Editorial
The web has undergone a dramatic transformation — from static, one-way pages to dynamic, intelligent ecosystems that respond in real time. What began as a tool for accessing information evolved into platforms for commerce, mobile-first engagement and omnichannel experiences. Today, the modern web is modular, context-aware and deeply outcome-driven. It’s no longer just about delivering content. It’s about anticipating user needs, guiding them toward their goals and adapting every interaction through AI and personalization engines that treat each visitor as a unique individual, not just part of a segment.
Yet many still treat the web as a static destination, much like a brochure or conversion funnel. But a “digital front door” should be alive and responsive. What’s often missing is hyper-personalization or the ability to adapt content, journeys and calls to action to each visitor’s context, intent and behavior. When marketers overlook this, they reduce the web to a one-size-fits-all surface, rather than a living channel that builds trust and drives continuous value across all touchpoints.
The Rise of the Open Agentic Web
The evolution of the web has always been shaped by user expectations and technological leaps. In earlier phases, challenges like poor navigation, static layouts and lack of mobile support pushed the shift toward responsive design and content management systems (CMS). Then came the demand for seamless experiences across devices, leading to omnichannel strategies.
The open agentic web is a paradigm where the web is no longer just a place to consume content but a space where users collaborate with intelligent agents. It’s open in architecture, personalized by design and agentic in function. Instead of navigating menus, users' express intent. Instead of forms, they have conversations. The web becomes not just a digital front door, but a responsive, goal-oriented partner.
This new era is driven by three major forces:
- AI-Native Interaction: Users no longer want to navigate pages; they want intelligent assistance. AI has made the shift from passive automation to active collaboration. AI is no longer just automating tasks — it’s actively collaborating with users.
- Modular Content and APIs: Modern CMS allows for dynamic assembly of experiences, unlocking personalization at scale.
- Expectations of Relevance: People expect real-time, hyper-personalized journeys that adapt to their context and needs, not static funnels.
Related Article: AI Agents at Work: Inside Enterprise Deployments
Challenges With Legacy Systems
Companies often struggle with architectures that are rigid, monolithic and slow to adapt. Many are tied to outdated CMS platforms that weren’t built for modular content or real-time personalization. In fact, a recent survey found that only 13% of marketers are very confident that their current CMS can scale and integrate with new technologies like AI. What’s more, marketers often deal with disconnected data, inconsistent design systems and lack clarity on how to integrate AI meaningfully. Modernization becomes more than just a design challenge but a full-fledged transformation effort.
An outdated website erodes trust and relevance. It can’t meet user expectations for speed, accessibility or personalization, and that directly impacts engagement, conversion and brand perception. Security vulnerabilities also increase, and SEO performance suffers due to poor structure and slow load times. Worst of all, outdated sites become bottlenecks in the customer journey — failing to convert, failing to inform and ultimately failing to compete in a world that demands intelligent, adaptive experiences.
Modern web experiences have shifted marketing from static, campaign-based messaging to always-on, context-aware engagement. Strategies now prioritize real-time personalization, intent-driven journeys and collaborative interactions with AI agents. The result? Marketing becomes less about broadcasting and more about guiding users to outcomes — intelligently, dynamically and often autonomously.
The real need isn’t about architecture buzzwords — it’s about having a CMS that can surface content intelligently and instantly, with the flexibility to support hyper-personalization at scale. What truly protects the web experience is the ability to tightly align data, content and design, so experiences feel tailored, seamless and responsive to user intent.
Considerations for Marketers
Here are a few things for marketers to keep in mind as they continue to evolve alongside this new open agentic web experience:
- Design for Micro-Journeys, Not Just Pages: Think in terms of intent and progression. Focus on how users arrive, what they want and what nudges them forward, then build content and interactions that support that flow.
- Leverage Data for Real-Time Personalization: Move beyond segmentation. Use behavioral signals and AI to adapt content, calls to action and even layout dynamically, based on user context.
- Collaborate With Product and IT: Marketing can’t operate in a silo. Work with teams like IT in adopting composable and headless platforms to ensure flexibility and future-readiness, especially as AI agents become part of the experience.
AI-assisted journeys will also require new metrics around agent interactions, content reuse and personalization effectiveness. How will marketers know that their new strategies are working? Traditional KPIs like page views and bounce rate won’t cut it alone. Success could instead be measured by:
- Task Completion Rates: Did the user achieve what they came for?
- Engagement Depth: How adaptive and personalized was the experience?
- Experience Velocity: How quickly and smoothly users moved from intent to action.
Webinar
Sep
25
CMS Briefing: A Live Look at What’s Next in AI-Driven Platforms
Learn how leading organizations are using AI‑driven tools to publish faster, personalize smarter and stay secure.
Register
Webinar
On demand
Ready or Not: How Data-First Organizations Are Unlocking Agentforce Potential
Learn how to cut through the noise, activate Agentforce and build a Salesforce AI strategy that actually delivers.
Watch Now
Webinar
On demand
AI in Customer Service: Faster Resolutions, Happier Customers
Don’t let rising demand burn out your team. See how to build a smarter, more resilient support org.
Watch Now
Webinar
On demand
From Hype to High-Impact CX Strategies That Actually Scale
Turn buzzworthy AI and outsourcing trends into measurable CX wins with fresh 2025 data.
Watch Now
Webinar
On demand
Insights to Action Rethinking the Contact Center for Real Business Impact
Join our exclusive webinar to hear CX executives share their innovative strategies for transforming service delivery.
Watch Now
Webinar
On demand
Accelerating Healthcare Ops with AI
Sign up to see how your peers are putting AI to work — and making it stick.
Watch Now
Related Article: How to Measure AI Performance: Metrics That Matter
The Future Is Intent-Driven Experiences
The future of the web won’t be built on pages — it will be built on purpose. The systems behind tomorrow’s web must empower teams to dynamically assemble content, adapt in real time and deliver consistent, seamless experiences across every channel — without compromising speed or creative control. These aren’t just websites — they’re intelligent, conversational spaces. As these hubs mature, brands will shift away from maintaining sprawling libraries of static pages and instead focus on crafting goal-based experiences. Powered by conversational AI and intelligent agents, these hubs surface content, answer questions and guide users through tasks — without menus, clicks or friction.
This isn’t the end of content. It’s a reimagining of how content lives and breathes. The web will become adaptive, intent-driven and deeply personalized. AI will act as the connective tissue between user context and content delivery, assembling the right experience in real time. In this model, fewer pages, more modular content and tighter data-context alignment won’t just be efficient — they’ll be essential for delivering meaningful, modern experiences.
Learn how you can join our contributor community.
