Agentic AI Explained: What it is, How it Works, and Why it Matters

We have all felt the effect of AI Search and the way it has changed how people search for information, discover brands and make purchasing decisions.

Traditionally Search has directed users to websites, where they would complete each stage of their journey from research to taking actions. However, with the introduction of LLMs, AI Overviews and AI Mode more of the user journey is now being completed completely outside of those websites.

In a pre-AI world users would spend hours manually searching for a hotel, comparing different options and then make a booking based off of their research. Now you can ask AI agents to do it all for you without ever leaving the platform.

This change sets a new challenge for businesses as it is no longer just about being visible online. In this age of AI, you now need your website to be understood and usable by the agents acting on behalf of your customers. This is known as agentic AI.

What is Agentic AI?

Agentic AI is a business's ability to be discovered, understood, evaluated and acted upon by AI agents. Highlighting the shift within the AI landscape from AI assistants that answer a users question to AI agents that can now complete actions on a users behalf.

It is changing the entire digital journey meaning businesses now have to consider how an AI agent will interact with your website.

What is the difference between an AI assistant and an AI agent?

An AI assistant is a prompt driven tool that answers questions or supports with a singular task, such as asking chatGPT a question like ‘what digital marketing services does Search Seven offer’. The AI assistant has the capabilities to find the Search Seven website and scan for the marketing services available and return this information back to the users.

An AI agent is an autonomous goal-driven system that plans and executes actions on behalf of a user without continuous human input. For example with an AI agent you can ask it to find digital marketing agencies in Brighton that specialise in the charity sector, compare their services and prices and arrange a consultation with the recommended option.

What does this mean for your business?

You may be wondering ‘what does this mean for me’? Don’t worry you will not have to rebuild your website from scratch, as many of the foundations that allow AI systems to understand and interact with your website overlap with SEO and accessibility best practices that are already built into your site.

However, in a similar way to the adaptations that were needed for websites to be mobile ready. Agentic AI is likely to grow in a similar way and by getting ahead of the ever developing AI systems it helps to lay strong foundations for businesses to future proof their websites.

The 3 pillars of Agentic AI

There are three core pillars when it comes to ensuring AI agents can interact with your website, being discoverable, understandable and actionable. Many of the elements that support agentic AI overlap with SEO and accessibility best practices which creates a strong starting point although there are still additional factors to consider.

Discoverable - can your site and content be found?

For AI agents to consider you they have to be able to find and access your website and your content. In a similar way to search engines if AI agents cannot access or digest your website it won’t be considered within results. Just as with traditional search, the factors listed below are key to AI agent discoverability:

• Search Visibility 
• Site Crawlability
• Site Accessibility 
• Clear site structure 
• Clean, accurate and well-structured Sitemaps and robots.txt files
• Consistent brand information 

Understandable - can an AI agent understand what you actually offer?

We rely on people to naturally interpret and understand our content and the language that we use on our websites. However, search engine crawlers and AI agents need much clearer signals to digest this information. 

For instance where content is hidden behind JavaScript or only rendered dynamically, an AI agent may not be able to access or make sense of the content in the same way as a user, especially when it is not available within the raw HTML. 

This is why we must ensure that content is easy to interpret, that we use semantic HTML and implement structured data across key pages to provide clear, understandable signals for an AI agent to understand.

For example if you are trying to explain what digital marketing services you offer, you should state this information clearly so it can be understood by an AI agent. 

Consider the statements below. Which is more likely to be understood by an AI agent?

Statement 1: ‘We create transformative digital experiences that drive growth’ 

Statement 2: ‘We offer SEO, PPC and content marketing services for charitable organisations’

The difference between both statements is very clear. The second statement tells you directly which services are on offer. It even tells you the type of organisations they work with. An AI agent will be able to use this information in multiple ways; surfacing your brand in relation to those marketing services, and that industry because it now knows this is where you are relevant.

Actionable - can an AI agent actually do something for you?

Traditionally we relied on customers to manually complete actions on websites. However, users can now ask an AI agent to book, enquire, buy, compare, check availability or complete other meaningful actions.

Making this pillar the biggest difference between traditional search and the agentic web, as we now have to understand what is required for AI agents to make actions on a user's behalf. 

If an AI Agent can access and interpret a website but cannot complete the action it needs to take, the user's journey could end here. This makes the action layer of your website a key area of consideration and one that many businesses may not be optimising for.

How to get your website ready for AI agents to take action?

AI Agents use signals from the raw HTML and accessibility tree to understand the contents of a page, what actions are available and how different elements relate to one another. 

This means that generic tags, vague anchor text and missing structured data can make it harder for AI to determine what they can do on your website.

There are several ways you can make your website more machine-readable and easier for AI agents to take action:

Use clear and descriptive CTAs

Move beyond generic calls to actions such as ‘Click here’ or ‘Learn more’. As with SEO best practices, using descriptive anchor text gives both users and AI agents a clear indication of what will happen when an action is taken. For example, using CTAs like ‘Book an appointment with our SEO experts’ or ‘Download our 2025 Charity Fundraising Report here’ clearly communicates the purpose of the action. 

Use ARIA labels where appropriate

AI agents can interpret websites in the same way as assistive technologies (e.g. screenreaders) - through the accessibility tree. 

Using appropriate ARIA attributes such as aria-label and aria-role can provide additional context about interactive elements and their purpose. For example, clearly labelling buttons, form fields and other features can make it easier for an agent to determine what each element does and how it can interact with it.

Use detailed and accurate structured data

Structured data (Schema Markup) is a standardised code used by SEOs to ensure that search engines like Google or Bing can understand the key information on a specific landing page, at a glance. Structured data can also give AI agents greater insights about the information presented on your website. Make sure you provide detailed information on key features such as products, events, business location, audience, pricing, availability and more. This level of instant detail can help agents when deciding which products or services to recommend and take action on. 

For example, a customer asks an AI agent to find and buy them the best pair of running shoes. They set a budget, style and colour. Schema Markup showing the product is available alongside pricing (£90 - within budget) and product information (Colour: Red) could help you in being sourced and surfaced in this answer. Missing this information where a competitor has included it could be the difference between which one of you secures a sale.

Use semantic HTML

Earlier in this article, we highlighted semantic HTML as one of our 3 key pillars for Agentic AI success.

Semantic HTML is a HTML markup used to structure content based on the meaning behind an element such as headings, paragraphs, landmarks and other key features on a page.

Generic HTML tags (e.g <div> and <span>) do not provide a description of what an element is used for. Whereas semantic HTML gives both browsers and machines context in relation to the structure and features of a webpage. 

By using semantic HTML tags such as <button> or <form> you are clearly stating what that element is and where actions can be made. Providing these details directly within the markup makes it easier for AI agents to understand your website without having to decipher what an element does from its styling or surrounding content.

The goal is to make sure your website structure is as clear to machines as it is to people. The stronger your page signals what something is, what it does, and what information it contains, the easier it becomes for AI agents to navigate your website, understand your offerings, and take meaningful actions.

Final Thoughts

Search is changing but now, more than ever SEO and Accessibility fundamentals are a key to both AI, and Agentic AI success.

User behaviour is adapting. We have to consider that AI agents acting on behalf of customers will interact with our websites differently, and it is up to us to make sure that those journeys result in the right actions.

Businesses that start to consider agentic AI best practices now will have a stronger standing as the relationship between customers, brands and AI agents evolve.

If you’d like to explore how our AI Search services can help your business prepare for the future of search, you can contact our team of experts today.