The Zero-Cost Content Paradox

Agentic AI Is Coming. Is Your DXP Ready?

AI is lowering the cost of content production. Can brands avoid drowning in their own content?

Forget the Cape! Here's Why CMS Is Your 'Unsung Hero' in 2025

Here's Why CMS Is Your 'Unsung Hero' in 2025

Not All Heroes Wear Capes. Here's Why CMS Is Your 'Unsung Hero' in 2025

In an age of AI superpowers, Janus Boye tells us why CMS keeps saving the day with real value.

Presenting the Winners of the 13th Annual CMS Critic Awards!

CMS Critic Awards

<hr /> The Oscars might have <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conclave_(film)">Conclave</a>, but we have content. And Demi Moore can have <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Substance">The Substance</a> – because we've got the schema. Sure, it would be great for Conan O'Brien to host the 13th edition of our world-famous <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/cms-critic-awards">CMS Critic Awards</a>, but we've got something even better than the Academy: You.That's right. YOU.You activated your communities and rallied the vote. You brought enthusiasm for these platforms, showing up to support your favorite tools. You inspire us – and for that, our cup runneth over. While our little awards program has a streak of competitiveness, it's all about celebrating our industry and the continued innovation we see from all corners. From the vendor's perspective, it's an opportunity to highlight the power of your users – from marketers to developers – and let their voices sing. Most of all, the CMS Critic Awards is a chance to have some fun in our fast-paced, nose-to-the-grindstone world. It reminds us that people, not platforms, are at the heart of this content game. From all of us at CMS Critic, thank you for participating. Keep carrying a torch for the tools you love. <h3 id="the-envelope,-please…">The Envelope, Please…</h3> <figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://youtu.be/QVcEwG_3Vw8"><div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:56.2493%"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QVcEwG_3Vw8" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;left:0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div></figure> Dramatic pause: Before we break the seal, we have a few notes on this year's list of champions:As you'll see, a couple of vendors showed up in a big way, owning more than one category. Still, several newcomers popped up in our nominations wave – no one we would call <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Complete_Unknown">A Complete Unknown</a>, but some smaller solutions that managed to make the cutoff. Congrats to all of you, and bring the thunder again next year. Because you never know what can happen.Here are your winners in the 13th Annual CMS Critic Awards: <hr /> - Best Enterprise CMS: Umbraco  - Best DXP: Sitecore  - Best Free CMS: Umbraco  - Best Headless CMS: Umbraco  - Best Open Source CMS: Joomla  - Best ECM: Microsoft SharePoint  - Best Flat File CMS: Statamic  - Best Website Builder: uSkinned  - Best Static Site Generator: Statamic  - Best DAM: Sitecore  - Best PIM: Pimcore  - Best e-Commerce Solution: Shopify  - Best Headless Commerce Solution: Shopify  - Best Composable Solution: Umbraco  - Best AI Solution in a CMS or DXP: Umbraco  - Best Development/Hosting Platform: Azure <h3 id="congratulations-to-this-year's-winners!">Congratulations to this year's winners!</h3>What can we say? We’re thrilled to have such a passionate community of readers, and we’re already looking forward to next year’s Awards. Given the shifting landscape of categories, we'll be making some changes for our 14th annual program, and even expanding a few things (don't worry, CMS is still closest to our heart). Remember to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cmscritic.com/signup">sign up for alerts</a> about additional events this year, and check below for some upcoming conferences that we'll be attending and speaking at.       Vendor Marketing Departments: Looking to promote the good news? Email us at <a href="mailto:info@cmscritic.com">info@cmscritic.com</a> to request your exclusive badges and claim your 30 day Product Directory upgrade.  <hr /><h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:30.46%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/11/cms-summit-25.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-summit-25"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmssummit25">CMS Summit 25</a></h4>May 13-14, 2025 – Frankfurt, GermanyDon't miss the first European edition of our prestigious international conference dedicated to the global content management community! CMS Summit 25 will bring together top-notch speakers, our renowned learning format, and engaging social events. Hear from leading practitioners like Deutsche Bahn, Dr. Oetker, and more – and join customers, agencies, and CMS vendors as we discuss current trends and what's ahead for the content and digital experience fields. Connect and network at the only vendor-neutral, in-person conference focused on CMS. Space is limited for this exclusive event, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmssummit25">so book your seats today.</a> <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" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect25">CMS Connect 25</a></h4>August 5-6, 2025 – Montreal, CanadaWe are delighted to present 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" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect25">so book your seats today.</a>

The Envelope, Please: We Proudly Present the Winners of the 13th Annual CMS Critic Awards

Find out who took home the trophy in each category.

