In this episode of the 90-Day Website Mastery Podcast, Jonny Ross and Pascal Fintoni explore a question many business owners are asking:

Should I invest time learning website design, or focus my energy elsewhere?

The conversation reveals the real value of professional development for website managers, revealing why strategic understanding matters more than technical execution.

The episode also examines Ofcom's groundbreaking 2025 Online Nations Report, which highlights seismic shifts in how UK audiences discover and consume online content.

With AI overviews now reducing click-through rates by almost 50%, and Google Maps emerging as the "High Street of the digital world," the implications for website strategy are profound. Jonny and Pascal break down exactly what these trends mean for your content, visibility, and 2026 marketing plan.

Finally, the hosts share two powerful productivity tools for website managers, plus actionable website adjustments you can implement this week to improve user experience and data capture.

If you manage a website, create content, or lead digital marketing for your organisation, this episode provides the clarity and direction you need heading into 2026.

❓ Should I Learn Website Design to Better Manage My Website?

Training is valuable, but clarity on what to learn and why is essential.

1. Design skills vs management skills are different: Understanding design helps you brief and challenge suppliers, but doesn't mean you should design yourself.
2. Strategic knowledge beats tool proficiency: Focus on learning messaging, structure, accessibility, user intent, and customer journey mapping over specific design software.
3. Time is your most valuable asset: Consider whether your time is better spent designing or delivering your core business expertise.
4. Create a learning plan for 2026: Map out skills development over 3-6-12 months aligned with your business strategy, rather than reacting to immediate challenges.
5. Upskilling enables better collaboration: The more you understand what's achievable, the better you can brief designers, developers, and agencies.

❓ What Does Ofcom's 2025 Report Tell Us About Online Behaviour?

Based on Ofcom's 114-page Online Nations Report 2025, Jonny and Pascal highlight critical insights every website manager must understand:

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/media-use-and-attitudes/online-habits/from-apps-to-ai-search-how-the-uk-goes-online-in-2025

Key Statistics & Trends:

1. Adults now spend 4.5 hours online daily, up 10 minutes from last year, reversing the previous plateau.
2. 77% of online time happens on smartphones, mobile-first design is non-negotiable.
3. Top 3 apps: WhatsApp, Facebook, Google Maps, with Google Maps dubbed the "High Street of the digital world" reaching 78% of UK internet users monthly.
4. Reddit is surging, experiencing 28% audience growth for the second consecutive year, now reaching 60% of UK internet users.
5. Twitter is declining significantly, along with Quora. Pinterest, Messenger, and eBay show marginal declines.

The AI Overview Revolution:

1. Users are almost 50% less likely to click through to source websites when encountering AI overviews (26% end search sessions vs 16% for traditional search).
2. Trust in summaries is growing, people increasingly trust AI-generated summaries without verifying original sources.
3. Only 33% of adults believe the internet is good for society, down from 40% last year, highlighting growing skepticism.

Preparing for Agentic AI:

1. Autonomous AI agents (like Google's Gemini in Chrome) will increasingly compare products and plan purchases without direct user prompts.
2. Your Google Maps presence and website content will feed these AI comparisons, making accuracy and comprehensiveness critical.

Three Strategic Pillars for 2026:

1. Become the Answer: Publish authoritative, comprehensive content that AI systems will cite.
2. Go Deep, Not Wide: Focus on expertise in specific areas rather than superficial coverage of many topics.
3. Become Your Sector's Trusted Voice: Build authority through consistency, authenticity, and demonstrated expertise.

❓ What Tools Can Improve Website Management Efficiency?

Clay.com (Jonny's Pick): https://www.clay.com/

1. Research and turn data into action with flexible, iterable workflows.
2. Integrates with Google Tag Manager, CRMs, and form capture tools.
3. Captures website behaviour data and converts it into actionable insights.
4. Simplifies complex customer journey mapping.
5. Helps increase ROI by making data more understandable and actionable.
6. Perfect for modern, data-driven website management.

