From frustration to frictionless: why this matters to me
Let me take you back. Remember clunky web directories, clicking through Yahoo! listings, or waiting for someone to email the correct link? That was my early internet: a wild, barely searchable frontier. You had to want to find something. Most sites were digital brochures—thin, static, and often dead ends.
Then search engines rewrote the playbook. Visibility became everything. For years, businesses learned the rules of SEO—keywords, content tweaks, and chasing Google’s latest update—just to show up. Our digital lives revolved around being found.
But something big is happening again. AI agents—Siri, Alexa, and a new wave of tools that actually do things for you—are quietly changing how we use the web. I catch myself expecting my phone, smart speaker, even my car to handle bookings, orders, and reminders—no forms, no tabs, no typing.
That’s when it clicked for me: being findable isn’t enough. Our systems need to work with AI agents, not just display information. That’s the spark behind AAO™—Actionable Agent Optimization, a concept I’m excited to share and explore with you.
Before Google: survival in the digital wilderness
It’s almost hard to imagine, but in the 90s, web discovery was luck, word of mouth, or whatever a directory decided to list. Businesses built websites and hoped the phone would ring. Automation was rare. Outcomes were manual.
Then Google mapped the chaos. SEO became the rulebook: if you weren’t ranking, you weren’t seen. Websites were redesigned for algorithms, keywords, and backlinks.
The SEO era: chasing visibility
A quick story. I once helped a local charity improve its Google rankings, enabling it to reach more people and secure more donations. We refined their keywords, improved mobile performance, and added local citations, and it worked. Website visits doubled. Event registrations and support inquiries soared. SEO felt like magic.
But with every algorithm change, the race began again. Agencies multiplied. Tools like Moz and SEMrush became staples. And the question on every founder’s lips was the same: How do I rank?
Enter SAO: voice, intent, and adaptation
Fast forward—now we talk to our devices. Dharmesh Shah at HubSpot coined SAO—Search Agent Optimization. Instead of typing “Thai restaurant Wellington,” you ask your assistant, and it finds nearby options and reads out availability.
Businesses adapted with Schema.org, voice-friendly content, and conversational flows. The shift wasn’t just about humans reading websites—it was about systems providing structured, contextual information that voice assistants could understand and present back to you.
SAO made your information legible to agents; AAO makes your systems executable by them.
Agentic AI: delivering outcomes, not just answers
Imagine saying, “Book flights to Auckland on Friday and a car at the airport.” Your AI agent finds flights, uses your loyalty points, books both, and sends confirmations. No tabs. No forms. Just done.
This is already here. Agents can order groceries, schedule meetings, restock supplies, and resolve support issues. And it’s not just for consumers—companies are using them to manage inventory, automate workflows, and handle transactions.
It made one thing clear: in this new world, outcomes win. If an agent can work with your system to get something done, you win the business.
AAO™: the vision I’m sharing
While companies like OpenAI, Perplexity, and others are focused on building the agents themselves—the digital “doers” that plan and execute tasks—AAO™ is about making your systems ready for those agents. It’s not about competing to create another AI agent; it’s about ensuring that any agent, from any platform, can work with your website, e-commerce store, booking system, or supply chain backend to complete real transactions. Without AAO™, even the smartest agent will hit dead ends—manual forms, non-machine-readable data, or processes that can’t confirm completion. With AAO™, your systems become truly “agent-friendly”, with clear success signals and retries, ready to transact securely and efficiently in this new, agent-driven world.
Why AAO™—Actionable Agent Optimization? Because SEO and SAO got us seen and understood. AAO™ is about getting things done.
It’s a framework I’ve been shaping to explore this question:
How can my system work seamlessly with AI agents—on any platform—to deliver real results without constant human involvement?
What AAO™ looks like in practice
- Conversational APIs: Interfaces that let agents clarify, negotiate, and complete multi-step processes—like a great service rep, but digital.
- Transactional outcomes: Go beyond informing. Confirm results (“table booked”), suggest alternatives (“7 p.m. is available”), or resolve issues (“order refunded”).
- Security and trust: Agents act within clear permissions, with authentication, transparency, and logging.
- Interoperability: AAO™-ready systems work with major AI platforms—Google, Apple, Amazon, OpenAI, and beyond.
- Feedback loops: Every successful transaction teaches both system and agent to do it faster and better next time.
The evolution of optimization
Quick comparison:
| Approach | Goal | Optimized for | Typical interaction |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEO | Visibility | Search engines | Search → click |
| SAO | Intent & context | Voice/conversational agents | Ask → inform |
| AAO™ | Action & outcomes | AI agents & systems | Delegate → transact → confirm |
How businesses can get AAO™-ready
Here’s where I’d start:
- Upgrade APIs: Design for back-and-forth interactions, not just static responses.
- Enable real transactions: Bookings, purchases, updates, substitutions—without a human in the loop.
- Invest in security: Authenticate agent requests, log actions, enforce least-privilege access, protect privacy.
- Be platform-friendly: Make it easy for agents from different providers to interoperate.
- Measure and improve: Track completion rates, drops, time-to-completion, and agent feedback.
The roadblocks—and the opportunity
Yes, there are hurdles: standard agent protocols, trust frameworks, robust security. Privacy is non-negotiable.
But the upside is huge. The first companies to adopt AAO™ will lead in delivering frictionless, agent-driven experiences—and will become go-to partners for the agent ecosystems themselves.
The agentic internet: a vision
I picture an internet where repetitive tasks—booking, shopping, organizing—just happen. You delegate to a trusted AI agent, and it delivers results.
For businesses, AAO™ means fewer abandoned transactions and more loyal customers.
For users, it’s true digital assistance—not just answers, but actions.
Conclusion & my call to action
To fellow builders and business owners: Are your systems ready for the age of agentic AI?
It’s time to go beyond being found or even understood. AAO™ is about being useful—delivering real results through trusted, autonomous partners.
I’m actively shaping this framework and would love to hear your perspectives. If you want to explore Actionable Agent Optimization, retrofit your APIs, or discuss partnerships in the agentic ecosystem—let’s connect.
How could AAO™ change your business, your work, or your daily life?
Note: AAO™ — Actionable Agent Optimization — is my original term and framework, first published by BMK Lakshminarayanan on August 12, 2025. I’m sharing it to spark collaboration and innovation while keeping its roots firmly linked to this work.
BMK 