Generative AI is Making Content King Again

<a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/critics/michael-spenceley">Michael Spenceley</a> is Leader, Learning &amp; Content Standards - Innovative Medicine at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.jnj.com/">Johnson &amp; Johnson</a> and a CMS Critic Contributor. <hr />If you're a content professional, you've likely spent much of your career focused on how to govern the accuracy and quality of content. As Generative AI (Gen AI) has entered our collective corporate consciousness, our content is now under a microscope. If you have outdated or inaccurate content, Gen AI will bring it into focus for all to see. On one hand, this will lead to uncomfortable conversations for those who are responsible for the accuracy of content, but this also presents a significant opportunity for content professionals. Here's a conversation I’ve had a few times lately: Business Leader: “We have all this content, if we put it in a Gen AI tool, won’t that make it easier for people to get answers, reduce call center volume and create a better experience for our employees and customers?”Technologist: "Yeah, we can do that. We can integrate your CMS or knowledgebase with our Gen AI platform."Business Leader: “Michael, what do you think?”Me: "Well, I think there are more questions we need to ask. Do we have quality content to feed into the Gen AI experience? Do we have the right level of governance to ensure accuracy? Do we have clear roles and responsibilities for those who own content feeding into Gen AI? Is the ROI sufficient to invest the time and money to do this right?”  Business leaders are now recognizing the importance of good content to enable an effective Gen AI experience for employees and customers. Getting content governance right, especially in large organizations, takes lots of people, rigorous processes, clear roles and responsibilities and accountability. Here are three things all content professionals should focus on as Gen AI initiatives take center stage: <h3 id="1.-keep-moving,-even-when-it's-not-perfect">1. Keep moving, even when it's not perfect</h3>Be agile and be okay with imperfection. If you wait to use Gen AI until you've solved all your content governance problems, you will never start. Come up with an approach that works for your organization.  I see it as a two-pronged approach. First, what steps do you take right now to keep Gen AI moving? At this stage, you don't know what will work so keep it simple. Second, while you're doing that, plan for the long-term. To scale your approach, what tech do you need, what integrations and what processes need to be in place? Here’s a real example of what I’ve tried in my organization:When we need content for a new Gen AI use case, we follow this process:<ul><li>Identify – Identify relevant content that already exists. </li><li>Validate – Analyze content to ensure we have the most current version and it’s the correct level of detail.</li><li>Remediate – Work with subject matter experts to update content that is out of date and create new content to fill any gaps.</li><li>Extract – Technical team extracts content from our source system to ingest into Gen AI. </li><li>Monitor &amp; Update – Leverage existing reporting and processes to determine when content needs to be updated in the Gen AI tool.</li></ul>This is a largely manual process, but it works for now and as we refine it, we're planning for how best to scale it in the future and reduce manual effort through integrations and automation. <h3 id="2.-get-the-right-people-involved-">2. Get the right people involved </h3>If you're a content professional or a SME who owns content, speak up and get involved in Gen AI initiatives. You know things that are important to this process that others may not know. If you're not a content professional and you're on the technical side of Gen AI, don't go it alone. While you can probably get your hands on some content to start, there is a chance that there's a lot you don't know about the content. When assessing content for accuracy and relevance, there can be many nuances, especially in large global organizations. Additionally, content teams already have processes in place to source and update content, and they have relationships with the subject matter experts who can validate content. Rely on content professionals and SMEs to tell you which content is ready for Gen AI and what steps need to be taken to prepare content. Here’s a real example of what I’ve tried in my organization:We established weekly touchpoints that include a combination of content, IT and business process owners. The content team drives the identify, validate, remediate, extract, and monitor process. The content team works with SMEs and content owners to validate content accuracy and remediate gaps. Our IT partners ingest content into the Gen AI tool and train the model. This ensures that this work is connected to our existing content governance process and isn't seen as additional work for content and process owners. We have one source of truth, one process and one governance model for content. Gen AI is just an additional channel where the content is being consumed. This could change in the future, but leveraging existing processes and infrastructure is an effective way to get things moving quickly.    <h3 id="3.-seize-the-opportunity-to-get-resources-and-support">3. Seize the opportunity to get resources and support</h3>In large organizations, content governance has often not gotten the time and attention it deserves, beyond a small group of content professionals. In the short time I've been working on this, I have learned that this connection between content and the success of Gen AI, is logical but isn't always obvious. It's on us, as content professionals, to speak up, get involved and make the case. Here’s a real example of what I’ve tried in my organization:We engaged with leaders and content owners to help them understand how our content will make or break our journey with Gen AI and are weaving Gen AI into our strategic vision for the future of content. We’re defining requirements for how our content needs to be structured and stored in the future to enable a good Gen AI experience.  Specifically, how to simplify and componentize content with component-level metadata. We’re also defining future-state content governance and what that takes from a resource standpoint. This includes how we drive greater accountability and create clearer roles and responsibilities for our content professionals and content owners to ensure content accuracy. <h3 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h3>As with anything new, there are still more questions than answers. Here are a few questions that content professionals should be thinking about:<ul><li>I’ve been on a mission to promote the idea that less content is more. Will a minimalist approach to content work in the age of Gen AI? </li><li>Many people challenge the accuracy of information coming from Gen AI. What role might content professionals play to change that perception? </li><li>Will content structure, metadata and governance still matter as Gen AI gets more advanced?</li></ul>I’m sure we’ll continue to debate these questions in the coming years. This space is evolving quickly, and I'm confident there will be advancements to make it easier in the future. Given the technology and resource constraints that all organizations are dealing with, these are some practical things to consider as you embark on your Gen AI journey. For now, it’s going to be messy, and that’s okay. Seize this opportunity to elevate your role as a content professional in your organization.    <hr /><h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:30.46%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/11/cms-summit-25.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-summit-25"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmssummit25">CMS Summit 25</a></h4>May 13-14, 2025 – Frankfurt, GermanyDon't miss the first European edition of our prestigious international conference dedicated to the global content management community! CMS Summit 25 will bring together top-notch speakers, our renowned learning format, and engaging social events. Hear from leading practitioners like Deutsche Bahn, Dr. Oetker, and more – and join customers, agencies, and CMS vendors as we discuss current trends and what's ahead for the content and digital experience fields. Connect and network at the only vendor-neutral, in-person conference focused on CMS. Space is limited for this exclusive event, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmssummit25">so book your seats today.</a> <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" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect25">CMS Connect 25</a></h4>August 5-6, 2025 – Montreal, CanadaWe are delighted to present 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" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect25">so book your seats today.</a>

Michael Spenceley of J&J shares 3 things content pros should focus on as Gen AI takes center stage.

Progress Powers Its Vision for ‘Generative CMS’ with Agentic RAG and a Legacy of Innovation

matt-garrepy

TinyMCE releases 2025 ‘State of Rich Text Editors’ report, and CMS use cases are fading. Why it matters

Forrester DXP Wave 2025: Welcome to 'The Agent Hunger Games.’ Are the odds in your favor?

