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Optimizely Article

Bland Brands Beware: Optimizely’s New Identity Brings Human Creativity to its Agentic AI and AEO Ambitions

matt-garrepy

<hr /> We’re in the “All Agents, All the Time” era. You know it. I know it. And it’s not just the persistent media and marketing hype cycle. Agents are sometimes <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.moveworks.com/us/en/resources/blog/what-is-an-ambient-agent">ambient by nature,</a> running continuously in the background to monitor event streams, anticipate needs, and act autonomously without waiting for direct user prompts.So they are, quite literally, doing their thing all the time. No coffee breaks, just constant workaholics – and that’s creating some incredible efficiencies for marketers and brands.We’re still in the early days of the “agentic revolution” (can I use that phrase?), but it’s already yielding some tangible results. I’ve been speaking to numerous agencies and enterprises over the last few weeks, and there’s a growing fervor surrounding agents and how they can be harnessed in meaningful ways.A lot of the discussion has revolved around the orchestration platforms needed to perform this job, and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.optimizely.com/ai/">Optimizely's Opal</a> is often at the top of the list. Designed with marketers in mind, Opal allows you to create AI agents for almost any use case imaginable and build intricate workflows that can impact your experiments, accelerate your campaign lifecycles, and drive more business.In my recent <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/optimizelys-new-agent-orchestration-gives-marketers-a-magic-wand-for-building-custom-workflows">post-Opticon conversation</a> with Optimizely’s SVP of Product, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinsyli/">Kevin Li,</a> we talked at length about the importance of customizable workflows, and how Optimizely has been doubling down on delivering an elegant and robust experience that really juices productivity.“As we talk to customers, they’re really excited about the whole workflow aspect,” he said. “How we get to the 10x, 20x productivity gains lies in workflow, so we're excited about the ability to build your own workflows with the agents themselves to actually go get more work done.”Expanding the scope and reach of Opal has clearly been a key objective for Optimizely, and now they’re tapping Google as a force multiplier. The DXP just announced that it is now integrated with <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cloud.google.com/gemini-enterprise?hl=en">Gemini Enterprise,</a> Google Cloud’s new platform that enables teams to discover, create, share, and run AI agents in a single destination. With pre-built and custom agents, drag-and-drop workflow design, and Gemini-powered reasoning, Opal can help teams scale marketing performance faster and with greater precision. The combined offering – available via the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://console.cloud.google.com/marketplace/product/optimizely-public/optimizelyopal?hl=en&amp;pli=1&amp;project=main-aura-293403">Google Cloud Marketplace</a> – will unify data across systems while Opal analyzes it to recommend and even execute personalized marketing campaigns.<figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:89.02%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/10/image-1761169863165.png" alt="A screenshot of a computer

AI-generated content may be incorrect." /></figure>Optimizely Opal in the Google Cloud Marketplace. Source: Google Cloud Marketplace "We're entering an era where marketing teams need more than just individual AI tools – they need orchestrated intelligence that can adapt, learn, and execute across their entire workflow," said <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-dannemann-93858936/">Jessica Dannemann,</a> Chief Partner Officer at Optimizely. “By bringing Opal to the Google Cloud Marketplace, we're making it easier than ever for businesses to access the AI-powered marketing capabilities they need to create exceptional customer experiences.”<h3 id="advanced-reasoning-powered-by-google-gemini-models">Advanced reasoning powered by Google Gemini models</h3>Gemini Enterprise is designed to bring Google's most advanced AI models to businesses to address a variety of workflows. It functions as a kind of central interface for users to interact with AI by querying company data, automating tasks using pre-built or custom AI agents, and creating content. Gemini Enterprise offers an array of features, including a no-code workbench for creating custom agents, secure connections to company data across different platforms, and a governance framework for managing agents and auditing their use. Powered by Google’s Gemini models, Opal’s integration will deliver powerful reasoning capabilities for sophisticated analysis of both text and visuals, powering marketers with essential insights to drive smarter, faster campaign decisions. <h3 id="giving-marketers-more-control-while-breaking-down-data-silos">Giving marketers more control while breaking down data silos</h3>By bringing their technologies together, Optimizely and Google Cloud are tackling two of the biggest challenges that marketers face: fragmented customer data and the difficulty of personalizing content at scale.Through Opal’s integration with Gemini Enterprise, marketers can break down barriers between search, assistance, and intelligent agents. Gemini Enterprise’s extensive network of third-party agents and data connections also allows Opal users to access a holistic view of customers, drawing information from various enterprise systems to enrich the marketing experience."Bringing Optimizely’s agent to Google Cloud provides customers with powerful new tools to advance their digital transformation goals,” said <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/daivu/">Dai Vu,</a> Managing Director, Marketplace &amp; ISV GTM Programs at Google Cloud. “We’re excited to expand our work with Optimizely and see how customers use the Opal agent technology to innovate and help marketers break down data silos.”<h3 id="harnessing-an-agent2agent-interoperability-architecture">Harnessing an Agent2Agent interoperability architecture</h3>Agents are starting to work together, and the real potential lies with these agent-to-agent interactions. With Optimizely and Google’s integrated offering, marketers can now harness the power of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/agent2agent-protocol">Agent2Agent (A2A) capabilities</a> – unleashing an integrated library of tools that allow teams to design and execute automated, effective, and personalized campaigns at scale.Announced in April, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://developers.googleblog.com/en/a2a-a-new-era-of-agent-interoperability/">Google’s A2A protocol</a> marshals a standardized set of design principles from a wide range of industry-leading technology partners. The architecture enables seamless, real-time collaboration between AI systems, eliminating manual data transfers and allowing for complex, automated workflows. A2A focuses on core agentic functions, tight security, and the ambient ability to handle long-running tasks (they keep going and going). It’s also host-agnostic, so it can support agents regardless of how or where they are built.But A2A is also about collaboration, enabling agents to join forces. For marketers, this could mean skipping the Red Bull and instead leaning on agents to perform urgent tasks like industry research overnight – so they have the insights they need to develop rock-solid campaigns as soon as they start their workday. Opal debuted in the Google Cloud Marketplace in July. With this new integration, Optimizely and Google Cloud are deepening their collaboration with an A2A-powered architecture that enables real-time collaboration between the two AI systems. Opal itself runs on <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/models">Google’s Gemini models,</a> giving marketing teams powerful, advanced reasoning to analyze complex data and generate intelligent, personalized campaign recommendations.<h3 id="pricing">Pricing</h3>Optimizely Opal can be purchased through the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://console.cloud.google.com/marketplace/product/optimizely-public/optimizelyopal?hl=en&amp;pli=1&amp;project=main-aura-293403">Google Cloud Marketplace</a> via a Private Offer. That's cloud lexicon for contacting Optimizely’s sales to obtain a custom quote. Cloud marketplace listings can be somewhat nebulous at times (that's true of them all), particularly if the product isn't a direct SaaS or subscription model within your account. That said, the listing page does offer access to resources like tutorials and documentation to get things started. <h3 id="the-verdict">The verdict</h3>The hyperscalers have been a well for hydrating AI scalability, but Google in particular has been prolific with its Gemini foundation models (although recent outages aside, AWS Bedrock is making notable progress with its <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://aws.amazon.com/ai/generative-ai/nova/">Amazon Nova models</a>). Optimizely already runs on Gemini, so that’s clearly accelerating the innovation arc and gaming the efficiencies.Regardless of the AI wizardry under the hood, the real key here is marketers – and Opal is already delivering the kind of frictionless, low-code, drag-and-drop workflow capabilities that are helping them unlock the value of AI. This new integration is evolving that value, connecting Opal’s marketing intelligence with Gemini Enterprise’s network of agents and data sources to provide a unified view of the customer journey. From a tactical perspective, the coordination between the two systems is giving marketing teams the ability to build and run personalized campaigns with greater automation, allowing them to focus on other tasks with creative or strategic imperatives. This, of course, is the real promise of AI: reducing the cognitive load for marketers, who are struggling to manage a multitude of tools in an ever-increasing stack of complexity. There continues to be a lot of AI washing out there, but Optimizely’s roadmap still looks promising in the Opal department, particularly within the scope of its <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.optimizely.com/products/">Optimizely One</a> and CMP ecosystems. One of the smartest things they did to validate the use cases and outcomes with Opal was <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.optimizely.com/insights/the-2025-optimizely-opal-ai-benchmark-report/">publishing a Benchmark Report</a> that details how marketers are actually using it – and where it’s paying off. The dimensions of this new integration are certainly worth a look if you’re in the “All Agents, All the Time” mode. I’m not sure it can deliver a four-day work week for marketers, but this integration could help lighten the load.  <hr /><h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:31.61%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/08/storyblok-joyconf-2025-logo.jpg" /><h4 id="storyblok-joyconf-2025"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://joyconf.storyblok.com/">Storyblok JoyConf 2025</a></h4>November 4, 2025 – New York, NY November 6, 2025 – Los Angeles, CAJoin us at JoyConf 2025, where the future of content meets the people shaping it. Built for developers, marketers, and digital innovators, this free conference goes way beyond product updates or yet another strategy playbook. It’s where you’ll get inspired, get real, and get connected – to ideas, to the community, and to what’s possible when you build joyfully. Whether you're building lightning-fast frontends or launching cross-channel campaigns, this is where content becomes connection and collaboration becomes second nature. Come for the talks. Stay for the community. Leave with joy. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://joyconf.storyblok.com/">Save your spot.</a> <img style="width:28.9%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/08/sitecore-symposium-2025.jpg" /><h4 id="sitecore-symposium-2025"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://symposium.sitecore.com/">Sitecore Symposium 2025</a></h4>November 3-5, 2025 – Orlando, FLAt Sitecore Symposium, you’ll learn how to meet your customers where they are – across channels, moments, and touchpoints that didn’t exist a year ago. You’ll hear how the boldest brands in the world are transforming content into outcomes and creating experiences that are fast, relevant, and human. Join 1,500 marketers, digital leaders, and technologists in Orlando to see what’s possible when personalization scales, AI accelerates creativity, and trust becomes your competitive edge. This is the Third Wave of the Internet. And this is your moment to lead in it. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://symposium.sitecore.com/">Get your tickets today.</a> <figure class="image image-style-block-align-left image_resized" style="width:28.08%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/10/image-1759840698475.png" /></figure><h4 id="raise:-lifting-content-into-the-future-with-agentic-cms"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://kontent.ai/events-and-webinars/raise/">RAISE: Lifting Content into the Future with Agentic CMS</a></h4>November 11, 2025 – London, UKJoin Kontent.ai at RAISE: Lifting Content into the Future with Agentic CMS, a premier free event for forward-thinking marketing and technology leaders shaping the way today’s most ambitious brands create and deliver content. Expect bold ideas, discover innovative strategies, engage with industry leaders, and gain insights that will lift your content strategy to new heights. At RAISE, you'll learn how to deliver faster, more engaging content experiences while AI does the busywork of audits, compliance, and localization with Agentic CMS, built to give you and your teams more time on creativity that matters. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://kontent.ai/events-and-webinars/raise/">Reserve your seat today.</a> <img style="width:29.67%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/10/image-1761136749603.png" /><h4 id="live-webinar:-can-we-ever-get-composable-without-complexity?"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://umbraco.com/webinar-cmscritic">Live Webinar: Can We Ever Get Composable Without Complexity?</a></h4>November 20, 2025 – 6 PM (CET) / 5 PM (GMT) / 12 PM (EST)Composable architecture promised to simplify digital experience creation by giving organizations the flexibility to combine the technologies that met their needs. But for many enterprises, it’s done the opposite, which has led to complex integrations, spiraling costs, and what some are now referring to as composable regret. In this live conversation, Umbraco CEO Mats Persson joins Matt Garrepy, Chief Content Officer at CMS Critic, for a candid exploration of what went wrong in the first wave of composable and what needs to change. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://umbraco.com/webinar-cmscritic">Register for the webinar.</a> <img style="width:31.44%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/08/cms-kickoff-2026-logo.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-kickoff-2026"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff26">CMS Kickoff 2026</a></h4>January 13-14, 2026 – St. Petersburg, FLMeet industry leaders at our fourth annual CMS Kickoff – the industry's premier global CMS event. Similar to a traditional kickoff, we reflect on recent trends and share stories from the frontlines. Additionally, we will delve into the current happenings and shed light on the future. Prepare for an unparalleled in-person CMS conference experience that will equip you to move things forward. This is an exclusive event – space is limited, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff26">so secure your tickets today.</a>

