Agentic Web
The shift in which autonomous AI agents use the web alongside people to research, compare and act.
What is the agentic web?
The agentic web is a stage of the internet in which the web is used more and more by autonomous AI agents, and no longer only by people. These agents act on a user's behalf: they research information, compare offers, make a shortlist and carry out tasks, often across several websites and services.
The classic web is built around visual interfaces for people. The agentic web needs machine-readable interfaces and structures that agents can interact with reliably. That changes how companies have to be findable and usable online.
Example: a user tells an AI assistant to book a table for four at an Italian restaurant nearby on Friday evening. The assistant's agent compares restaurants, checks which ones it can query for free tables and completes the reservation, without the user opening a single website.
How does the agentic web work?
To act reliably, the agentic web relies on open standards instead of reading interfaces built for people. The key building blocks:
- Agent-to-agent communication – with protocols such as A2A (Agent2Agent), agents talk to each other directly instead of scraping web pages.
- Access to tools and data – through the Model Context Protocol (MCP), agents use concrete functions and data of an application.
- Machine-readable profiles – agent cards and structured data describe what a company offers and how to reach it.
What does the agentic web mean for companies?
In the agentic web, an agent increasingly decides which providers a user gets to see at all. A company optimized only for human visitors can be overlooked by agents, even with good classic rankings.
That is why agent readiness (AAO) is gaining importance: preparing a company on purpose for use by agents. At SEOX, we see the agentic web as the next step in the path from SEO through GEO to the agent-ready website. For online retail this means agentic commerce: agents search for, compare and buy products. Our guide Agentic commerce in Switzerland explains where things stand in Switzerland, and the guide on optimizing your website for AI agents covers the practical steps.
Agentic web, SEO and GEO
The agentic web does not replace SEO and GEO. It adds a third layer: people find you through search engines, generative systems summarize content, and agents interact with services directly. If you serve all three layers, you stay visible and usable in the AI era.
Frequently asked questions
What is the agentic web?
The agentic web is a stage of the internet in which autonomous AI agents use the web on behalf of people. They research, compare offers and carry out tasks across several websites and services.
Why does the agentic web matter for SEO?
An agent increasingly decides which providers a user sees at all. A company optimized only for human visitors can be overlooked by agents, even with good classic rankings.
What is an example of the agentic web?
A user asks an AI assistant to book a restaurant table. The assistant's agent compares restaurants, checks availability and completes the reservation without the user visiting any website.
Does the agentic web replace SEO and GEO?
No. It adds a third layer: people find you through search engines, generative systems summarize content, and agents interact with services directly.