<hr /> There’s a SCORM brewing, and a hard rain a-fallin’. While we do cover Learning Management Systems (LMS), we don’t talk as much about the content types or operations, which can be anything across the courseware category. Think of training modules that an enterprise might produce for its products, or videos for its “Day One” employee onboarding. Teams still need to create, edit, and publish this content with centralized control.But those modules often need to be shared across systems and platforms – and that’s where <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://scorm.com/scorm-explained/one-minute-scorm-overview/">SCORM</a> comes in. And if you’re like most folks outside the confines of the learning and training fields, it’s a bit of an enigma.The acronym stands for Shareable Content Object Reference Model, and it’s effectively a set of technical standards that allows online or website learning content – as well as LMSes – to communicate with each other. It helps govern things like tracking a learner's progress, completion status, and scores.Before SCORM, content created for one LMS or website module might not work on another. It’s like the USB standard for hardware, ensuring that eLearning courses are portable, trackable, and compatible across different platforms, allowing you to create a course once and use it on any SCORM-compliant system. They’re typically packaged up as a ZIP file that can be uploaded to and tracked, which is essential for modern online training. But what about translating this content? Localizing for different markets? To put it lightly, it’s been a complex and manual process. Learning and development teams have to balance spreadsheets, vendors, and separate workflows for each asset. This approach slows the delivery of essential training, stymying go-to-market readiness. Now, you can find shelter from the SCORM, courtesy of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.smartcat.com/ai-agents/elearning-software/">Smartcat</a> – a leading AI platform for global content creation, localization, and automation that serves hundreds of global companies, including a quarter of the Fortune 1000. The company recently unveiled its new Learning Content Agent, which unifies all translation tools and workflows into a single platform, handling all assets with one workflow and zero manual effort. With the Learning Content Agent, L&amp;D teams can translate every asset within a course – including text, images, videos, and documents – in a single, automated process. This allows global enterprises to deliver high-quality, multilingual training faster and at a greater scale than ever before. The agent handles every course asset, from text and images to video and audio, in over 280 languages, with quality assurance available from Smartcat's marketplace of 500,000 professional linguists. <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:69.36%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/11/smartcat-screenshot.jpg" /></figure>Source: Smartcat website Smartcat’s new agent is the first solution on the market to automate every step involved in SCORM translation. The game-changer is its ability to translate and rebuild courses without the original project, unlocking years of legacy content that was previously impossible to update. <h3 id="complementing-lms-with-cms-and-dxp-translations">Complementing LMS with CMS and DXP translations</h3>Along with its learning content solutions, Smartcat offers a broader agentic platform, which features specialized AI agents that automate complex enterprise workflows across learning, marketing, and content operations. They also sport solutions for document, image, software, PDF, website, and media translation. According to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/claireafoster/">Claire Foster</a>, Director of Content and Product Marketing at Smartcat, the Learning Content Agent now expands their capabilities, bringing powerful new functionality to Smartcat’s enterprise AI platform.“SCORM packages are notoriously complex, combining multiple file types like images, documents, and text that have traditionally required individual localization,” she said. “The Learning Content Agent now automates this process end-to-end in one simple flow, producing fully translated, LMS-ready packages.”Clair also shared how this is complemented by Smartcat’s <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.smartcat.com/website-translator/">Website Translation Agent</a> by integrating with CMS and DXP environments to translate and update website content as part of a holistic learning strategy. Within many organizations, content teams that need to localize websites containing text, documents, and media face similar issues as learning teams managing SCORM files. They can leverage a similar workflow through Smartcat’s broader platform, which connects its agents across learning, marketing, and content operations. “Smartcat’s Website Translation Agent integrates with CMS and DXP environments to translate and update website content in multiple languages while preserving formatting and brand consistency,” she explained. “Together, they allow teams to maintain consistent terminology, style, and brand elements across training materials, websites, and other digital experiences. This integrated workflow makes it easier for organizations to manage multilingual content at scale while keeping learning and marketing content aligned.”<h3 id="powering-content-ops-for-learning-and-development-teams">Powering content ops for learning and development teams</h3>Smartcat’s Learning Content Agent delivers a comprehensive suite of features designed for global enterprise L&amp;D needs. This includes full SCORM automation, where you can extract, translate, review, and rebuild all assets within a SCORM package for direct publishing into any LMS.To simplify course management, L&amp;D practitioners no longer need to juggle multiple files for each language. The agent achieves this by exporting a single, multilingual SCORM package that contains all languages, ready for direct upload to any Learning Management System (LMS). Ongoing updates are also simplified; a single change in the source language is automatically synced across all translated versions.As previously stated, you can revive legacy content, allowing you to localize SCORM files without having to locate the original source files or access the source authoring tool. This enables in-context review and repackaging without being harangued by the legacy source.Smartcat also provides AI‑Powered quality and human expertise to help ensure consistent, compliant translations across all languages using glossaries, translation memory, and domain‑tuned AI, all enhanced by in‑context review and access to professional linguists. This is a key advantage when it comes to delivering trusted translations.Finally, Smartcat makes it easy with its multilingual packages and seamless updates. You can export a single multilingual file for all languages and automatically sync updates across all versions, making the whole process effortless. "Global enterprises can no longer afford to have employee expertise siloed by language. Our Learning Content Agent addresses this directly by transforming SCORM localization from a complex operational cost into a driver of business growth,” said <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/fgottlob/">Falk Gottlob</a>, Chief Product Officer at Smartcat. “By automating the entire workflow, Smartcat enables global teams to accelerate time-to-competency, ensuring every member can perform at their best, from day one." <h3 id="pricing">Pricing</h3>Smartcat offers plans for organizations and agencies with different features. Both provide Basic and Enterprise tiers, with prices starting at $1,200/year for individual users and small teams. Jump up to Enterprise for global teams – where you start with six agents – and you’ll need to call for custom pricing. There are some nice granular benefits on the agency side of the ledger for multi-lingual content generation, AI human workflows, procurement capabilities, and API access. Definitely worth a tour as part of a demo to see how these features might suit your agency model for services across areas like marketing, e-commerce, and more. <h3 id="the-verdict">The verdict</h3>Smartcat is a great platform for turning content in any format into any language, from docs to video to complex websites and software. This makes it super extensible – and given its core agentic capabilities, it’s providing a solid platform for simplifying what used to be incredibly complicated processes for corporate teams that crave control, accuracy, and governance.To that end, Smartcat’s new Learning Content Agent is further evidence of its mission to streamline the complex topology of managing SCORM translations. Combined with its Website Translation Agent, L&amp;D teams can facilitate the translation of their learning content across all facets of their operations, from LMSes to website pages – all through one agentic resource.  According to Smartcat, its Learning Content Agent is already delivering solid results relative to speed and cost. Companies like <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.smith-nephew.com/en/">Smith+Nephew</a> are using it to achieve 4X faster translation turnaround time for their highly regulated medical content, shrinking the SLA-mandated localization workflow from ten days to just two. Pretty impressive.Reliable translation is essential for global brands, and in a multi-channel world, Smartcat is making it easier and more predictable to deliver with precision while maintaining control and governance. You can check out Smartcat’s Learning Content Agent by requesting a demo, or you can <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.smartcat.com/l/scorm-translation/">learn more here.</a> <hr /><h4 style="text-align:center" id="looking-for-more-guidance-on-smartcat?-talk-to-an-expert.">Looking for more guidance on Smartcat? <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: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:29.08%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/10/image-1761594434824.png" /><h4 id="typo3-conference-2025"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://t3con.typo3.com/">TYPO3 Conference 2025</a></h4>November 25–27, 2025 – Düsseldorf, GermanyT3CON is the premier annual event for web professionals, developers, marketers, and decision-makers. Much more than just a TYPO3-focused conference, T3CON spotlights the latest trends, innovations, and leaders shaping the future of content management, covering everything from grassroots initiatives to new technologies, strategies, and success stories. The event is designed to empower businesses and organizations with the knowledge and tools they need to thrive in the evolving digital landscape. The conference culminates in an awards ceremony celebrating the best TYPO3 projects across various industries. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://t3con.typo3.com/">Get your ticket.</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>

Cat got your tongue? Not with Smartcat’s AI Agent for SCORM multilingual course translation

