Where Web Development Is Headed: AI, Chatbots, and the Modern Web Stack
- Fabio Fiss, VP of Digital Experience and Technology at Mod Op
- AI and Automation, Customer Experience (CX), Digital Transformation, Martech Stacks, Other Martech, Platform and Data Integration, Sales and Marketing Orchestration
When marketers talk about “the website,” they increasingly mean a connected system that feeds many surfaces: sites, apps, social platforms, marketplaces, and now AI assistants. Fabio Fiss, Vice President of Digital Experience and Technology at Mod Op, has spent two decades building those systems. In a recent conversation with the Martechify team, he outlined where web development is headed, how WordPress and Shopify are evolving, and how teams can adapt their operating models for an AI-first world.
There are three major shifts reshaping web development:
1. AI for code and content: 2025 became the year prompt-driven, AI-assisted coding moved from novelty to workflow. It accelerates boilerplate, migrations, and QA, freeing teams to focus on architecture and experience.
2. Enterprise-grade content management: Demand is rising across B2C and B2B for platforms that scale globally yet remain friendly to non-technical editors.
3. Compliance as a team sport: Performance, security, and accessibility are now shared KPIs across marketing, product, and IT. Third-party pen tests and ongoing audits are table stakes.
There are three major shifts reshaping web development:
1. AI for code and content: 2025 became the year prompt-driven, AI-assisted coding moved from novelty to workflow. It accelerates boilerplate, migrations, and QA, freeing teams to focus on architecture and experience.
2. Enterprise-grade content management: Demand is rising across B2C and B2B for platforms that scale globally yet remain friendly to non-technical editors.
3. Compliance as a team sport: Performance, security, and accessibility are now shared KPIs across marketing, product, and IT. Third-party pen tests and ongoing audits are table stakes.
Watch the full interview with Fabio Fiss, where he shares his thoughts on how web development is changing and how platforms are adapting with it. If you lead a team that’s facing this obstacle, this is the interview for you!
How clients should approach digital transformation
When a client’s website feels dated or underperforms, Fabio recommends starting with a comprehensive audit rather than assumptions. “We bring together our SEO, UX/UI, analytics, and technical teams to assess what’s working and what’s not,” Fabio explains. “From there, we create data-driven recommendations aligned with business goals.”
The next phase of web development, he says, involves creating channel-agnostic architecture. “Your website is still your core digital hub,” Fabio notes, “but users now interact across dozens of channels—social, video, and increasingly, AI-powered chatbots.”
This evolution is giving rise to what he calls generative engine optimization (GEO)—the next generation of SEO. “Users may never even land on your site,” Fabio explains. “They might ask a question to a chatbot and get an instant answer. Your job as a brand is to make sure your data and content are structured well enough for AI models to find and surface them accurately.”
The next phase of web development, he says, involves creating channel-agnostic architecture. “Your website is still your core digital hub,” Fabio notes, “but users now interact across dozens of channels—social, video, and increasingly, AI-powered chatbots.”
This evolution is giving rise to what he calls generative engine optimization (GEO)—the next generation of SEO. “Users may never even land on your site,” Fabio explains. “They might ask a question to a chatbot and get an instant answer. Your job as a brand is to make sure your data and content are structured well enough for AI models to find and surface them accurately.”
Reflections on WordPress and Shopify
While many new platforms have entered the market, WordPress remains a platform of choice for clients in industries like travel, real estate, entertainment, and technology.
“WordPress has evolved far beyond its blogging roots,” Fabio says. “It’s now a flexible, enterprise-grade platform that fits multiple use cases.”
For WordPress to maintain its leadership position, Fabio identifies three key pillars of innovation:
1. Ease of use: “Marketers and content managers love WordPress because of its accessibility. To stay relevant, it must continue improving user experience. The Gutenberg block editor has evolved from fragile to robust, a major step forward.”
2. Extensibility: With thousands of plugins and integrations, WordPress’s adaptability is unmatched. “It’s still one of the easiest platforms to connect to CRMs, analytics, and marketing stacks,” Fabio notes. “And now, with AI-assisted coding, extensibility is even more powerful.”
3. Community: “This is WordPress’s real superpower,” Fabio emphasizes. “A passionate, open community that contributes code, documentation, and support. That’s why WordPress thrives—AI models can learn from this vast knowledge base, and developers can build faster. Other platforms are spending millions trying to build community and developer trust. WordPress already has that.”
Shopify, once synonymous with direct-to-consumer retail, is steadily growing its market share and has skillfully expanded its footprint into the B2B landscape. Fabio notes that several major B2B clients are now building on Shopify, competing with WooCommerce in new and innovative ways.
“WordPress has evolved far beyond its blogging roots,” Fabio says. “It’s now a flexible, enterprise-grade platform that fits multiple use cases.”
For WordPress to maintain its leadership position, Fabio identifies three key pillars of innovation:
1. Ease of use: “Marketers and content managers love WordPress because of its accessibility. To stay relevant, it must continue improving user experience. The Gutenberg block editor has evolved from fragile to robust, a major step forward.”
2. Extensibility: With thousands of plugins and integrations, WordPress’s adaptability is unmatched. “It’s still one of the easiest platforms to connect to CRMs, analytics, and marketing stacks,” Fabio notes. “And now, with AI-assisted coding, extensibility is even more powerful.”
3. Community: “This is WordPress’s real superpower,” Fabio emphasizes. “A passionate, open community that contributes code, documentation, and support. That’s why WordPress thrives—AI models can learn from this vast knowledge base, and developers can build faster. Other platforms are spending millions trying to build community and developer trust. WordPress already has that.”
Shopify, once synonymous with direct-to-consumer retail, is steadily growing its market share and has skillfully expanded its footprint into the B2B landscape. Fabio notes that several major B2B clients are now building on Shopify, competing with WooCommerce in new and innovative ways.
The road ahead
In an AI-first era, where content, data, and user experience increasingly converge, the open web, powered by platforms like WordPress, continues to anchor digital creativity and innovation.
For brands and developers, this evolution carries clear, practical imperatives:
— Treat AI assistants as first-class engagement channels.
— Strengthen content models and metadata to ensure discoverability.
— Expose trusted, up-to-date data through APIs.
— Maintain technical SEO while adapting for large language model (LLM) retrieval.
Ultimately, the future of web development belongs to those who blend technical precision with creative adaptability, building ecosystems ready to serve not just users but intelligent systems that shape how those users engage with the digital world.
For brands and developers, this evolution carries clear, practical imperatives:
— Treat AI assistants as first-class engagement channels.
— Strengthen content models and metadata to ensure discoverability.
— Expose trusted, up-to-date data through APIs.
— Maintain technical SEO while adapting for large language model (LLM) retrieval.
Ultimately, the future of web development belongs to those who blend technical precision with creative adaptability, building ecosystems ready to serve not just users but intelligent systems that shape how those users engage with the digital world.
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