Agencies embrace AI to boost efficiency but fear ‘slop’

More than three-quarters of agencies plan to use artificial intelligence in 2026, with a focus on improving efficiency and increasing margins, according to a survey of Duda customers.

The survey found that 78% of respondents cited improved efficiency and higher margins as their top AI priority for the year ahead. Process automation ranked second at 64%, while 44% aimed to use AI to expand service offerings.

Duda operates a white-label website-building platform used by agencies and SaaS firms, positioning it around website creation and management tools, including AI features and workflow automation.

Results suggest agencies view AI primarily as a lever for internal performance rather than a direct path to new revenue. Improved productivity was the biggest AI opportunity for 75% of respondents, while 53% said AI could produce higher-quality output.

Quality concerns

Content quality worries also featured prominently. Nearly two-thirds of respondents (64%) cited "AI slop"-defined in the survey as low-quality content generated by AI-as their top concern.

Client perception was the next most significant factor, with 50% of respondents concerned that clients would misunderstand the role of AI. Separately, 28% feared downward pressure on pricing, while 25% cited ethical concerns.

The survey also highlighted widespread anxiety regarding displacement: 31% of participants expressed concern about being replaced by AI.

Duda CEO and co-founder Itai Sadan said agencies should treat AI as an addition to their teams rather than a replacement for human work.

"Duda has embedded full-stack AI tools to help agencies build websites faster, smarter, and at scale, without sacrificing quality," Sadan said. "The real opportunity for agencies isn't replacing human expertise with AI, but augmenting it instead-to do more for each client and achieve greater results, all without increasing headcount."

Strategic time

Beyond efficiency, agencies said AI could shift time toward higher-value work. Nearly half (47%) said AI could create more time for creativity, and 44% said it could free up time for consulting and strategy.

Content production remained a common use case, with 36% citing value in generating more content at scale. One quarter of respondents said personalisation for website visitors represented an AI opportunity, and 25% said they planned to use AI for dynamic, personalised website content.

Views on AI's role in commerce were more muted. Only 8% identified eCommerce as the biggest AI opportunity in 2026, suggesting agencies expect faster returns from operational and creative uses than from AI-driven transactions.

Search priorities

Search engine optimisation remained a leading priority for 2026. Traditional SEO was the top search focus for 43% of respondents, while AI search optimisation ranked lower at 30%.

Agencies still saw potential upside from AI-driven search: 33% cited increased visibility and traffic through AI search as an opportunity. At the same time, 28% were concerned about decreased visibility or traffic due to AI.

Overall, the results point to a dual-track approach: maintaining established SEO practices while assessing how discovery could change as search interfaces incorporate more AI-generated responses and assistants.

Agent commerce

Interest in agent-to-agent shopping also emerged. Nearly 70% of respondents said it would be very or somewhat important for brands to optimise for AI agent-to-agent shopping in 2026.

Preparation levels varied. More than a quarter (27%) said they were taking no steps, while 25% said they were still planning. Meanwhile, 22% said they were improving product metadata for discoverability, and 14% said they were optimising product listings specifically for AI agents.

Design direction

The survey also invited agencies to identify the design trends expected to shape the industry throughout 2026. Dynamic and personalised content led the rankings, cited by 57% of respondents.

Simplistic layouts, animated interactions, and micro-interactions followed closely, with each trend favoured by 49%. Other notable influences included bold typography and expressive fonts (40%), alongside dark mode or contrast-driven designs (34%).

Voice search

AI voice search remains a lower priority for many agencies, with 50% stating that it is not currently a focus.

However, some progress is being made: 22% of respondents confirmed they are already optimising for voice search, while a further 28% plan to do so within the next 12 months.

The survey was conducted between November and December 2025 among 36 Duda customers. The participants were primarily based in North America (61%), followed by Europe (22%), Asia (14%), and the Middle East (3%). The majority represented small agencies, with 89% employing up to 10 people, while 11% employed up to 100 staff members.