<hr /> Well, it happened. I’ve been predicting a move like this for a while, although I thought it might be an up-and-comer like <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.conductor.com/">Conductor</a> or even a niche startup like <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://otterly.ai/">Otterly.ai</a> elsewhere in the stack.  But then again, it’s <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/adobe-experience-manager">Adobe</a>. And when they go, they go big.And that’s what they’re doing with the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://news.adobe.com/news/2025/11/adobe-to-acquire-semrush">acquisition of Semrush,</a> a stalwart of modern martech and one of the “must-have” tools for search engine optimization over the last decade. Adobe just announced that it will purchase Semrush for the tidy sum of $1.9 billion in an all-cash transaction for $12 per share.The deal is said to close in the first half of 2026, pending regulatory and shareholder approvals. It should be “smoother” sailing, despite the pothole in the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/whats-under-the-fig-leaf-the-naked-truth-about-the-figma-ipo-and-the-markets-appetite-for-tech">rearview that is Figma</a>. Semrush is, comparatively, a tame acquisition that’s almost 20 times less breathtaking than that debacle. No doubt, Adobe is posturing to expand its leadership in the realm of marketing intelligence and the concentration on Generative Search Optimization (GEO) and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO). As competitors like <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/optimizely">Optimizely</a> position themselves as <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/welcome-to-the-geo-ready-cms-optimizely-adds-new-features-to-enhance-ai-powered-search">“GEO-ready” platforms</a>, the race is on to give brands more comprehensive tools that address the shift towards AI search discovery.Despite this focus on marketing-centric tools that address the pressures of AI, Adobe lives beyond a single category like DXP or CMP, evolving its value to that of customer experience orchestration in the agentic AI era – and pointing its collective powers at the complete content supply chain, customer engagement, and brand visibility.It's doing all of this with its suite of industry-leading products like the ubiquitous <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/adobe-experience-manager">Adobe Experience Manager (AEM),</a> its unified <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://business.adobe.com/products/adobe-analytics.html">Adobe Analytics</a> suite, and the recently launched <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://business.adobe.com/products/brand-concierge.html">Adobe Brand Concierge</a> for creating interactive, AI-powered conversational journeys.Adding Semrush to this puzzle brings the picture into sharp relief, giving marketers a holistic view of how their brands appear across the new frontier of LLMs, as well as owned channels, legacy search, and the broader web. It also gives them more control over managing their visibility across the entire ecosystem. “Brand visibility is being reshaped by generative AI, and brands that don’t embrace this new opportunity risk losing relevance and revenue,” said <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/achakravarthy/">Anil Chakravarthy,</a> president of Adobe’s Digital Experience Business. “With Semrush, we’re unlocking GEO for marketers as a new growth channel alongside their SEO, driving more visibility, customer engagement and conversions across the ecosystem.”<h3 id="cmos-need-better-tools-to-master-ai-search">CMOs need better tools to master AI search</h3>The Chief Marketing Officer’s job has always been a little cursed. Often a revolving door of talent that lives and dies by the numbers, it has recently grown a bigger backbone when it comes to strategic performance. What's at stake? Pretty much everything. Enterprises are relying on marketing to deliver the goods at a breakneck pace. Meanwhile, CMOs are expected to make sense out of metric tons of data from a wide range of sources and tools – and make actionable decisions that drive growth. It's a tough racket, and forget the fact that a CMO's marketing team is also being challenged by cognitive overload. While brand equity and visibility are key, CMOs face a reckoning with results. According to a report from NIQ, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251118947080/en/CMOs-Face-a-Reputation-and-Results-Reckoning-According-to-NIQs-2026-Outlook">84% of CMOs now prioritize ROI</a> as their primary metric for budget allocation, signaling pressure to drive short-term conversion over long-term brand growth.And driving those conversions is search. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/google-cloud-platform">Google</a> still crushes AI answer engines like <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://chatgpt.com/">ChatGPT</a> and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.perplexity.ai/">Perplexity</a>, maintaining roughly 90% of the global search market share. Google’s traffic has continued to increase into 2025 due in part to its new <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gemini.google/overview/">Gemini-powered AI Overviews</a> and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://search.google/ways-to-search/ai-mode/">AI Mode</a> features.But the landscape is starting to shift. ChatGPT’s adoption has been downright mindboggling, reaching 100 million users within two months of launch, making it the fastest-growing consumer app ever. By late 2024, it was reportedly logging around 1 billion interactions per day. By one account, it could <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://ttms.com/llm-powered-search-vs-traditional-search-2025-2030-forecast/">surpass Google by 2028,</a> and new data from <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://business.adobe.com/blog/adi-october-2025-holiday-shopping-actuals">Adobe Analytics</a> showed that traffic from generative AI sources to U.S. retail sites increased by 1,200% year-over-year in October.As consumers increasingly turn to answer engines for information, recommendations, and purchase decisions, CMOs need tools that address generative AI platforms so they can enhance their visibility across these new customer interfaces and drive conversions. Organizations that invest in GEO – alongside their SEO capabilities – are poised to keep their brands well-represented, more easily discovered, and trusted across owned and earned channels.<h3 id="a-legacy-of-seo-innovation-with-a-new-focus-on-geo">A legacy of SEO innovation with a new focus on GEO</h3>Semrush is the gold standard in SEO. It provides a deep cache of rich information, from competitive insights to keyword research to campaign planning. It’s also incredibly intuitive and accessible, with many third-party platforms surfacing Semrush data in their analytics dashboards. For more than ten years, Semrush has armed marketers with “traditional” search engine optimization capabilities. But its recent gains in the development of GEO capabilities – specifically with its <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.semrush.com/ai-seo/">AI Visibility Toolkit</a> – are helping brands enhance visibility, expand audience reach, and remain discoverable in AI search. The good news for marketers is that the core principles of SEO also apply to GEO. Translation: They work together, and you don’t need to abandon your SEO strategy to build your presence across the AI engines. AI assistants provide helpful and (hopefully) accurate information to users, and they pull that information from the same internet your SEO-focused content lives on. Generally speaking, the more your brand is associated with the topics you want to focus on, the more likely it is to be referenced in an AI-generated answer.The combination of Adobe and Semrush could be a catalyst for even greater insight across both the SEO and GEO channels. Marketers need both, and Adobe's consolidation will likely benefit both competencies. “Adobe is an industry leader in helping marketers create personalized customer experiences at scale. With the advent of LLMs and AI-driven search, brands need to understand where and how their customers are engaging in these new channels,” said <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamrwagner/">Bill Wagner,</a> chief executive officer of Semrush. “This combination provides marketers more insights and capabilities to increase their discoverability across today’s evolving digital landscape.”From a performance standpoint, Semrush has been bringing the rain. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://increv.co/academy/semrush-users/">As of last year,</a> it boasted nearly 1.2 million users with annual revenue of over $300 million. In its most recent quarter, it drove 33% year-over-year ARR growth in its enterprise customer segment, earning the trust of industry leaders like Amazon, JPMorganChase, and TikTok.It’s worth noting that Semrush does have a large cohort of free-tier users (by one estimate, it represents as much as 90% of its base). This speaks to the company’s commitment to deliver value while building a strong SaaS pipeline to future paid users. Will Adobe maintain that? Only time will tell, but it’s a great example of a “Big Give” that works.<h3 id="the-verdict">The verdict</h3>GEO is becoming a crucial objective for brands and their marketing teams. This is a non-negotiable requirement of their modern tooling, and will inform the decision-making as they assess technologies to light these dark alleyways in their marketing intelligence.  Semrush and its peers might be innovating on the edge, but we’re still in catch-up mode. Every day could be another <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://greylock.com/greymatter/the-deepseek-moment/">DeepSeek moment</a> of change, threatening to send practitioners back into a well of shadows when it comes to LLM behaviors. As such, having the scale and skunkworks that Adobe provides could inject more value into the GEO roadmap, giving enterprises greater confidence around the futureproofing.This isn't “guesttimation” for me. I’ve personally relied on Semrush for years to analyze competitors, test longtail keywords, identify and root out toxic backlinks, and more. It’s a fantastic tool, and that’s why I think this is a smart move. Semrush is a solid, long-standing brand that’s built deep trust with its community, and that brand loyalty could benefit the transition to Adobe – a shift that hasn’t always been easy on cultures or communities.Is it worth the bucks? As far as the tendered deal is concerned, the math around multiples appears sound and reflects what we’re seeing elsewhere (early to say if it’s a steal or a deal). While the numbers aren’t as mammoth, 2025 has been a solid year for M&amp;A, tracking a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.reuters.com/business/global-ma-activity-up-10-first-nine-months-2025-study-shows-2025-10-28/">10% increase in overall activity</a> in the first nine months of the year. A lot of that has been led by tech and specifically AI-related acquisitions, but the martech realm has been active, starting with the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/contentstack-just-acquired-lytics-a-real-time-customer-data-platform-heres-why-it-matters">purchase of the Lytics CDP</a> by <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/contentstack">Contentstack</a> in January of this year.Competitive pressure is a clear driver. As players like Optimizely and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/sitecore">Sitecore</a> expand their agentic AI features and evolve what a complete martech stack looks like, GEO capabilities are becoming front and center. And as the research indicates, conversions are going to be the key metric for ROI – and AI search is becoming a bigger piece of the integrated pie. What’s next? A lot. With the introduction of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://openai.com/index/buy-it-in-chatgpt/">ChatGPT’s Agentic Commerce Protocol,</a> we’re now seeing the potential for more retail transactions shifting to LLMs – creating even greater urgency for brands to elevate their presence across these channels. As we look ahead to the agent-to-agent frontier powered by <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://modelcontextprotocol.io/docs/getting-started/intro">MCP,</a> it’s fair to predict that these buying motions will be faster and increasingly automated.Look, there’s more here than just broadening the scope of Adobe’s marketing intelligence. It’s a signal that the race is on to shape the customer experience within the generative AI horizon – and giving marketers the best tools to meet the moment.Enterprises want composable solutions that offer adjacent integrations but include purpose-built features to help them address the immediate challenges of the AI era. And they can’t wait for tomorrow – they have to act today. That’s what Adobe is delivering: the promise of speed and scale for an agentic world.Can you feel the rush? <hr /><h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <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:29.08%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/10/image-1761594434824.png" /><h4 id="typo3-conference-2025"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://t3con.typo3.com/">TYPO3 Conference 2025</a></h4>November 25–27, 2025 – Düsseldorf, GermanyT3CON is the premier annual event for web professionals, developers, marketers, and decision-makers. Much more than just a TYPO3-focused conference, T3CON spotlights the latest trends, innovations, and leaders shaping the future of content management, covering everything from grassroots initiatives to new technologies, strategies, and success stories. The event is designed to empower businesses and organizations with the knowledge and tools they need to thrive in the evolving digital landscape. The conference culminates in an awards ceremony celebrating the best TYPO3 projects across various industries. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://t3con.typo3.com/">Get your ticket.</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>

