TL;DR

• AI sense-making compression fundamentally transforms how users interact with web content, reducing cognitive steps between intention and outcome from multiple browser interactions to single conversational exchanges

• WordPress sites must evolve from document-centric architectures to knowledge objects that serve dual audiences: humans requiring narrative engagement and AI systems demanding semantic clarity and structured data

• Trust signals including author credentials, publication dates, expert citations, and schema.org markup become essential for AI platform visibility as machines evaluate content credibility before citation

• Interactive tools, calculators, and specialized applications provide irreplaceable value that AI cannot replicate, driving direct traffic while traditional page views decline

• Platform-specific optimization strategies emerge as ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google Gemini each prioritize different content structures and credibility markers in their retrieval algorithms

• Success metrics shift from clicks and impressions to AI citations, cross-platform presence, and routine prompt testing that measures brand visibility in conversational interfaces

Imagine this with me.

It’s Tuesday morning. You wake to a gentle buzz. A notification displayed on your bedside screen: “Coffee meeting at 8:15 at Noosa Coffee Roastery.” You mumble to your smart speaker, “Play some morning music.” A playlist you never created but perfectly matches that particular Tuesday morning mood starts playing.

In the shower, you ask, “What’s the weather like today? Do I need an umbrella?” Your mirror screen lights up. “21 degrees and windy,” the voice responds. “Bring your light jacket.”

In the kitchen, your smart fridge displays a grocery list: bananas and oat milk. “Woolworths can deliver Thursday afternoon,” it notes.

You enter your electric vehicle. The route appears on the dashboard. “Moderate traffic. Arrival: 8:12 AM.” You engage self-driving mode to review your meeting notes.

Halfway there, you remember: friends from Sydney this weekend, no dinner plans. “Best seafood restaurant for Saturday?” you ask. Options appear, sorted by your preferences and your friends’ dietary restrictions from that text three weeks ago.

“Sails Restaurant,” you say. “Table for four, 7 PM Saturday.”

“7 PM unavailable. 7:15?”

“Fine.” The reservation confirms as you arrive at the roastery. 8:12 AM, as predicted.

After your coffee meeting, you head to the office. The EV engages self-driving mode again. Three unread emails appear on the dashboard. “Summarize these and draft responses,” you tell the car’s interface.

By the time you reach your desk, three drafts await in your mail app. They capture your voice, reference past conversations. Two are perfect. The third needs softening. You edit with a voice command and send all three.

Notice what didn’t happen?

No browser. No search query. No clicking through websites or scrolling pages.

The internet was there—powerful, intimate-but invisible.

This is AI sense-making compression. We’re already living in its early stages.

Children born after 2025 will grow up expecting machines to adapt to them—not the other way around.

For them, AI assistants will be the first audience. Humans will be the second.

From Distance Compression to Sense-Making Compression

For centuries, technology has compressed distance. The telegraph, the telephone, the internet—all reduced the time and space between people.

But today, the compression is cognitive. Sense-making compression reduces the number of steps between your intention and the outcome.

• Before: You had a question → typed keywords → scanned links → opened tabs → synthesized → decided.
• Now: You state your intention → an AI assistant fetches, weighs, composes, and sometimes acts → you approve or refine.

This shift is as profound as the telegraph was in the 19th century. It reorganized markets, geopolitics, and even weather reporting. Today, AI is reorganizing the white-collar day.

The WordPress Pivot: From Distance to Meaning

For three decades, the web has been about documents linked together, displayed in a browser. The click was the bridge between question and answer.

In the agentic web, that bridge is often bypassed. Machines consume meaning, not documents. They fetch statistics, compare prices, summarize reviews, and deliver a single synthesized response—sometimes with an action already taken.

For WordPress, this is pivotal. At over 43% of the web, WordPress is the raw material AI systems draw from. Our task is to make that material legible, trustworthy, and structured for machines.

Practical Guidance for WordPress Site Owners

1. Write for Two Audiences

• Machines: Need semantic clarity. Start with a 40–60 word summary. Define terms directly.
• Humans: Deserve narrative and personalization.