Optimizely Opal Fuels Marketers with Powerful AI Agents via Google's Gemini Enterprise

Optimizely’s New Agent Orchestration Gives Marketers a ‘Magic Wand’ for Building Custom Workflows

Agentic AI Is Coming. Is Your DXP Ready?

dsfaltudo

<hr /> 14 years. It’s a long time by any measure, but vastly more for humans living in a war-torn country under an oppressive dictator. Such were the struggles of the Syrian people under the brutal Assad regime, a tyranny that dates back over half a century. It was all horrific, but the last decade and a half were among the worst years as the country became an unforgiving battlefield.For <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/nabeez/">Nabil Orfali</a>, those struggles hold a deeply personal meaning, like a wound in his heart. Syria is his homeland, the place where his journey as a technologist – and a digital dreamer – began.After graduating from Damascus University with a degree in computer science, Nabil spent the first three years of his career working in Syria. The dotcom boom was blossoming, and it was a time of great change as the internet connected the world. It was an exciting moment, and Nabil was at the center of it.“I helped bring web development to the whole country at that time,” he said, reflecting how Syrian businesses and agencies were investing in a new horizon of possibilities. In addition to other novel projects, Nabil built the first online payment system for the country’s first ISP, pioneering digital transactions and nurturing an entirely new industry flush with transformational opportunities. In 2001, Nabil left Syria, watching the chaos spread as then-president Bashar al-Assad grew more bellicose – monopolizing resources, violating human rights, and committing atrocities against his own people. This, among other illegal actions, led to crushing international sanctions that quelled any prospects of growth.In the years that followed, the people of Syria rose up in revolution, fighting a civil war to oust the divisive leader. As Nabil shared, the ensuing battle was replete with tragedy. Thousands died or were imprisoned. Families were broken and displaced. Millions sought safety across borders. It was nothing short of a humanitarian crisis. “Over the last 14 years, the Syrian people have been asking for freedom,” Nabil said. And while he was removed from the warfare and living in Canada, he did what he could to muster assistance from abroad. “My Syrian friends here and in the US were actively trying to help refugees with aid and supporting projects to help during that hard period.”One of the early projects that Nabil spearheaded was the creation of a workshop in Turkey, explicitly designed for Syrian women. The neighboring country had become a host for refugees, and this charitable vestibule provided a lifeline of self-sufficiency that taught practical crafts like crocheting, woodworking, and other trades. Equipped with these skills, Syrian women were able to build toys and produce children’s clothing to enrich their communities during the bitter winters. Local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) also purchased the wares, providing opportunities for families to earn a living. The workshop ended up employing around 190 families and became a shining beacon of hope. <hr /><h4 style="text-align:center" id="-"> </h4><h4 style="text-align:center" id="“i’ve-been-in-technology-for-my-whole-career,-and-my-friends-as-well.-so-we-got-together,-around-ten-or-eleven-of-us,-from-across-the-globe.-places-like-the-uk,-germany,-the-us,-and-canada.-we-wanted-to-help-in-a-bigger-way.”">“I’ve been in technology for my whole career, and my friends as well. So we got together, around ten or eleven of us, from across the globe. Places like the UK, Germany, the US, and Canada. We wanted to help in a bigger way.”</h4> <hr /> In 2024, Syrian rebels launched a lightning offensive across the country, recapturing occupied cities like Aleppo – where some of the most violent fighting had happened. In the wake of liberation, the door opened to hope and jubilation. Some of the sanctions were lifted, and a fledgling new government went to work rebuilding the country.Many communities were in ruins after 14 years of conflict. As you can imagine, rebuilding will be a decades-long venture, with a core focus on repairing essential infrastructure like access to stable power and clean water. But the technology and communications infrastructure also require serious mending – and that’s where Nabil and his colleagues have been chiefly focused. “I’ve been in technology for my whole career, and my friends as well,” he said. “So we got together, around ten or eleven of us, from across the globe. Places like the UK, Germany, the US, and Canada. We wanted to help in a bigger way.”That led to the creation of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://14.digital/about-us/">14.Digital, </a>an NGO dedicated to revitalizing Syria's digital infrastructure through innovative and agile solutions. The members are uniquely skilled and qualified technology practitioners who are committed to rebuilding a nation that has endured decades of turmoil. The organization’s name is both an optimistic prompt and a stark tribute to Syria’s 14 years of revolution. It’s also a reminder of its deep sacrifices in the long journey to freedom – and, perhaps, the struggle that lies ahead.<h3 id="pairing-advanced-technology-with-global-values">Pairing advanced technology with global values</h3>I didn’t know the full extent of Nabil’s origin story. We see each other regularly at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff26">Boye &amp; Company CMS Experts events,</a> where he’s a constant beam of knowledge for our community. He has a deeply proven pedigree as a content management and DXP practitioner, with multiple Sitecore MVPs under his belt. What I did know about him was his successful track record as a builder and his penchant for restless creation. His company, Toronto-based <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.techguilds.com/">TechGuilds,</a> has been his sandbox for innovation, evolving to deliver quality solutions that encompass CRM, commerce, and other facets of digital experience. He's also the father of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/kajoo">Kajoo</a>, an AI-powered DX builder that accelerates front-end development for composable platforms, including <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/sitecore">Sitecore’s XM Cloud,</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/optimizely">Optimizely,</a> and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/kontentai">Kontent.ai.</a> Like its name, Kajoo conjures a sense of wonder and whimsy, and watching it ingest a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/figma">Figma</a> prototype and convert it to clean, efficient code is nothing short of inspiring.Given Nabil’s flair for innovation – coupled with his innate drive and determination – it’s not surprising that he’s confronted the Syrian crisis with a bold sense of compassion. 14.Digital crystallizes that heart-led mission, and it’s already making an impact with projects on multiple fronts. There’s a big vision guiding everything, but as Nabil said, the post-war conditions are still being felt in the lack of general stability. As such, they have their work cut out for them.“The goal is to advance the digital maturity of the whole country,” he said. “They have very, very rudimentary resources. There are frequent electrical outages, with power coming only a few times a day. It’s improving, and people are getting creative with solar panels and batteries.”That resourcefulness is a credit to the Syrian people, who have lived under austerity for decades. This is why a key part of 14.Digital’s charter is to reinforce human rights and democratic values as it implements national and community-based projects. The organization is acting responsibly and transparently in its practices, and committing to generosity, collaboration, and respect across its operations. 14.Digital also champions equality, equity, and freedom of expression, striving for the open exchange of ideas and opinions. This is a stark contrast to decades of oppression. It's also a covenant of hope as Syrians look to build a resilient and thriving nation.  <h3 id="pioneering-a-sustainable-digital-infrastructure-to-power-the-future">Pioneering a sustainable digital infrastructure to power the future</h3>To enable local residents and communities to achieve greater independence, 14.Digital is working to address the challenges stemming from limited or underdeveloped infrastructure and, where possible, enhancing the technological footprint. Registered in both Syria and Canada, the organization’s team is comprised of skilled professionals from diverse backgrounds who are keenly focused on digital infrastructure development and community support.In terms of discrete services, 14.Digital provides a range of software design and development resources for creating and deploying custom solutions. This includes the architecting of secure, scalable digital and cloud infrastructure solutions to meet a variety of business goals. The team also provides physical and cybersecurity measures, network design, and even artificial intelligence services to deliver enhanced automation and efficiency. Training is another component of 14.Digital's mission. The civil war created a significant knowledge gap for Syria’s youth, with academic facilities shuttered and students left in limbo. Creating opportunities for Syrian-based technology and workers is a key area of focus, and one of the projects Nabil described was a partnership with Syrian university faculty to mentor students in computer science and conduct workshops on modern topics. “We're training in different digital areas, from web development to AI,” he explained. And it hasn’t stopped there. Nabil said that 14.Digital is also assisting with a host of cybersecurity initiatives, providing audits to government agency websites. After the fall of the previous regime, there's been a precipitous rise in hacking, leading to deeper audits and remediations. This has all proven difficult given that the country is working without solid data centers as part of its digital infrastructure.There’s also been a big push surrounding modernization across public agencies. One of the biggest projects Nabil and 14.Digital have proposed is to implement a secure core solution to power e-government services. “Civil records were largely paper-based, and a lot of them were damaged during the war,” he said. “If you don't have those records, you can’t provide healthcare properly, or conduct elections, or even confirm the identity of the citizen. So from that perspective, we proposed a project to provide digital identity to all government agencies for issuing IDs, driver's licenses, even passports down the road. But we’re going to build that core of digital identity in a very secure way.”Nabil said the project went through a period of deep study and research, which ultimately provided the budget to build multiple data centers with high redundancy in two different locations. It will be a massive undertaking, and likely take two or three years to complete, but they’ve already received millions in funding from outside donors. Nabil is optimistic that an approval will happen in the coming months, and they can break ground in the near term.<h3 id="healing-the-scars-with-hope">Healing the scars with hope</h3>In many ways, Syria is a diamond waiting to be polished. It has seen unspeakable horrors over the last 14 years, but its people have persevered. Now, they’re eager to restore its beauty – so it can shine brilliantly once more.Despite the regime's fall, the future of Syria remains uncertain. There are still fears of new conflicts between various non-state-affiliated groups, including ideologically driven factions. Millions are still in need of basic humanitarian assistance, and many remain outside the country as victims of displacement. But the enthusiasm for the future is palpable. And while there are many critical issues to solve, improving processes with digital technology could significantly accelerate the overall recovery. As Nabil shared, one of the biggest tragedies has been the loss of a generation of talent, and having access to stable power and internet services could enable students to gain ground through remote learning and improve their future prospects.“The thing they need most right now, in my opinion, is almost a rehabilitation of skill sets,” he explained. “Not just hard skills or technical skills, but also soft skills like language. A lot of these kids, they've been out of school for five years, ten years in some cases. It’s so sad. NGOs have created schools and there’s some tutoring available, but I would love to see us coming in from the digital and technology perspective to up level their skills to make their lives better. And in turn, they can make their country better.”As someone who has personally volunteered time, money, and technology resources to support the Special Olympics and other NPOs, I am moved and motivated by Nabil’s efforts. While many of us endeavor to give back in our own way, he is facing down a mammoth crisis. Most of us can’t even imagine what his country has been through or the trauma the war has left behind.In light of this, he remains incurably optimistic. This is a testament to his belief in technology's ability to make an impact, and illustrates the propensity for digital not to divide us – but connect us. “With all the difficulties that the Syrian people are still facing, you can see this amazing energy,” he said glowingly. “People are going to the streets, cleaning and repairing things, making the country look better. Doing anything they can within their means to help. All of a sudden, they feel that the country belongs to them. So you see all these little projects with groups of people just taking action. When I see that, I feel like I have a duty to help make their lives easier.”Wounds heal, but scars remain. They remind us of what's been lost. But they also tell a story about survival – and perhaps, with the help of others, they can symbolize a moment when everything changed. For the better. Bravo, 14.Digital. I hope the next 14 years will bring the peace and prosperity Syrians deserve. <hr /><h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:31.61%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/08/storyblok-joyconf-2025-logo.jpg" /><h4 id="storyblok-joyconf-2025"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://joyconf.storyblok.com/">Storyblok JoyConf 2025</a></h4>October 14-15, 2025 – Amsterdam, Netherlands November 4, 2025 – New York, NY November 6, 2025 – Los Angeles, CAJoin us at JoyConf 2025, where the future of content meets the people shaping it. Built for developers, marketers, and digital innovators, this free conference goes way beyond product updates or yet another strategy playbook. It’s where you’ll get inspired, get real, and get connected – to ideas, to the community, and to what’s possible when you build joyfully. Whether you're building lightning-fast frontends or launching cross-channel campaigns, this is where content becomes connection and collaboration becomes second nature. Come for the talks. Stay for the community. Leave with joy. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://joyconf.storyblok.com/">Save your spot.</a> <img style="width:28.9%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/08/sitecore-symposium-2025.jpg" /><h4 id="sitecore-symposium-2025"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://symposium.sitecore.com/">Sitecore Symposium 2025</a></h4>November 3-5, 2025 – Orlando, FLAt Sitecore Symposium, you’ll learn how to meet your customers where they are – across channels, moments, and touchpoints that didn’t exist a year ago. You’ll hear how the boldest brands in the world are transforming content into outcomes and creating experiences that are fast, relevant, and human. Join 1,500 marketers, digital leaders, and technologists in Orlando to see what’s possible when personalization scales, AI accelerates creativity, and trust becomes your competitive edge. This is the Third Wave of the Internet. And this is your moment to lead in it. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://symposium.sitecore.com/">Get your tickets today.</a> <img style="width:31.44%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/08/cms-kickoff-2026-logo.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-kickoff-2026"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff26">CMS Kickoff 2026</a></h4>January 13-14, 2026 – St. Petersburg, FLMeet industry leaders at our fourth annual CMS Kickoff – the industry's premier global CMS event. Similar to a traditional kickoff, we reflect on recent trends and share stories from the frontlines. Additionally, we will delve into the current happenings and shed light on the future. Prepare for an unparalleled in-person CMS conference experience that will equip you to move things forward. This is an exclusive event – space is limited, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff26">so secure your tickets today.</a>