MeetEdgar.com (Pascal's Pick): https://meetedgar.com/

1. Ideal for marketers with extensive libraries of evergreen content.
2. Automates the resharing and repromoting of your best blog posts, videos, podcasts, and resources.
3. Features include content categories, auto-import, AI writing assistant, A/B testing, and analytics.
4. Chrome integration allows you to schedule content resharing while browsing your own website.
5. Combats "recency bias" by reminding audiences of valuable older content that remains relevant.

❓ What Quick Website Changes Should I Make Right Now?

Jonny's Call to Action: Limit Pop-Up Intrusiveness

1. Pop-ups are valuable for capturing leads and growing your email list.
2. But they must be user-friendly: Ensure they're mobile-optimised, well-timed, and easy to close.
3. Don't frustrate visitors with difficult-to-close pop-ups or ones that appear too frequently.
4. Make the close button obvious, don't hide it by matching colours to the background.
5. Balance lead generation with user experience to avoid damaging trust and increasing bounce rates.

Pascal's Call to Action: Review Your 2026 Memberships for Content Opportunities

1. List all professional bodies, trade associations, and memberships you're renewing for 2026.
2. Identify key contacts within each organisation.
3. Invite them for Q&A sessions: Create blog posts, podcasts, or video interviews discussing industry trends, AI impact, or future forecasts.
4. Leverage their networks: When guests share your content with their audience, you gain access to extensive, relevant networks.
5. Double benefit: Valuable content for your audience + increased website traffic from established communities.

🎯 Key Takeaways for Website Managers (with timestamps)

1. Websites are not brochures, they feed AI systems that increasingly control visibility and discovery.
2. Content quality over quantity has never been more important as AI systems curate what audiences see.
3. Google Maps is now mission-critical, ensure your business profile is comprehensive, accurate, and optimised.
4. Authenticity and expertise win in an era of declining internet trust and AI-generated content saturation.
5. Strategic upskilling beats tactical tool training, understand the "why" before learning the "how."
6. Be explicit about your expertise, don't assume people know what you do or why you're different.
7. Repurpose and reshare evergreen content, your older content still has value if you remind people it exists.

01:38 – You Ask, We Answer: Training courses for website design

04:03 – Website design vs. website management: Two different skill sets

05:20 – Creating a strategic learning plan for 2026

08:22 – Website Stories: Ofcom's 2025 Online Nations Report

11:10 – The AI overview revolution: 50% fewer click-throughs

12:48 – Three core pillars for 2026: Become the answer, go deep, be trusted

15:32 – Growing concerns: Fewer people trust the internet

16:30 – The decline in internet trust across all generations

17:35 – Reddit and community-driven platforms on the rise

18:30 – The urgency of being explicit about your expertise

20:26 – Website Engine Room: Clay.com for data-driven workflows

21:49 – MeetEdgar: Automating evergreen content resharing

23:58 – Website Call To Action: Limiting pop-up intrusiveness

25:18 – Reviewing memberships for content and traffic opportunities

27:13 – Recap: Over 100 calls to action and 50+ questions answered

🔎 SEO Keywords & Tags:

Primary Keywords: website design training, website management skills, AI search trends 2025, Ofcom online nations report, Google Maps SEO, agentic AI marketing, evergreen content strategy, content resharing tools, website pop-up optimisation, website content strategy 2026

Secondary Keywords: upskilling for website managers, UK online behaviour 2025, Reddit growth statistics, Clay.com data workflows, MeetEdgar automation, membership content marketing, website lead generation, digital marketing planning 2026

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1. Jonny Ross
2. Pascal Fintoni

About the Hosts

Jonny Ross is a leading digital marketing consultant and SEO strategist with decades of experience helping businesses transform their online presence.

Pascal Fintoni is a digital skills trainer and video marketing expert, known for making complex tech topics accessible and actionable.