Collaboration combines NLWeb and AutoRAG to help sites deliver AI-ready, natural language answers instead of keyword search results
Cloudflare has announced a strategic collaboration with Microsoft to transform how websites interact with both people and AI agents, making conversational access to web content a built-in capability.
For decades, publishers and businesses have relied on keyword-based search, forcing users to type in queries, skim links, and piece together information manually. But as AI adoption accelerates, expectations are shifting. People now want direct answers – the kind they receive from AI platforms like Copilot, ChatGPT, or Claude – rather than endless link lists. At the same time, AI agents increasingly visit websites to gather data but face the same hurdles as human users when navigating keyword-driven systems.
“Websites can no longer just list links – they must deliver answers directly to people and AI agents alike.”
With this collaboration, Cloudflare – which powers nearly 20% of the web – and Microsoft are introducing a new model designed for the “agentic web.” By combining Microsoft’s NLWeb open standard with Cloudflare’s AutoRAG infrastructure, websites can now offer conversational search out of the box.
The joint solution enables:
- Conversational search for humans – visitors can ask natural language questions and receive direct answers.
- Structured access for AI agents – trusted AI systems can query website data reliably via the new MCP endpoint.
- Continuous indexing and updates – AutoRAG automatically refreshes content so answers stay current.
- SEO for the agentic web – ensuring sites remain visible and relevant in an AI-driven discovery ecosystem.
“AI has reset expectations for how people and agents consume information,” a Cloudflare spokesperson said. “Websites can no longer just list links – they must deliver answers directly to people and AI agents alike.”
This shift signals a reimagining of search itself, moving from incremental improvements in keyword search toward conversational access as a first-class feature of the web. For content owners, it also provides a path to stay relevant as AI agents become a dominant source of traffic and engagement.
By lowering the barriers to conversational experiences, the Cloudflare–Microsoft partnership effectively lets any website function like an AI app, delivering reliable, instant responses to human users and machine agents with equal ease.