Feel the GEO Rush: Adobe to Acquire Semrush for $1.9B to Enhance AI Search

Combatting Composable Regret in 2026

filip-larsen

<hr /> Feedback is the lifeblood of product optimization. Without it, we’re trapped in an echo chamber, tossing ideas at the wall and hoping the right stuff sticks.Of course, there are many ways now to collect feedback in 2025. Too many? Maybe. I’ll let you decide. The more important measure is just how much customer data we’re collecting across a myriad of channels – and it’s in tonnage territory. One might think that more is better, but it’s the firehose dilemma. Try drinking before you drown. Along with the sheer amount of it, brands are having to stitch together fragmented feedback components from siloed or disconnected tools – and there hasn’t been a unified way to analyze everything and extract meaningful insights. There’s a lot at stake. Without good feedback to optimize on, your products and customer experiences will suffer. In fact, according to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.pwc.com/us/en/services/consulting/library/consumer-intelligence-series/future-of-customer-experience.html">PwC</a>, 32% of customers stop doing business with a brand after just one bad experience.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/amplitude">Amplitude</a> has its own feedback to the feedback conundrum, and – you guessed it – it’s relying on AI to cut through the noise. Last week, the digital analytics leader unveiled its new <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://amplitude.com/ai-feedback">AI Feedback</a> service. They’re billing it as the industry’s first customer feedback engine with a proprietary LLM process that automatically turns raw input into prioritized, actionable insights.AI Feedback is the culmination of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://amplitude.com/press/amplitude-acquires-kraftful">Amplitude’s July acquisition of Kraftful</a>, a rapidly growing AI platform that delivered insights from reviews, surveys, support tickets, and more – all analyzed in minutes. Kraftful boasted patent-pending, hallucination-free output, transforming feedback into a trusted resource for Google, Kayak, Netflix, and other global brands.Given Amplitude’s focus on product analytics, this was a sage move. Now, this added AI muscle could give Amplitude customers a more robust picture that’s augmented by the other features in its broader ecosystem.It's worth noting that Kraftful’s founder and CEO, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ywelinder/">Yana Welinder</a>, is now Head of AI at Amplitude, bringing an astute Harvard legal background and a stint at Y Combinator to the mix. Her impressive run put Kraftful on the map, and made it an attractive target as part of Amplitude’s push to deliver a native Voice of Customer feature set with automated insights and personalization (fitting snugly with its breadth of existing tools). Yana has a great feed on what customers are looking for and how AI unlocks it, so adding her leadership skills to the innovation engine within Amplitude is also a solid win. Kraftful’s proprietary LLM technology was purpose-built for product teams, so it complements Amplitude’s own AI roadmap and target user focus. “The hardest part of building great products isn’t writing code,” Yana said. “It’s hearing what customers are saying across thousands of sales calls, reviews, and support tickets. AI Feedback provides clarity into what customers really want – all in one place.”Here she is, talking about AI Feedback: <figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_nPbObb_Vo"><div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:56.2493%"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/x_nPbObb_Vo" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;left:0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div></figure><h3 id="enhancing-feedback-with-amplitude">Enhancing feedback with Amplitude</h3>As I mentioned, the secret sauce to AI Feedback could be its pairing with Amplitude’s <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://amplitude.com/web-analytics">Analytics</a>, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://amplitude.com/session-replay">Session Replay</a>, and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://amplitude.com/guides-and-surveys">Guides &amp; Surveys</a>. As part of a cohesive, unified platform, the scope of these capabilities will now enable brands to instantly access customer input, cut through to what matters most, and make it all actionable. By integrating Kraftful’s capabilities, Amplitude is combining the power of quantitative user behavioral data with qualitative user feedback. For example, you won’t just see users dropping off at checkout – you’ll be able to watch session replays, hear their own words describing problems or frustrations, run experiments to apply fixes, and send targeted surveys to see if the problem is resolved – all in a single platform. That last point is key. As we've been saying with other tools and platforms, marketers are experiencing a fair bout of cognitive overload as they struggle with the “swivel chair” balancing act of jumping between tools. With AI Feedback, everything lives in one central location, so you don't lose context (or your mind).With Amplitude’s AI Feedback, organizations will be able to surface and quantify the most requested features from customers, enabling them to develop a product roadmap that delivers maximum impact. They’ll also be able to better position their products by gaining insight into how customers actually talk about their needs. As with any listening technologies, being able to gauge and analyze customer complaints is key. Now, with AI Feedback, brands will be able to proactively target the biggest customer pain points, so they can mitigate problems before they become cancellations and automatically identify bugs and frustrations that turn customers off. Churn is another key factor, and AI Feedback meets it head-on by monitoring the most at-risk signals. You can map dissatisfaction to key accounts and reveal which issues need immediate attention. You can also generate product requirement documents (PRDs) quickly and easily, turning customer insights into user stories with a simple prompt.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://replit.com/">Replit</a>, a cloud-based platform for writing, running, and collaborating on code, has been using AI Feedback. The company was a customer of Kraftful before the acquisition, and has used the tool as one of several agentic AI capabilities. “I think the aha moment was truly when I first connected all the sources to AI Feedback, and it did its magic and analyzed all of our user feedback,” said <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jainamol/">Amol Jain,</a> Head of Product Engineering at Replit. “In the past it was so much work to pull data, look through each source, and manually combine them – the fact that AI Feedback just did it with a few clicks? That was fairly magical.”<h3 id="pricing-and-availability">Pricing and availability</h3>According to Amplitude, AI Feedback is now fully integrated and available across all its plans, with the option to purchase larger volumes of feedback analysis as an add-on to its Growth and Enterprise plans.Amplitude does offer a free tier, as well as a Plus plan for $49/month. Growth and Enterprise are custom plays, and pricing is based (in part) on MTU volume. You’ll need to contact sales for an estimate, but you can explore the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://amplitude.com/pricing?siteLocation=nav">full packages here.</a> <h3 id="the-verdict">The verdict</h3>I’ve been watching Amplitude for several years with a keen eye, and it continues to push innovation to enrich its bench of analytics tools. Adding Voice of Customer and AI-powered features to sift through the tidal wave of customer data is smart – and should augment what brands and enterprises are looking for from a unified platform. The Kraftful acquisition was another brilliant move, allowing Amplitude to catapult ahead with its roadmap with a performant, respected, and highly impactful platform in growth mode. What intrigues me most is Kraftful’s patent-pending solution to prevent hallucinations, which could effectively be a game-changer when it comes to trusted insights. All of that said, this was a quick integration. That might smell like a bolt-on in some product ecosystems, but Amplitude has a reputation for delivering quality products, so we expect good things from AI Feedback and its interoperability across Amplitude’s products.We’re looking forward to some deeper dives into performance, but our feedback is simple: Try it. <hr /><h4 style="text-align:center" id="looking-for-more-guidance-on-amplitude?-talk-to-an-expert.">Looking for more guidance on Amplitude? <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: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:29.08%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/10/image-1761594434824.png" /><h4 id="typo3-conference-2025"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://t3con.typo3.com/">TYPO3 Conference 2025</a></h4>November 25–27, 2025 – Düsseldorf, GermanyT3CON is the premier annual event for web professionals, developers, marketers, and decision-makers. Much more than just a TYPO3-focused conference, T3CON spotlights the latest trends, innovations, and leaders shaping the future of content management, covering everything from grassroots initiatives to new technologies, strategies, and success stories. The event is designed to empower businesses and organizations with the knowledge and tools they need to thrive in the evolving digital landscape. The conference culminates in an awards ceremony celebrating the best TYPO3 projects across various industries. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://t3con.typo3.com/">Get your ticket.</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>

Read the Feed: Amplitude’s Next-Gen AI Transforms Customer Feedback into Actionable Product Insights

The Headless Holodeck: Joel Varty of Agility CMS on Warp-Speed Demos, AI, and the Next Generation of CMS

CMS Kickoff 26

Find out at CMS Kickoff 26, January 13 - 14, St. Pete FL

What's the future of CMS in the AI era?