In the Scars of Syria, 14.Digital is Revitalizing Digital Infrastructure and Healing the Future

<hr /> Traditional internet search, by many accounts, is circling the drain.Blame AI, they say.I can’t argue that SEO is getting pummeled. But not all metrics (depending on your vector) are bellicose. In fact, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/google-cloud-platform">Google’s </a>own figures – which are surely unbiased – indicate that search as we knew it is adapting and evolving, and the net impact of its own <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://search.google/ways-to-search/ai-overviews/">AI Overviews</a> has resulted in a higher volume of queries.The tech giant also <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-search-revenue-grows-14-in-q2-2024/522922/">reported a 14% increase</a> in its year-over-year revenue from search. For investors, that might soften some of the blow from its recent <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/department-justice-prevails-landmark-antitrust-case-against-google">antitrust fallout </a>– a kerfuffle that should have us all questioning Google’s transparency and trustworthiness (stay tuned for an upcoming podcast on that subject).I wouldn't count Google out, but let’s face facts: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://aws.amazon.com/ai/generative-ai/">Generative AI engines</a> are stealing the search thunder, and they continue to eat a precipitous share of the Big G’s lunch. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-02-19-gartner-predicts-search-engine-volume-will-drop-25-percent-by-2026-due-to-ai-chatbots-and-other-virtual-agents">According to Gartner,</a> traditional search engine volume will drop 25% by next year, which is faster than previous prognostications.By the numbers, Google Search is still <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://searchengineland.com/google-search-bigger-chatgpt-search-453142">373 times bigger</a> than ChatGPT. But that margin is getting smaller and smaller. For marketers, this is creating a blind spot in the SERP soup, and SEO technologies are hustling to provide the needed visibility to address these gaps.I first wrote about products like <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/as-ai-generated-search-grows-otterly-is-utterly-awesome-for-marketers-heres-why">Otterly.ai</a> at the beginning of this year, which offered a new breed of tool for the emerging field of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://searchengineland.com/what-is-generative-engine-optimization-geo-444418">Generative and Answer Engine Optimization</a> (GEO and AEO, respectively, because we need more acronyms). Most recently, I spoke to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/conductor-ai-revs-up-brand-discoverability-in-generative-ai-answer-engines">Conductor</a> about its platform's evolution for brand discoverability across AI answer engines.The tools are getting better at this AI visibility stuff because they have to. As a larger share of search activity shifts to bots, marketers are adapting to the impact of zero-click searches. The big challenge now is ensuring your brand is discoverable and not invisible. So how do you enable your website – and its content – to be found by answer engines? <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/optimizely">Optimizely</a> might just have the solution, and one that’s baked into its core <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.optimizely.com/products/content-management/">CMS</a>. The market-leading DXP just introduced some innovative features designed to help increase discovery in the AI era, positioning its powerhouse content management system as a “GEO-Ready” CMS. With these enhancements, users can effectively transform their websites from content warehouses into visibility engines built for AI discovery – and do it all in one place.Optimizely has been rolling out new AI capabilities across its product ecosystem for some time, and with pretty solid results. I just connected with <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/optimizely-opal-gets-supercharged-for-agentic-ai-powering-infinite-use-cases-for-marketers">CEO Alex Atzberger</a> for a first-hand demo of Optimizely’s new <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.optimizely.com/ai/">Opal AI</a> features, where he showed me how the product is empowering his internal teams and his own day-to-day work.“We’re transforming how marketing works,” he said during our chat. “That's the big part. That's what really matters." And now, they're expanding on that mission by addressing a compelling need for AEO and GEO features at the CMS level. <h3 id="from-invisibility-to-ai-visibility">From invisibility to AI visibility</h3>With all the motion towards generative engine search, websites owners must adapt their traditional SEO practices and embrace new strategies that serve AI bots and engines. This means structuring content so it can be surfaced, summarized, and selected by AI agents. “Your website isn’t broken – it’s just invisible,” said <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/shafqat/">Shafqat Islam,</a> President of Optimizely. “The entire business model of the web is being upended, and how marketers generate demand or sell products is being transformed. Marketers need to make sure their websites serve two audiences: humans who demand speed and clarity, and machines that extract and summarize the content."According to Optimizely, a website’s content must be trustworthy, machine-readable, and strategically structured to compete in this new model of answer engine mechanics. Optimizely’s CMS – combined with Opal – makes the journey from invisibility to AI visibility easier by providing the onboard tooling to make your content discoverable.“If your CMS isn’t structured for AI discoverability, your content won’t be found,” Islam continued. “With the combination of our new CMS features and power of Optimizely Opal, we help brands move faster, create content smarter, and scale for a world where machines, not just people, are consuming your content.” <h3 id="being-“geo-ready”-from-optimization-to-analytics">Being “GEO-Ready” from optimization to analytics</h3>So how do these new GEO-centric features work? In a nutshell, the suite of functionality allows Optimizely’s CMS to become a sort of “visibility engine,” providing enhanced capabilities across three core areas: page optimization, site-wide optimization, and GEO analytics. Some of these structural concepts will feel very familiar to SEO experts, with a few critical differences that tap into AI agent mechanics. Here’s a breakdown of each component area: <h4 id="page-optimization-">Page Optimization </h4>As previously mentioned, showing up in AI summaries requires content to be well-structured, trustworthy, and machine-readable. To get there, Optimizely delivers enhanced page optimization with Q&amp;A field generation, which auto-generates question and answer pairs based on page content.It also provides GEO-specific metadata that populates titles, descriptions, and EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) elements for generative engines, as well as markdown summary generation, which injects page-level summaries for improved AI scanning and indexing.  <h4 id="site-optimization">Site Optimization</h4>At the global level, AI agents don’t browse. They scan. And having a top-down site structure ensures your content gets indexed, summarized, and surfaced. Optimizely simplifies this site-wide optimization with llms.txt auto-generation, which automatically signals which pages should be indexed by LLMs and bots.Optimizely also leverages GEO topic templates to generate topic-specific pages designed to rank in AI-generated summaries and bulk metadata population to add GEO metadata in bulk, including to existing content. <h4 id="geo-analytics">GEO Analytics</h4>Site performance tracking is a whole new ball game in the age of AI. Much of it has been obscured for brands and marketers, and that “black box” has been difficult to break through. When agents read content, they often do it without triggering a click, but Optimizely is bringing visibility to this hidden layer with a GEO health index that scores pages against AEO and GEO best practices.There’s also a crawl-to-refer ratio that helps measure how often AI bots crawl a brand’s site versus refer to your site, and a crawl rate by model score that indicates which LLMs are hitting a brand’s site most frequently. Taken together, marketers now have better intelligence around their site performance relative to bot activity.<h3 id="the-verdict">The verdict</h3>Optimizely’s new “GEO-Ready” features attempt to backfill the gaping hole left by AI search. By adding these features natively to its CMS, they're overcoming one of the historically persistent challenges with SEO management: a lack of prioritization. It's true. Content operations and marketing teams have long struggled with institutionalizing strong SEO practices (hence why we still have cottage agency SEO services). Leveraging automated tools within content management systems has helped improve outcomes, but Optimizely is proactively addressing this for AEO and GEO – and that’s a potentially huge benefit. In this rapidly evolving era of AI and zero-click searches, marketers need to be more intentional about their content strategies. That includes the foundational approach to AI structure. Having a CMS that helps you establish a stronger position – and to be “GEO-Ready” – could help simplify and accelerate success. This is definitely a feature set worthy of a demo. And while I expect other CMS platforms to adopt similar tools and strategies, Optimizely continues to reinforce its position as a leader with an integrated ecosystem that will benefit from these innovative steps.  <hr /><h4 style="text-align:center" id="looking-for-guidance-on-optimizely?-talk-to-an-expert.">Looking for guidance on Optimizely? <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/contact">Talk to an expert.</a></h4><hr /> <h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:31.83%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/01/cms-connect-2025-logo.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-connect-25"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect25">CMS Connect 25</a></h4>August 5-6, 2025 – Montreal, CanadaSee Agility CMS at the second annual summer edition of our signature global conference dedicated to the content management community! CMS Connect will be held again in beautiful Montreal, Canada, and feature a unique blend of masterclasses, insightful talks, interactive discussions, impactful learning sessions, and authentic networking opportunities. Join vendors, agencies, and customers from across our industry as we engage and collaborate around the future of content management – and hear from the top thought leaders at the only vendor-neutral, in-person conference exclusively focused on CMS. Space is limited for this event, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect25">so book your seats today.</a>

