Agentic Web Strategist

I’m a strategist and analyst focused on the Agentic Web: how AI agents discover, understand, and interact with websites and digital products.

My work builds on more than two decades as an independent web analyst, advisor, and journalist — from founding ReadWriteWeb to consulting for startups, media companies, and tech firms.

Today, I help organisations identify the practical gaps, risks, and opportunities created by the agentic web, and decide what to do next.

“Richard brought a level of analytical rigor that was rare: he didn’t just gather information, he made sense of it in ways that were genuinely useful and actionable.”
— Susan Mernit, founder of 5ive, a consultancy I’ve worked with

Read more testimonials

Start with an Agent Experience Assessment

If you want to understand how AI agents actually experience your website, content, product, or platform, I offer a structured:

👉 Agent Experience Assessment

This is a hands-on, non-automated analysis of how AI agents and AI systems:

  • discover and access your content
  • interpret its structure and meaning
  • retrieve, summarize, compare, and cite your information
  • use your site, documentation, APIs, or product surfaces to complete tasks
  • represent you in tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini

In effect, this is a form of agent usability analysis — understanding how AI systems experience and use your site, content, and product surfaces.

If you’re just exploring, I’ve also put together a 36-page playbook based on my recent work:

👉 The Agentic Web Playbook

How I help

I work with organizations at different stages — from early ideas to established platforms — helping them design products, structure content, and adapt their systems for AI agents.

  • Assess agent readiness: Understand how AI agents discover, interpret, and use your website, content, docs, APIs, and product surfaces.
  • Shape AI-driven products: Define how AI fits into your product — including agent-based interfaces, AI-native workflows, and agent-facing capabilities.
  • Launch and grow editorial products: Act as a founding editor or strategic advisor for content-led products, publications, and AI-assisted editorial workflows.
  • Make sense of the AI/web landscape: Provide clear, practical insight into how AI is changing the web, developer platforms, digital publishing, and product strategy.

👉 Consulting & advisory

Selected experience

  • Founder, ReadWriteWeb (2003–2012)
  • Senior Editor, The New Stack (2020–2026)
  • 20+ years analyzing web technologies, platforms, and digital media
  • Advisor and consultant to technology companies and media organizations

Book

My latest book, Bubble Blog, is a memoir of building ReadWriteWeb and experiencing firsthand the technological shifts that defined Web 2.0.

Bubble Blog book

Where to find me

Originally from New Zealand, I’m now based in the UK.