#ffffff

Conquer ‘Cold Starts’ with Hot Launches: Uniform AI Helps Teams Ship Digital Experiences Faster

<hr /> The CDP space continues to evolve – and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/hightouch">Hightouch</a> is hitting the gas as it moves into the agentic fast lane.When I recently spoke to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/briankotlyar/">Brian Kotlyar,</a> the company’s CMO, he was more than a little excited about their new <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://hightouch.com/platform/agents">Hightouch Agents,</a> an AI-powered toolset designed to help marketers answer questions, identify opportunities, automate workflows, and make everything work faster. How fast? Like 10x.Of course, Brian was already a fan of Hightouch before AI agents were a twinkle in anyone’s eye. In fact, when he first encountered the CDP four years ago while leading growth Marketing at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://newrelic.com/">New Relic</a> (an observability platform), he was smitten by its potential to automate and scale his marketing efforts.“I was really inspired by the idea of using the complete data in the data warehouse to power growth marketing, lifestyle marketing, ads, web personalization, everything,” he said. “And I was doing it in this very manual and archaic way with tons of data analysts, tons of software engineers. And then I discovered Hightouch as a way to bring all kinds of modern practices and software engineering practices together without needing these huge teams.”As it turns out, Hightouch was so compelling that Brian joined the meteoric scale-up in mid-2022, where he’s now tasked with marketing a product that's designed to help marketers. In many ways, he's marshalling his superpowers to help professionals like him to augment their human creativity with the power and potential of AI.As of late, we've seen significant changes in the customer data platform ecosystem, where DXP consolidation and pure-play reinvention have been the prevailing trends. Through it all, Hightouch has elevated above the noise, positioning itself around its unique composable attributes and AI decisioning as force multipliers for its value. That vision is why it nailed an <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/u-cant-touch-this-cdp-hightouch-nails-80m-series-c-to-power-its-ai-decisioning">$80 million Series C </a>earlier this year. Now, its Hightouch Agents represent the next step on their ambitious roadmap, giving marketers the ability to ideate and brief campaigns and build their strategies by asking customer data questions and receiving instant answers. Along with those core features, Hightouch Agents can do a whole lot more. They can analyze your creative and copy to distill what is and isn’t working, so you can optimize performance. They can cut through the chaos to find the right audiences and save hours in the process. As Brian explained, it’s a potential game-changer for marketers.“We transitioned to be the leading composable CDP company, and now we're introducing this next big wave of functionality where we grab onto the broader LLM trend and really bring it into the marketing workflow,” he said. “If you imagine the way that coding agents have totally transformed the day-to-day work of software engineers, we think something similar is happening with marketing, and we want to be the company that brings that capability to marketers.”Hightouch Agents come pre-trained with core marketing skills, giving you an out-of-the-box edge with their capabilities. They connect to your data, channels, and creative, and come preloaded with deep domain knowledge – enabling them to reason with precision around complex concepts like attribution modeling. It’s not a shocker to see Hightouch move in this direction. The company has been on a rapid rise, and I recently covered the hiring of AI industry luminary <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/hightouch-taps-ai-luminary-akilesh-bapu-to-accelerate-push-into-context-aware-marketing-agents">Akilesh Bapu</a> in early October to lead the company’s generative product development. This was a clear signal of its intentions to drive an agent-focused strategy – and that's precisely where they're headed.<h3 id="giving-marketers-an-agentic-boost">Giving marketers an agentic boost</h3>Marketing teams are really feeling the heat. Every day, they’re struggling with inefficient workflows across a range of considerations and coping with tasks that are labor-intensive and highly disruptive. That’s where Hightouch Agents come in. They promise to accelerate and automate a wide array of previously slow and manual tasks, so teams can bring their ideas to life. The company says this can translate into 10x the speed, and that could make a huge dent in the day-to-day rigors of operating a successful marketing machine. According to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/tejasmanohar/">Tejas Manohar,</a> Co-founder and Co-CEO of Hightouch, the problem is that there are too many manual steps to launch a marketing campaign. And yet, that's still the overwhelming reality for most enterprise brands. As such, Hightouch Agents are starting with data and insights because they’re a huge pain point.As previously mentioned, Hightouch Agents can be tasked with answering really complex questions with laser precision. For example, you can query which ad creative drove the most conversions last month, or whether new audience segments are emerging around a product line. You can even inquire as to which content-driven campaigns performed better when compared to discount promotions, or which Facebook ads are performing best based on CTR. <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:68.71%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/11/image-1762968106697.png" /></figure>Prompting performance questions from Hightouch AI Agents. Source: Hightouch website Brian told me that the quality of the answers is driving more questions – and that's revealing even greater insight. That's all due to the context that informs everything. Unlike generic AI tools, Hightouch Agents connect directly to a company’s data warehouse and marketing stack. This allows them to see all the data that powers marketing decisions, customer transactions, inventory levels, creative performance, and more, without manual uploads or constant context switching.“The reason why the answers are really good is because we have this notion of a context layer,” he said. “We map the data in their warehouse, we map the data in their channels, we map all their brand information. So the answers are just dramatically better than you get when you just throw the exact same question to a generic GPT. And it's this self-reinforcing loop, because if the answers are better, you're going to come back and ask more questions and start to move into much more exploratory, open-ended questions like, 'Hey, I need to move this metric. What do you what should I do? Hey, I've got a bunch of extra stuff over here. What should I do?'"<figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:77.63%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/11/image-1762978067150.png" /></figure>Hightouch Agents make engaging and ideating simple. Source: Hightouch By combining deep marketing expertise with this level of data-driven context, marketers can explore and analyze data independently, uncover new opportunities, and automate recurring workflows such as reporting or audience-building. Hightouch Agents also go beyond recommendations by taking action in key areas of the marketer’s domain, from running A/B tests to adjusting budgets.Hightouch is also more secure because no duplicate storage is required. It reads directly from your data warehouse, where your data remains guarded. That enables it to meet fierce regulatory governance around SOC, GDPR, HIPAA, and other data privacy benchmarks. Hightouch Agents extend the company’s vision for marketing AI by helping marketers access and act on intelligence faster. Future updates will expand agent capabilities into experimentation, content generation, and project management, further unifying marketing workflows under one intelligent context layer.With Agents, Hightouch is bringing the power of AI directly into the marketer’s workflow. According to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/guptakashish/">Kashish Gupta,</a> Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Hightouch, marketers no longer need to switch between tools or wait on data teams for these vital answers. Hightouch Agents make it possible to ask a question, get an informed answer, and take action instantly – all powered by the same trusted data foundation.