Welcome to the ‘GEO-Ready’ CMS: Optimizely adds new features to enhance AI-powered search

Down the Agency Rabbit Hole: A Post-Opticon Chat with Chris Kostakis, CTO at Hero Digital

Optimizely Introduces New SaaS CMS with Visual Builder for Marketers

Power your CMS on AWS

Manage your websites & apps in the most trusted cloud.

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<hr /> It's a glass-clinking, champagne-drinking moment by all accounts.<a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/optimizely">Optimizely</a>, a leading digital experience platform (DXP), just announced that it has surpassed $400 million in annual recurring revenue after experiencing four consecutive quarters of double-digit growth. Not a bad haul for a company that started life as a CMS in 1994. Back then, it was called <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Episerver">Episerver</a>. The transformation is quite a tale, one that's been 30 years in the making. Episerver had a heck of a ride to the top, becoming an industry-leading <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/what-is-a-content-management-system-cms">content management system</a> with a global presence. In 2018, following its acquisition by global software investor <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insightpartners.com/">Insight Partners</a>, the company embarked on a strategic journey to acquire category-leading companies and align its product offerings with the evolving requirements of modern digital teams.Over the past three years, to complement its best-of-breed CMS and better address marketers' needs, the company integrated solutions for content marketing (Welcome), experimentation (Optimizely), and commerce (Insite Software). This new ecosystem of solutions led to a rebrand under the “Optimizely” banner, an appropriate name given the forthcoming focus on optimization as a digital imperative.In 2023, its efforts resulted in a landmark achievement: the launch of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.optimizely.com/company/press/optimizely-one/">Optimizely One</a>. As the industry’s first operating system for marketers, Optimizely One offers a unified workflow – accelerated by AI – to simplify the process of creating, managing, delivering, and optimizing content seamlessly within a single platform. This breakthrough offering has led to a 21% year-over-year growth in multiproduct ARR. On top of that, an astounding 52% of Optimizely’s ARR is attributed to multi-product customers. This reflects the motion of brands as they consolidate their tech stacks into one unified suite to improve (or optimize) the total cost of ownership and reduce martech complexity.“Reaching $400 million in annual recurring revenue is a remarkable accomplishment that proves we are successful in our mission to make marketers’ lives better,” said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/aatzberger/">Alex Atzberger,</a> CEO at Optimizely. “We are immensely grateful to our employees and partners, who have worked tirelessly to deliver the world’s first operating system for marketers. Optimizely has always been at the forefront of delivering exceptional digital experiences – starting with our CMS thirty years ago – and we are excited to continue leading the industry for the next thirty years and beyond." <h3 id="building-value-by-the-numbers">Building value by the numbers</h3>Optimizely's composable solutions are trusted by thousands of companies globally, all with the mission of making marketers' lives better. Over 10,000 businesses deliver their digital experiences with Optimizely, and their increased reliance on the platform further cements its value to marketers.From a performance perspective, Optimizely has put up some impressive numbers. For example: over 70,000 experiments have been completed in the last 12 months – an 18.5% YoY increase – resulting in 390 billion test impressions. Customers have also seen a 24.6% increase in experiment ideas submitted, signaling the rise of collaborative test-and-learn cultures. Additionally, almost 150 customers have gone live on Optimizely's CMS since the beginning of 2023. That's over a 20% increase YoY, and an impressive testament to growing preference in a noisy market with expansive choices. Optimizely has also seen gains with its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.optimizely.com/products/content-marketing/">Content Marketing Platform</a>. Over the last year, usage of its CMP has nearly doubled, with 890,000 tasks and activities completed. This validates that marketers are seeking solutions that support the entire content and campaign lifecycle.One more remarkable data point: Optimizely’s market-leading commerce solutions – available in both SaaS and PaaS – enabled its B2B and B2C customers to complete over 50 million transactions last year.<h3 id="leading-with-industry-analysts">Leading with industry analysts</h3>Optimizely's ARR milestone aligns with several key analyst reports published since the launch of Optimizely One, all of which position them at the top of the market. The company is now recognized as a Leader in nine different analyst reports across each of its content, experimentation, and commerce offerings.These include the recent <a target="_blank" href="https://www.optimizely.com/insights/forrester-b2b-commerce-report/">Forrester Wave: Commerce Solutions for B2B, Q2 2024</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.optimizely.com/insights/gartner-magic-quadrant-for-content-marketing-platforms/">Gartner's 2024 Magic Quadrant for Content Marketing Platforms</a>, where it has been named a Leader the seventh consecutive year – positioned highest for its “Ability to Execute." Optimizely also maintained its Leader position in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.optimizely.com/company/press/gartner-dxp-mq-2024/">Gartner's 2024 Magic Quadrant for DXPs</a> for the fifth consecutive year.Optimizely works with more than 40% of Top 100 Interbrand companies, acting as the operating system for marketing – and the go-to choice for companies like Zoom, Shell, and American Express to drive digital transformation and business growth. This is a contributing factor to its unprecedented ARR achievement. "With three decades of experience investing in high-growth SaaS companies, Insight Partners knows what success and healthy growth metrics look like in software. Optimizely's growth trajectory has been extremely impressive and reflects their enduring commitment to innovation and customer empowerment," said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamsberger1/">Adam Berger</a>, Managing Director at Insight Partners. “Not only is achieving this ARR milestone a difficult feat, but the company also has all of the components needed to sustain its strong market position. We're proud to remain a core part of Optimizely’s journey and are excited to see them achieve new milestones along the way.”<h3 id="why-it-matters">Why it matters</h3>With such a trailblazing heritage in content management and digital experience, Optimizely has long been a bellwether for where the CMS and DXP markets are headed. Its industry surface area has evolved to include categories like CMP, but Optimizely's core value always comes back to content – and this is a company that's been shaping the content trajectory since 1994.While Adobe has maintained dominance in some of the relevant analyst channels (like DXP), Optimizely has been closing the gap against Goliath. With the introduction of its Optimizely One solution, it has clearly leveled up and driven demand with customers seeking a more complete solution – the kind that offers composable products that answer their challenges with greater flexibility, choice, and value. That strategy is resulting in significant market and revenue gains.Optimizely has also focused on the marketer as a key audience, starting with its purchase of Welcome in 2021. The added content marketing and digital asset management capabilities have expanded its appeal beyond the more focused lane of CMS while integrating everything within a composable solution. This continues to deliver a competitive edge as brands shift to delivering omnichannel experiences and look to market across a myriad of ecosystems like social media. Just like its name suggests, optimization is central to Optimizely's brand promise. As more companies look to enhance performance through testing and experimentation, Optimizely is already ahead with robust tools and AI features to help teams realize their personalization goals and access meaningful data and analytics from their programs.Optimizely's pace of innovation is clearly aggressive, and needs to be in a tight competitive market where uncertainty is always looming. The addition of new features across its portfolio – including AI – may very well lengthen its lead as customers look for greater scale and automation from their content tools. And with more capital to drive innovation, it can continue to meet and exceed customer expectations in an ever-changing digital world.  <hr /><h3 id="upcoming-conferences">Upcoming conferences</h3> <img style="width:29.67%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/01/cms-connect-2024-logo.png" alt="CMS Connect 24 logo" /><h4 id="cms-connect-24"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect24">CMS Connect 24</a></h4>August 6-7, 2024 – Montreal, CanadaWe are delighted to present our first annual summer edition of our prestigious international conference dedicated to the global content management community. Join us this August in Montreal, Canada, for a vendor-neutral conference focused on CMS. Tired of impersonal and overwhelming gatherings? Picture this event as a unique blend of masterclasses, insightful talks, interactive discussions, impactful learning sessions, and authentic networking opportunities. <img style="width:29.58%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/01/cms-kickoff-2025-logo.png" /><h4 id="cms-kickoff-25"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25/tickets">CMS Kickoff 25</a></h4>January 14-15, 2025 – Tampa Bay Area, FloridaJoin us next January in the Tampa Bay area of Florida for the third annual CMS Kickoff – the industry's premier global event. Similar to a traditional kickoff, we reflect on recent trends and share stories from the frontlines. Additionally, we will delve into the current happenings and shed light on the future. Prepare for an unparalleled in-person CMS conference experience that will equip you to move things forward. This is an exclusive event – space is limited, so secure your tickets today.

