and what it means to be visible and competitive online.
We’ve long designed for humans.
Now, we must design for humans and the agents who serve them.
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