<h3 id="evolving-cdp-for-the-agentic-era">Evolving CDP for the agentic era</h3>I’ve been watching CDPs with a close eye over the last few years as they’ve been tapped as critical layers in composable stacks and folded into the broader vision for a complete DXP. As Brian echoed, the category has always been a little “funny,” because it’s comprised of a hardcore data infrastructure that’s collecting behavioral events, processing them into identities, and pushing them around the ecosystem – all facets of data engineering. None of this tooling is really designed for marketers, so CDPs try to bridge the gap between engineering and enablement in what Brian calls “unnatural bedfellows.” And for better or worse, that’s sold as a CDP. But he sees the marketing side of the equation as fertile ground for scaling agentic workflows and capabilities – and that’s not necessarily a CDP story.“What we see happening increasingly is that other layer, the more marketer-facing layer, is a place where agents can be really, really powerful and augmentative of those self-serve workflows,” he said. “But it doesn't really stop there. I would say the big insight that is driving Hightouch’s Agent development is actually quite separate from the CDP.”To Brian’s point, marketers don’t actually live in the martech tools they use. They’re typically swimming in Google Sheets and Asana – so a lot of the work they need to do spans technology barriers. “People don't actually log into their email tool of their Meta back end all that much,” he said. “They work in spreadsheets. They work in Docs and project management tools. And it's all these myriad steps and procedures and handoffs and arguments and just waiting that's all happening. Where Agents get really exciting is in their ability to collapse so much of that.”And it’s a lot of stuff that’s creating cognitive overload for marketers. Between briefing agencies, begging data teams for metrics, and assembling weekly reports for stakeholders, they're overwhelmed. It’s in these areas that Brian and Hightouch see untapped potential for AI agents to ease the friction. “We think agents will do for marketers what they’ve already done for software engineers,” Brian said. “That's the real Nirvana we're pursuing.”<h3 id="built-with-composability-at-its-core">Built with composability at its core</h3>One of the big distinctions with Hightouch Agents is that they operate independently of its CDP. In other words, you don’t need their complete customer data platform to harness its Agents in your existing stack. This is a testament to the company’s core composability, but also a conscious decision to make it more portable and accessible to marketers – regardless of how their technologies are composed.  “What we observe a lot of our peers doing is forcing these huge software migrations in their core platform with unfair pricing mechanics and migration mechanics to get access to them,” Brian said. “We don't think that's right, and we don't think it’s actually necessary at a technology level. You should be able to unleash the benefits of Hightouch Agents across your whole workflow without having to change your whole underlying tech stack and all the decisions you've made previously.”As Brian went on to say, customers have that option, and Hightouch will offer some efficiencies with bundled pricing to make it a more compelling offer. But that’s not the central strategy. The bottom line is really a practical one, where enterprise IT teams want best-of-breed technologies without the pain of ripping out everything else. In his mind, the future is comprised of heterogeneous enterprise technology environments, and they don't want to make it hard to adopt Hightouch on any level. “If you want Agents, come knock on our front door,” he said. “We'll give you Agents, and they'll sit alongside everything else you're already doing, just like with our CDP.”<h3 id="the-verdict">The verdict</h3>Marketers, by their very nature, are a scrappy bunch. They're creative, driven, and often do their best work under pressure. But there's a breaking point. Right now, they’re under excruciating pressure to break through the noise and produce results – and they’re being crushed by dozens of tools that aren’t providing the insights they need. How can they be effective with so much to juggle? Agents offer a salve for the cognitive overload, and I’m already seeing that pay dividends in other platforms. But marketers need the next wave of intelligent AI assistants to be ready for battle, and that’s where Hightouch is bringing its purpose-built agents to the front lines. Imbued with a real understanding of marketing functions – and powered by your warehouse data and marketing stack – you now have the business context and an effective toolset for automating and executing with real impact.Can you achieve 10x speed? That remains to be seen. But given the precision that Hightouch Agents are promising and the agility to receive the answers and insights you're after, it seems less of a possibility and more of a probability. The bottom line is that marketers need the boost – and this could be part of the answer. One of the big gripes about agentic features is the need to migrate fully to a vendor’s platform to harness the features. By taking a composable approach that mitigates a wholesale migration, Hightouch is amplifying its extensibility with a real edge. They're also opening up a roadmap for future agent capabilities and delivering it with more flexibility and control.Trust is a key part of any AI strategy, and vendors will need to deliver on that. Given its focus on data and its integrity, Hightouch Agents have the best shot at reflecting the company’s ethos, and its mission for bringing trustworthy AI to the marketer’s workflow with intelligent, adaptive, and creative potential.Agents are making the promise of AI tangible and valuable, and Hightouch is moving in a solid direction. You can schedule a demo of these new features <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://hightouch.com/platform/agents">on their website.</a> <hr /><h4 style="text-align:center" id="looking-for-more-guidance-on-hightouch?-talk-to-an-expert.">Looking for more guidance on Hightouch? <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: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:29.08%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/10/image-1761594434824.png" /><h4 id="typo3-conference-2025"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://t3con.typo3.com/">TYPO3 Conference 2025</a></h4>November 25–27, 2025 – Düsseldorf, GermanyT3CON is the premier annual event for web professionals, developers, marketers, and decision-makers. Much more than just a TYPO3-focused conference, T3CON spotlights the latest trends, innovations, and leaders shaping the future of content management, covering everything from grassroots initiatives to new technologies, strategies, and success stories. The event is designed to empower businesses and organizations with the knowledge and tools they need to thrive in the evolving digital landscape. The conference culminates in an awards ceremony celebrating the best TYPO3 projects across various industries. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://t3con.typo3.com/">Get your ticket.</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>