Optimizely Surges to $400M ARR, Pegs Growth on Demand for its Marketing Operations System

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<hr /> <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/optimizely">Optimizely</a>, a digital experience platform provider, just announced a new operating system for marketing practitioners built on its industry-leading DXP: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.optimizely.com/products/">Optimizely One</a>. Comprised of Optimizely’s seamlessly integrated, best-of-breed capabilities – all built with modern SaaS – Optimizely One offers a highly composable architecture, giving organizations the flexibility to choose exactly what they need in their marketing ecosystem. Optimizely One is enriched through a single, unified workflow accelerated by AI, making it simple for marketers to create, manage, deliver, and optimize content all in one place. Secure and scalable, Optimizely One provides teams with the future-proof stack they need to create and optimize digital experiences for their customers.“Marketing is the only remaining enterprise function that doesn’t have a go-to platform, so we designed Optimizely One to be the operating system for marketers,” said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/aatzberger/">Alex Atzberger</a>, CEO of Optimizely. “Content is at the core of every digital experience, and Optimizely One provides exactly what marketers need to orchestrate their content, monetize experiences and experiment across all touchpoints – all enriched through smart workflows and accelerated by AI. The time is now for companies to seize the opportunity to reinvent how marketing, product and growth teams work together to create content-driven digital experiences.”The announcement was made during <a target="_blank" href="https://www.optimizely.com/opticon/">Opticon 2023</a>, the company's annual conference, which is being held this week in San Diego.<h3>Creating choice in a composable world</h3>Up until now, the market has had to make a difficult choice: build a stack that caters more to developers (think open and highly customizable but complex) or practitioners. This challenge has resulted in disparate point solutions that create a lot of overhead costs and disjointed workflows. Additionally, with AI rapidly evolving and its value exponentially growing, it has never been more important to streamline the way content gets created and data gets actioned.   With Optimizely One, customers now have the ability to build a truly composable stack. The platform is fully SaaS, fully decoupled, and highly composable – empowering teams to compose what they need on their own terms. One of the new capabilities is a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.optimizely.com/insights/blog/unveiling-optimizelys-fully-composable-solution-for-content-orchestration/">CMS SaaS Core</a> for designing entire web experiences with a low/no-code interface. Users benefit from automatic upgrades, SLAs, and managed services. Optimizely One also features <a target="_blank" href="https://www.optimizely.com/insights/blog/content-graph-announcement/">Graph</a> capabilities for aggregating content from any source, managing it from a single hub, and delivering it to any channel, app, or device.Additionally, users will have access to a Visual Experience Builder, where they can apply pre-built templates and customer data to create and preview engaging experiences via an all-new, user-friendly editor. A Unified Workflow also connects teams via a fully integrated workflow – from planning to analysis – all based on a single, unified platform. This allows users to log in once and seamlessly navigate across all Optimizely applications. The new Workflow features <a target="_blank" href="https://www.optimizely.com/insights/blog/announcing-experiment-collaboration/">Experiment Collaboration</a> for managing every aspect of your testing and optimization programs with a purpose-built tool, and Omnichannel Authoring for creating content once and pulling it into multiple content types and formats for delivery across channels. <h3>Accelerating digital experiences with the power of AI</h3>While AI has been weaving its way into Optimizely over the last year, it's making a big splash in Optimizely One. The platform embeds both native and external AI capabilities into the entire marketing lifecycle, helping teams work faster and make better decisions. One of the big reveals in Optimizely One is the introduction of Opal, a new identity for Optimizely's AI. By engaging with this service, users can surface insights, review recommendations, create new content, and leverage an AI co-pilot when needed. Optimizely also announced a solution partnership with <a target="_blank" href="https://writer.com/">Writer</a>, a full-stack generative AI platform for enterprises. Combined with the Optimizely Content Marketing Platform (CMP), Writer will provide customers with sophisticated language learning models (LLMs) within the context of their existing marketing workflows. With a strong AI offering that meets B2B needs, the partnership will allow joint customers of Optimizely and Writer to finally harness the power of AI by leveraging the Writer platform to develop content that is relevant, compliant, and consistent with their existing brand tone and voice. <h3>Expanding leadership in experimentation and optimization </h3>Optimizely leverages powerful experimentation capabilities, comprehensive digital commerce tools, and intuitive content management to enable exceptional customer experiences for over 10,000 of the world’s top brands. Proven by its 8 leader recognitions from analyst firms in the last 24 months, Optimizely continues to deliver the industry’s best digital experience solutions With the addition of Optimizely One – and the introduction of new AI capabilities – the company sees tremendous potential for customers across the marketing and digital lifecycle.“We’re continually reinventing the way marketers work, so they can more easily deliver exceptional digital experiences to their customers and drive maximum business impact without having to make any tradeoffs,” said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/rupali/">Rupali Jain</a>, Chief Product Officer at Optimizely. “Optimizely One is a shared operating system that gives teams unprecedented levels of transparency, flexibility, and simplicity to manage their entire marketing lifecycle. With the guidance of Opal and the power of experimentation data, every part of the lifecycle is rooted in science.”

