---
title: "Agentic Web Analyst"
date: 2011-04-23
author: "Richard MacManus"
---

# Agentic Web Analyst

I’m an independent analyst and advisor focused on the agentic web: the shift from websites built mainly for humans to digital products that also need to work with AI agents.

I publish [**Agentic Web News**](https://agenticweb.news/), a briefing and interview series covering the companies, standards and products shaping this emerging market.

My work builds on more than two decades as a web analyst, product strategist and journalist — from founding ReadWriteWeb to consulting for startups, media companies and technology firms.

Today, I help organisations understand 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](https://ricmac.org/testimonial/)

## 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**](https://ricmac.org/agentic-web-audit/)

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](https://ricmac.org/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](https://ricmac.org/consulting/)**

## 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](https://ricmac.org/bubble-blog/), is a memoir of building ReadWriteWeb and experiencing firsthand the technological shifts that defined Web 2.0.

- Paperback, US$19.99: [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/Bubble-Blog-Outsider-Insider-Revolution/dp/B0DQKRB3P5?&linkCode=ll1&tag=richardmacman-20&linkId=b38f92f2c0bd2c9f05cda3a07413fd40&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl) | [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/p/books/bubble-blog-from-outsider-to-insider-in-silicon-valley-s-web-2-0-revolution-richard-macmanus/22135084)
- eBook, US$9.99: [Amazon Kindle Store](https://www.amazon.com/Bubble-Blog-Outsider-Insider-Revolution-ebook/dp/B0DQJQ4LJ9?&linkCode=ll1&tag=richardmacman-20&linkId=63e982f1c9d1ded8c83666d8b6917ff7&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl) | [Apple Books](http://books.apple.com/us/book/id6739734992) | [Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=Sug5EQAAQBAJ)

[![Bubble Blog book](https://ricmac.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/MacManus_banner-1-scaled.jpg)](https://cybercultural.com/p/bubble-blog-web20-memoir)## Where to find me

- 🐘 Mastodon: [@ricmac@mastodon.social](https://mastodon.social/@ricmac)
- 🦋 Bluesky: [@ricmac.org](https://bsky.app/profile/ricmac.org)
- 🌐 Internet history: [Cybercultural.com](https://cybercultural.com)
- 💼 LinkedIn: [linkedin.com/in/ricmac](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricmac)

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