Example Summary (machine-friendly):

WordPress is the world's most popular content management system, 
powering over 40% of all websites. It's flexible, user-friendly, 
and supported by thousands of themes and plugins, making it the 
top choice for businesses, bloggers, and developers who want 
control and scalability.

Example Definition:

WordPress is a free, open-source content management 
system (CMS) that allows users to create, manage, and 
publish websites and blogs without needing to code.

2. Make Content Clear and Quotable

AI favors structured, skimmable formats: bullet lists, FAQs, and step-by-step guides.

Complete Example: How to Publish a Post in WordPress

How to Publish a Post in WordPress

Step-by-Step:

1. Log into your WordPress dashboard.
2. Click "Posts" in the left menu.
3. Select "Add New."
4. Enter your post title and content.
5. Add images or embeds if needed.
6. Choose or add categories and tags.
7. Set a featured image (optional).
8. Click "Publish."

“Strip every sentence to its cleanest components. Every word that serves no function, every long word that could be a short word, every adverb that carries the same meaning that’s already in the verb… these are the thousand and one adulterants that weaken the strength of a sentence.”
— William Zinsser

3. Trust Signals Are Essential

AI agents rely on credibility markers. Make sure your site includes:

• Author bios and credentials
• Publication dates
• Expert quotes and citations
• Links to authoritative sources

Complete Trust Block Example:

Author: Jane Doe, WordPress Core Contributor
Expertise: 10+ years WordPress development, published 
in Smashing Magazine
Published: August 22, 2025
Reviewed by: Dr. Robert Smith, PhD Computer Science, 
University of Sydney

"According to official data from WordPress.org and a 
peer-reviewed study in the Journal of Web Development, 
WordPress powers over 43% of the world's websites as of 
July 2025."

Original Research Reference:
Doe, J. (2025). The Impact of WordPress 7.0 on Small 
Business Adoption. Download: [Link to PDF]

Citations:
- https://wordpress.org/about/stats
- https://developer.wordpress.org/codex/
- https://journals.sydney.edu.au/web-development/1234

4. Structure with Schema.org Markup

Use schema.org to tag your content as Article, Review, Product, Event, or VideoObject.

Complete Schema Generation Prompt:

Attached is my content.
Please generate a schema.org-compliant JSON-LD script 
for this work that I can copy and paste directly into 
my WordPress header.
Use the most specific type possible (e.g., Article, 
BlogPosting, ScholarlyArticle), infer reasonable 
metadata (title, description, author if possible), and 
show only the HTML 
<script type="application/ld+json"> ... </script> 
block—a complete, ready-to-use script.
Do not include any outside commentary, just the code 
block.

[PASTE YOUR CONTENT HERE]

Plugins like Schema & Structured Data for WP & AMP can help automate this process.

5. Technical Foundations

• Allow AI bots (BingBot, GPTBot, PerplexityBot) in robots.txt.
• Monitor bot traffic with Dark Visitors.
• Optimize for speed, mobile, and minimal JavaScript.
• Consider the emerging LLMs.txt standard.

Infrastructure Considerations: According to recent data from WP Engine, DigitalOcean, and Siteground, over 70% of web traffic is now autonomous. In 2025, for the first time, more than 50% of global internet traffic was non-human, changing at ~2% per year in favor of bots.

6. Build Interactive Tools

Create calculators, checkers, or selectors that solve real problems.

Examples:

• Finance site → interest calculator
• Recipe site → ingredient-based recipe suggester
• Gardening site → plant care tool

These tools can’t be replicated by AI outputs and drive direct traffic.

7. Optimize for Each AI Platform

Each AI assistant has its own rules and preferences. Here are complete examples for each platform:

ChatGPT (Bing) Optimization Example:

Best WordPress Plugins for SEO in 2025

If you're looking for the best WordPress plugins for 
SEO, here are my top recommendations:

1. Yoast SEO — Comprehensive on-page SEO tools and 
schema support
2. Rank Math — Advanced SEO analysis and easy-to-use 
interface
3. All in One SEO Pack — Automatic meta tags and XML 
sitemap generation

Summary: The best plugin for most users is Yoast SEO, 
but if you want advanced features for free, Rank Math 
is highly recommended. For quick setup, All in One SEO 
Pack is ideal.