Optimizely Debuts Industry-First Marketing Operating System At Opticon 2023

<hr /> Global business transformation agency <a target="_blank" href="https://usw2.nyl.as/t1/154/29ddxp9gsglii7j8p6mnwli8g/3/b2c82cff406369556a3108d566bce2ae32384d8263ed2551e674dfd054ba5201">Valtech</a> today announced it has developed the first connector to act as a bridge between <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/salesforce-unveils-composable-storefront-a-digital-commerce-solution-to-help-retailers-go-headless-fast">Salesforce Commerce Cloud</a> and leading experimentation and digital experience platform <a target="_blank" href="https://usw2.nyl.as/t1/154/29ddxp9gsglii7j8p6mnwli8g/4/82e0e9974cb7f5ba9f69d8830a681273ea0299dd8bdd3a46bbcd62caf449f268">Optimizely</a>. The new connector allows businesses within B2C retail commerce to easily synchronize their products, catalogs, content, and other relevant information between the two platforms. By integrating the connector, businesses eliminate the need for manual data transfers and ensure real-time data consistency, leading to faster time-to-market and the ability to deliver personalized e-commerce experiences to customers. "We’re seeing businesses in B2C retail commerce face various challenges," said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/janaka-fernando-omvp/">Janaka Fernando</a>, Director of Optimizely Practice at Valtech. “They’re reaching a marketing and merchandising dead-end, hitting a wall when it comes to personalization and experimentation, and dealing with lengthy upgrades or migrations of existing Commerce Cloud implementations. The market is changing at an accelerated speed as consumer expectations rise. We launched this connector with Optimizely to help businesses maintain pace with these changes and truly elevate their customer experiences. Our partnership shows that when industry technology players work together, they enable an exciting future for experience innovation."<h3>Increased demand for personalization </h3>According to Salesforce’s <a target="_blank" href="https://usw2.nyl.as/t1/154/29ddxp9gsglii7j8p6mnwli8g/5/bdeffd47c9295c8f8febf849f84c7d733a6286340a8e3e51e1a01f13b9cc2e44">State of the Connected Customer</a> report, 52% of customers expect offers to always be personalized – up from 49% in 2019. As a result, <a target="_blank" href="https://usw2.nyl.as/t1/154/29ddxp9gsglii7j8p6mnwli8g/6/775a7837875a417c5d72d0b2766fbe85cc9b782c9badd2a8dfe93b84a727cced">most retailers</a> (56%) are prioritizing technology that enables customized experiences. With the help of the connector, businesses can leverage advanced <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/what-is-a-content-management-system-cms">CMS</a>, experimentation, targeting, and personalization capabilities to optimize their websites or apps, drive better customer experiences, and improve business outcomes. "Valtech's Optimizely to Salesforce Commerce Connector seamlessly unifies two powerful platforms, offering our joint customers an unparalleled blend of capabilities,” said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/anielsud/">Aniel Sud</a>, Chief Technology Officer at Optimizely. “Valtech has created an exceptional opportunity for Salesforce Commerce clients, addressing challenges related to customer data activation, personalization, experimentation, and marketing agility, while harnessing the added value of Optimizely. We’re excited to see how this new offering will streamline processes, elevate customer experiences, and drive revenue growth for our clients."  <h3>Powering commerce with CMS</h3>Interestingly, the connector was born from Valtech’s work with a global fashion footwear brand. At its core, the technology enables merchandising opportunities via the CMS by syncing the Salesforce product catalog with Optimizely. It also gives editors rich and highly flexible digital experience management by effortlessly serving Optimizely CMS content through Salesforce Commerce Cloud. All of these benefits provide businesses with the ability to personalize their engagements using real-time customer segments and achieve faster time-to-market.In terms of performance, the connector accelerates a typical project from start to dev completion within 60 days. Once deployed, it synchronizes a typical 4,500-product catalog in 5 minutes and keeps it up to date so marketers can focus on merchandising. Content from Optimizely to Salesforce Commerce Cloud can be loaded in milliseconds, providing a fast response to optimize performance. Real-time personalization can also be delivered using ODP segments to the client – without any performance costs. The development of the connector was a joint venture between Optimizely and Valtech, and has been validated by their internal SMEs. It complements other accelerators that Valtech is developing for Salesforce. While Valtech will be performing customer implementations, they are currently verifying it through Optimizely’s Marketplace.The accelerator is currently accepting early access participants and will be available for GA by the end of this year. <h3>Announced at Opticon 2023</h3>The new connector was announced today at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.optimizely.com/opticon/">Opticon San Diego 2023</a>, where Valtech is conducting live demos. According to Fernando, the company is bullish about the connector's potential to help both existing customers and new prospects – not just in B2C, but B2B as well.“This is a tremendous opportunity for Valtech to grow its footprint in the market. It will of course be beneficial for existing customers, but will also be an excellent way to help us improve the customer experience and increase conversion and operational efficiency for new Salesforce customers.”There's also a plan to make the connector available to other CMS platforms in the future. Valtech's marketing science practice is already implementing Optimizely experimentation with other platforms. “We’re driven to continue to innovate in this space and use our learnings across all platforms,” Fernando said, “and we expect to do so with this accelerator as well.”In addition to demoing the connector at Opticon San Diego, Valtech will also be presenting at Opticon London and Opticon Stockholm. More details can be found <a target="_blank" href="https://usw2.nyl.as/t1/154/29ddxp9gsglii7j8p6mnwli8g/7/f3f26b20b817b396c425a51f43389be1a7e708a9e2a210f66856b9bef9f55ece">here</a>.

Valtech Launches First Connector to Seamlessly Integrate Salesforce Commerce Cloud with Optimizely

Introducing the Winners of the 2021 CMS Critic's Choice Awards

Featured image of the 2021 CMS Critic Critic's Choice Awards badge with text that reads "2021 WInners"

While some of us are shoveling content across digital channels, others are digging out from record snowfall. 
It's fair to say that "Old Man Winter" has finally arrived, and he's brought a distinct chill to more than the weather. The Nasdaq Composite just <a href="https://variety.com/2022/biz/news/nasdaq-january-drop-covid19-pandemic-1235167945/" target="_blank">experienced its worst start</a> to a January since 2008, with the deepest correction felt across the technology sector. It's hard to know if this is a momentary blip or a trend, but the recent volatility is making things a little less predictable. 
Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, tech companies have realized unprecedented growth. If you're not familiar with the <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/five-fifty-the-quickening" target="_blank">McKinsey study</a> called "The Quickening," it's a stunning piece that codifies the rapid acceleration of e-Commerce from late 2019 into 2020 – when the world experienced 10 years of digital transformation in just 90 days. In the report, they refer to the effect as feeling like "whiplash," and that sounds right. But is the whipping and lashing over?
Despite a light dusting of news, 2022 is already shaping up to be "The Year of the MACH," as evidenced by the continued growth in this burgeoning quadrant of the digital ecosystem. While much of the noise is being amplified by the <a href="https://machalliance.org/" target="_blank">MACH Alliance</a>, there's no question that many organizations are expanding their investment in composable and modular solutions – and looking to power their content strategies with headless CMS and commerce platforms. 
Last month, we covered news from the MACH Alliance as they <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/aws-joins-mach-alliance-as-enabler-member-reflects-growth-of-cloud-native-solutions/">welcomed AWS</a> as an "Enabler Member" in the ecosystem, reflecting the growth of Cloud-native solutions (hint: we have more MACH to cover in today's recap). We also covered news from Optimizely, as they <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/optimizely-integrates-b2b-commerce-cloud-and-content-cloud-combines-headless-commerce-with-cms/">announced</a> an integrated version of its B2B Commerce Cloud and Content Cloud products – as well as a recent <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/new-forrester-tei-study-siteimprove-enterprise-platform-delivers-275-roi/">Forrester TEI study</a> showing some astounding ROI performance from <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/siteimprove-seo-provides-all-in-one-capabilities-for-enhancing-search-performance/">Siteimprove</a>.
VOTING IS OPEN! Cast your ballot for the 2021 CMS Critic People's Choice Awards, which are open through February 20th! We received a ton of nominations across all our categories, and we're thrilled to share the top three for your consideration. Go on... tell us which platforms deserve the crown! <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/vote-for-the-cms-critic-2021-peoples-choice-awards/">Click here to vote now.</a>
Ready to hit the slopes for some news? Grab your skis and keep scrolling downhill...
 
<h2>MACH Alliance announces MongoDB and Netlify as first members of new "Enabler" category</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2022/02/image-6-e1643908103417.png" />
Before the well-hyped news about AWS joining the <a href="http://www.machalliance.org/" target="_blank">MACH Alliance</a> – the group of independent tech companies dedicated to advocating for open, best-of-breed technology ecosystems – the organization <a href="https://machalliance.org/newsroom/mach-alliance-announces-mongodb-and-netlify-as-first-members-of-new-enabler-category" target="_blank">announced</a> its new "Enabler" membership category, along with its inaugural members: MongoDB and Netlify. The news was released just as the MACH Alliance's global <a href="https://machalliance.org/members" target="_blank">membership reached almost 50</a>.
The MACH Alliance's Enabler category is reserved for organizations that MACH platforms utilize to deliver their service or technology. Because they "enable" a MACH provider instead of offering a direct MACH solution, they aren't suited for an Alliance membership in the Vendor or System Integrator categories – but can often be key components in how a solution is delivered. 
A bit more about these two Enabler members:
<a href="http://mongodb.com/" target="_blank">MongoDB</a> is a leading database platform designed to unleash the power of software and data for developers and the applications they build. The MongoDB database platform has been downloaded over 210 million times and is running in systems around the globe. 
MongoDB shares a common belief with the MACH Alliance: that modern software's interoperability and open architecture will propel current and future digital experiences – the kind that requires unprecedented personalized capabilities that are delivered at scale and weave a mesh of complementary microservices drawing data from multiple sources. All of this requires a level of flexibility that both MongoDB and the MACH Alliance share. 
<a href="https://www.netlify.com/" target="_blank">Netlify</a> is a web development platform that was an early advocate of separating frontend design from backend business processes. By unifying the elements of the modern decoupled web, Netlify enables a 10-time faster path to more secure and scalable websites and apps. The company announced in November a $105 million Series D to accelerate the growth of its developer platform and <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/top-jamstack-static-site-generators-for-2021/">Jamstack</a> ecosystem. 
Originally started by Netlify, the Jamstack "movement" has changed the trajectory of the web. Jamstack technologies provide nearly limitless choices to developers for designing rich customer experiences in web applications. Netlify unites different services to deliver MACH solutions, making it an ideal fit as an Enabler – delivering the workflow, expertise, and choice of tools for building solutions that reflect the MACH principles. 
"Our first two Enabler members are of the highest magnitude," said Sonja Keerl, president of the MACH Alliance. "The ecosystem of the MACH category and the industry direction that it represents is much bigger and wider than just the current 50 certified members. By having Enablers represented within the Alliance ecosystem, we now better cover the spectrum of businesses that fit within our membership guidelines and play a critical part in bringing MACH architecture to life. We're incredibly pleased to have MongoDB and Netlify on board as the first of many Enabler members."
The MACH Alliance has also <a href="https://machalliance.org/newsroom/mach-alliance-announces-eight-newly-certified-companies-as-global-membership-nears-50" target="_blank">announced</a> eight newly certified members in November. 
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<h2>Solodev launches new platform for building NFT Marketplaces to mint and sell digital assets in the metaverse</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2022/01/solodev-nft-marketplace-featured-image.jpg" />
<a href="https://www.solodev.com/" target="_blank">Solodev</a> – now repositioning itself as Solodev Cloud Services – <a href="https://www.solodev.com/news/solodev-launches-new-platform-for-building-nft-marketplaces-to-mint-and-sell-digital-assets-in-the-metaverse.stml" target="_blank">announced the launch of Solodev NFT Marketplace</a>, a platform that allows developers and organizations to build custom ecosystems for minting and selling NFTs on a fast, secure, and highly scalable infrastructure powered by AWS. 
With Solodev's new solution, users can choose to deploy a custom NFT marketplace on the blockchain of their choice, including <a href="https://www.solodev.com/marketplace/ethereum" target="_blank">Ethereum</a> and <a href="https://www.solodev.com/marketplace/cardano" target="_blank">Cardano</a>, with additional options coming soon. Solodev's advanced marketplace as a Service (MaaS) capabilities will enable organizations to stand up their NFT exchange with greater speed and ease, accelerating their journey to the metaverse. 
"At Solodev, we've always been focused on supporting the builders – and NFT marketplaces are what builders want to build," said Shawn Moore, Chief Technology Officer at Solodev Cloud Services. "There's no doubt that Meta, Amazon, Gamestop, and Walmart are leading the way to the metaverse. Now, with our cloud and blockchain services, anyone can launch an NFT marketplace at scale to reach the metaverse faster and compete."
According to their press release, Solodev Cloud Services is currently developing a high-end NFT gallery in partnership with several organizations, focusing on studio and digital art. The new exchange will be built on Cardano with plans to go live in the coming months, with support for several new blockchains coming soon. In addition, Solodev is also launching a crypto incubator that will leverage smart contracts to govern the creation of high-tech startups.
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<h2>Glassbox and Optimizely partner to accelerate digital transformation for businesses</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2022/01/press-release-blog-featured-images-16.png" />
<a href="https://www.glassbox.com/" target="_blank">Glassbox</a>, a software as a service (SaaS) company that provides digital experience analytics for web and mobile applications, announced a strategic partnership with <a href="https://www.optimizely.com/" target="_blank">Optimizely</a> – a leading digital experience platform (DXP). The two companies plan to strengthen their joint go-to-market offerings to give customers an unparalleled advantage for transforming the digital customer experience. 
The Glassbox analytics platform provides a single source of truth that captures, visualizes, and analyzes digital journeys. It empowers enterprise organizations to manage and optimize the entire digital lifecycle of their web and mobile customers. Through the Glassbox and Optimizely partnership, the companies will enable customers to unlock their digital potential and drive new levels of insights and innovation. 
"Customer expectations for a seamless digital experience are at an all-time high, so this collaboration will be an ideal fit for all those organizations looking to fulfill this objective more effectively thanks to Optimizely's best-in-class digital experience technology and Glassbox's superior digital experience analytics," said Dror Friedman, VP Channel &amp; Alliances, Glassbox.
One thing Optimizely consistently does well is listen to customers. The company also acquired a number of strategic technologies to help address customer needs in a single platform. This includes <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/optimizely-acquires-customer-data-platform-zaius/" target="_blank">Zaius</a>, a customer data platform, and <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/optimizelys-acquisition-of-welcome-signals-expanded-focus-on-marketers/" target="_blank">Welcome</a> – a content marketing (CMP), marketing resource management (MRM), and digital asset management (DAM) platform. 
Optimizely has been challenging the crop of leading enterprise DXPs featured on <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/key-takeaways-from-gartners-2021-magic-quadrant-for-digital-experience-platforms/" target="_blank">Gartner's 2021 Magic Quadrant for DXPs</a>, as well as the <a href="https://www.optimizely.com/company/press/optimizely-named-a-leader-in-agile-content-management-systems/" target="_blank">Forrester Wave for Agile Content Management Systems</a>. 
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<h2>WordPress releases Gutenberg 12.4 with accessibility improvements, categories reminder, and and A-List of shortcuts</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2022/01/gb-post-publish-cat-check-2048x1151-1-e1643671781296.jpg" />
If you haven't heard, there's some new stuff on the WordPress block: Gutenberg 12.4 was released right before the long-awaited <a href="https://wordpress.org/support/wordpress-version/version-5-9/" target="_blank">WordPress 5.9</a>, which includes the Full Site Editing (FSE) feature - an upgrade that's been creating quite a bit of <a href="https://toolset.com/2021/08/full-site-editing-future-of-wordpress-and-what-it-means-for-you/" target="_blank">discussion and debate</a> across the WordPress community. 
These new capabilities help reduce the complexities of building websites using dynamic themes and structured components, all with seamless editing. But for developers creating bespoke designs, Gutenberg and FSE are presenting some obstacles.
There are a few other enhancements worth noting:
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Accessibility improvements
The focus feature now correctly returns to the list view button after closing out of <a href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/37798" target="_blank">list view</a> – saving a lot of trouble to get back to where you were before opening it. There are also more improvements to the block inserter sidebar, ant the search input now receives focus when it's opened.
Post publish panel categories reminder
Tags and categories make it easier for people to navigate your website, but it can be easy to forget to add them when publishing a post. To solve that problem, the <a href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/37703" target="_blank">suggestion for assigning a category</a> to the post is added, and it will show up if a category is not already assigned.
There are a few more minor improvements, and you peruse the full list of updates on the <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2022/01/19/whats-new-in-gutenberg-12-4-19-january/" target="_blank">WordPress press release page</a>.
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CMS Monthly Recap: MACH Alliance Announces New Enabler Category, Glassbox and Optimizely Partner, Gutenberg Updates and More

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