Perplexity Optimization Example:

WordPress SEO Plugin Market Analysis (2025)

Yoast SEO: A widely used plugin with over 5 million 
installations, praised for its on-page optimization 
features and regular updates (Yoast, 2025).

Rank Math: Cited in multiple expert roundups 
(WPBeginner, HubSpot), Rank Math is lauded for 
advanced schema integration and user-friendly 
analytics dashboards.

All in One SEO Pack: Recognized in studies by Kinsta 
and Search Engine Journal for its broad feature set 
and compatibility with WooCommerce.

SEOPress: Endorsed by WPExplorer and WPMU DEV for 
privacy-focused features and competitive pricing.

Squirrly SEO: Highlighted in independent reviews 
(HostingAdvice, 2025) for its focus on AI-driven 
recommendations and content analysis.

Recent market surveys (CodeinWP, 2025) show over 70% 
of WordPress users prefer plugins with built-in 
schema markup and automated XML sitemaps, reinforcing 
the trend toward comprehensive, research-backed 
features in SEO tools.

Google Gemini Optimization Example:

Best WordPress Plugins for SEO in 2025

Written by Jamie Lee — WordPress consultant with 11 
years' experience optimizing 600+ sites
Reviewed by Dr. Robert Li, PhD, Digital Marketing & 
SEO Strategy

"After switching to RankMath, our site's organic 
traffic grew by 38% in 4 months." — Denis Turner, 
TechGear Media

"Jamie Lee is a trusted name in WordPress 
optimization, and I often recommend her plugin advice 
to clients." — Sara Patel, Google Certified SEO Expert

Professional Endorsement:
Jamie Lee has been featured in WP Tavern and Moz Blog, 
and is an official WordCamp Europe speaker.

Credentials:
• WordPress.org Core Contributor
• SEMRush Advanced SEO Certification
• Past winner, AWA 'Best SEO Strategy' Award (2022)

[Continue...]

8. Build Presence Across Platforms

AI draws from the entire web. Broaden your reach:

• Reddit: Answer niche questions in relevant subreddits. Share insights directly without excessive self-promotion.
• YouTube: Publish clear, value-driven how-tos and walkthroughs with accurate titles and descriptions.
• Instagram: Use carousels for educational content, behind-the-scenes stories, and expert reels that showcase your expertise.
• TikTok: Share quick tips (30-60 seconds), personal stories, and authentic reactions that make expertise feel accessible.

Each mention increases visibility for both humans and bots. Reference your credentials in bios and link back to your site strategically.

9. Measure Success in the AI Age

Clicks and impressions are no longer the only metrics. Instead:

Track AI Citations:

• SEMRush: Monitor AI Overviews (filter for “AI Overview” in Positions tab)
• Google Search Console: Check AI snapshots and overviews (enable AI mode)
• Monitor integration with Bing Copilot, Siri, Alexa

Complete List of Routine Prompt Testing Questions:

Monthly AI Assistant Testing Protocol:

1. What are the top recommended companies in [your industry]?
2. What are some solutions for [your product/service's 
core problem]?
3. What do you know about [your company name]?
4. What are the pros and cons of [your product or service]?
5. How would you compare [your company] to [top 2 
competitors]?
6. Who are the trusted experts in [your field/niche]?
7. Which brands are known for [your key differentiator 
or value]?
8. What's the latest news about [your company/industry]?
9. Can you recommend [your type of service] in [your 
location]?
10. What makes [your company] different from others?

Log responses monthly to track:

• Whether your brand appears
• Sentiment (positive/negative/neutral)
• Which content gets cited
• Competitive positioning

This acts as a 24/7 focus group for your brand positioning in AI systems.

From Pages to Knowledge Objects

The goal isn’t just to rank. It’s to become the source AI cites when generating answers.

Authority is the new truth. Trust is the new traffic.

We are moving from publishing pages to publishing knowledge objects. From chasing clicks to earning citations. From acquiring traffic to acquiring trust.

As WordPress professionals, we are not bystanders. We are the soil in which this new web is being grown. Our content will either be the raw material AI selects—or it will be bypassed.

The click may be optional. But our value isn’t.

Note:

This article was adapted from a speech originally presented at the WordPress Meetup in the Sunshine Coast on September 5th, 2025.