Hightouch Launches High-Performance Agents to Help Marketers Move 10x Faster

‘Seasons of Love’: Sitecore Symposium 2025 Sings, Putting AI and Marketers in the Spotlight

<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/critics/conor-egan">Conor Egan</a> is SVP Product at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/contentstack">Contentstack</a> and a CMS Critic Contributor.<hr /> In order for <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.contentstack.com/platforms/ai">AI</a> to become a truly revolutionary force in life and business, we’ll have to trust it with more than just our grunt work. We’ll have to outsource some of our decision-making as well.That’s where agentic AI comes in.An AI agent is a system you can interact with in plain language that has some amount of capabilities it can manage, including taking actions on your behalf. The simplest AI agents are “helper” agents, such as support agents or virtual assistants. (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/504767/tragic-life-clippy-worlds-most-hated-virtual-assistant">Clippy</a> was the godfather of this sort of thing). You can ask these agents to book your plane tickets or revise some text, or which barbecue grill would best suit your needs. Other AI agents run when you're not doing anything. They’re constantly listening, and can take some action if they think it's necessary.That makes them close to what we used to call automations. The key difference between an automation and an agent is that the agent has more than one function, and can make its own decisions and interpretations of what it’s supposed to do.  Here are a few thoughts about the value of agentic AI as a force multiplier and facilitator, and why companies that are replacing human beings with AI agents are thinking about this technology the wrong way.<h3 id="why-should-we-use-ai-agents?">Why should we use AI agents?</h3>Not all tasks fit neatly into a simple binary. Think of a governance agent that’s supposed to enforce brand guidelines or highlight when content should get another review. You might want more complexity in its output than a cut-and-dried yes or no. Your AI agent might decide that the problems with a piece of content are egregious enough to block it from being published, or that it needs someone else to review it, or there’s some other review state it should go into. Based on what’s happening, it might decide which tools to apply for the job. There are multiple paths that an AI agent can follow, and it has some agency in deciding what they are. In the Old World, you'd have to account for each of those branching paths, and if the scenario didn't fall into one, then nothing would happen. The advantage of AI agents is that they’re equipped to deal with situations they’ve never seen before. They’re not forced to operate within what they were “programmed” to do.Of course, there's a time-saving aspect as well. Humans are very expensive, and compute is not, so there may be certain repetitive tasks that an agent is better equipped for in terms of resource efficiency.For example, sifting through a great amount of content, summarizing things, identifying outliers — these are all things that can be pretty time-consuming for humans to do. AI agents can do these tasks quickly, and even help you identify opportunities that you might not have discovered yourself.<h3 id="contentstack’s-rule-for-ai-development">Contentstack’s rule for AI development</h3>As <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.contentstack.com/">Contentstack</a> prepares to roll out new agentic AI features this fall, our Product team has benefitted from a simple guiding principle: If it doesn’t deliver significant user value, we don’t do it.So, what is “user value”? In my opinion, it’s anything that falls into one of these three buckets:Number one, it does something that you're already doing, but 10 times better. For example, instead of sifting through all my data and having to hand-identify all the audiences, an AI agent can break up my audiences based on lookalike models. I could have done this myself, but with AI I can do it (at least) 10X faster.Number two, it allows me to do something that I literally could not do before. It's not just helping me with what I could have done otherwise. The AI enables some net new capability that was not possible before. And number three, it can turn a regular user into a power user. Let’s say we wanted to add natural language search in our CMS, so you could type in and find what you’re looking for without having to figure it out through advanced search. Rather than having to become a search power user or rely on your developers, the AI functionality gives you the same abilities as the most skilled users of the platform. If an AI concept does not meet one or more of these criteria, then it's not worth our team’s investment. And by the way, none of those criteria boil down to “it allows your company to cut the size of its workforce.” Which brings me to my next point…<h3 id="why-ai-agents-should-enhance-human-effort,-not-replace-it">Why AI agents should enhance human effort, not replace it</h3>So far, companies have taken a couple of different approaches with agentic AI. One is trying to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/dude-wheres-my-job-conor-egan-shj6e/">literally replace people</a>. So, if you have someone whose job is to do X, they’ll seek to create an agent that does exactly that.But I think we get a lot more value from AI agents when we use them as facilitators, not workforce replacers. You hired smart people to use their talents, right? If that’s the case, you should probably get rid of all the things they have to do in the course of the day that don't differentiate you and your brand. Are there capabilities that you can give a team member via an agent that provides a force multiplier or allows them to provide more value? Start there.We’re quickly entering a world where AI will be able to put marketing on autopilot. It will create the campaigns, it will write the content, generate the assets, etc. And my question is always, “If everybody has the exact same tools, how is a great marketer going to beat a good marketer?” Because if you have a system that can spit out average content and everybody's doing it, things are going to be very noisy.It's not that AI can't help you develop novel experiences. But if you're creating content for other humans, then humans need to serve as the judge of taste. When AI tools are generating the same campaign ideas, the most successful marketers are the ones who will be better at deciding which ideas to pursue. <h3 id="looking-ahead:-ai-agents-will-eat-more-tasks-from-the-bottom-up-(and-that’s-a-good-thing)">Looking ahead: AI agents will eat more tasks from the bottom up (and that’s a good thing)</h3>Whether it's industrial farming or computers, new technology always eats jobs from the bottom up. It could be literal jobs that you have to do, or those “jobs” could be abstraction layers.In the early days of code, we were interacting directly with the hardware itself and writing in ones and zeros. Then we added operating systems, and now you can use a mouse, which is a layer on top of an operating system. We used to have to manage our infrastructure by taking racks to a server farm and plugging in the cables, and installing the software, and now we have cloud services. We used to write JavaScript and HTML by hand. Then we developed code frameworks where you don't even need to know the underlying JavaScript. AI is the latest layer on top of all this. Soon, you won't necessarily need to know how to use Contentstack. Our platform is an abstraction of an abstraction of a database that you used to have in order to do all these jobs. AI agents are simply the most recent iteration of what technology has been doing for a long time. The real purpose of AI — just like all the advancements that came before it — is to get you to the value part faster. You can now spend most of the hours in your day doing the high-value things that are going to have an impact, and less time figuring out how to learn the software. <hr /><h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <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:29.08%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/10/image-1761594434824.png" /><h4 id="typo3-conference-2025"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://t3con.typo3.com/">TYPO3 Conference 2025</a></h4>November 25–27, 2025 – Düsseldorf, GermanyT3CON is the premier annual event for web professionals, developers, marketers, and decision-makers. Much more than just a TYPO3-focused conference, T3CON spotlights the latest trends, innovations, and leaders shaping the future of content management, covering everything from grassroots initiatives to new technologies, strategies, and success stories. The event is designed to empower businesses and organizations with the knowledge and tools they need to thrive in the evolving digital landscape. The conference culminates in an awards ceremony celebrating the best TYPO3 projects across various industries. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://t3con.typo3.com/">Get your ticket.</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>

Agentic AI 101: What's an AI agent and when should they be used?

conor-egan

Welcome to the ‘Collaborative CMS’: Directus Breaks the Bottlenecks with its Native MCP

Shock and AI Awe: Sitecore Unleashes SitecoreAI, its Next-Gen AI-Powered DXP

JoyConf Stories: Netlify’s Matt Biilmann on the Power of the Storyblok Partnership

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What I Mean to Say: A Practitioner Perspective on AI, Semantics, and Content Evolution

msalvatierra

Welcome to the 'Agent Ecosystem': MACH Alliance unites tech leaders to build the future of enterprise AI

<hr /> When I recently connected with <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandeep-menon-1087901/">Sandeep Menon</a>, we talked a lot about the customer journey. In many ways, it's a perilous trek for marketers. Kind of like scaling Mount Doom in The Lord of the Rings.But good prevails in that epic tale – and there's hope for downtrodden teams that are trapped by monstrous hoards of data. As co-founder and CEO at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://auxia.io/">Auxia</a>, Sandeep spends a lot of time thinking about ways to improve the marketer's magic across a growing expanse of channels and touchpoints. Auxia is part of that solution: an AI-powered platform that enables enterprise marketing and product teams to harness their first-party data to seamlessly orchestrate 1:1, adaptive, hyper-personalized customer journeys. Built by former <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/google-cloud-platform">Google</a> and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meta_Platforms">Meta</a> engineers and leaders, the Auxia platform is giving marketing teams the ability to unlock hidden signals from their data, fueling a flexible suite of intelligent growth models that automate months of data science and engineering work.Customer Journey Orchestration – or often just “Journey Orchestration” – has become a fixture in DXPs, marketing clouds, and CDPs. It’s a concept that’s found its way into myriad features, enabling brands to identify audiences throughout the buying cycle and connect relevant marketing campaigns that align with their behaviors.At the center of it all is data, the Gold Standard in digital currency that fuels the tailoring of customer experiences with real-time, AI-driven personalization. It also enables meaningful cross-channel coordination that can send proactive alerts or actions based on specific signals. This is where agents entered the conversation with Sandeep, because they’re having a profound impact on how Auxia is evolving the space. As he explained, his tool combines advanced infrastructure with agentic AI to seamlessly orchestrate hyper-personalized customer journeys. <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:33.88%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/10/image-1761791281990.png" /></figure>Auxia co-founder and CEO Sandeep Menon. Source: LinkedIn “We’re really trying to be an agentic customer journey orchestration platform,” he said. “We are going from the ‘Old World,’ which is about static, rule-based systems, to one that is much more dynamic.”Now, Auxia is taking a major leap forward with its marketing platform, launching a new AI-native interface for marketers that brings decisioning, insights, and content generation together in one unified experience. The new interface addresses a central challenge for marketers that we’ve been talking a lot about recently: cognitive overload. The transformative design replaces complexity with clarity, so marketers can see their ideas, data, and creative work come together in a visual manner. Armed with enhanced strategic and holistic control, they can manage disjointed campaigns and design, optimize, and analyze every customer journey in a unified space. Auxia’s agentic capabilities are key to this, but it all feels streamlined and thoughtfully crafted, more like a ride-along co-pilot and less like another tool in the toolbox. And for marketers, less chaos means more calm. They don't need another unruly dragon to ride – but they do want the power to rule it all. <h3 id="harnessing-the-potential-of-ai-for-marketers">Harnessing the potential of AI for marketers</h3>Since launching in early 2024, Auxia has been on a meteoric rise. The scale-up has added several Fortune 1000 clients and delivered some astounding results. That led to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://venturebeat.com/ai/auxia-raises-23-5-million-to-tackle-enterprise-marketings-reacquisition-treadmill">$23.5 million Series A</a> funding round to tackle a huge gap in the marketing ecosystem: transforming raw data into personalized customer experiences.AI has been a core pillar for Auxia since its inception. When I spoke to Sandeep a few months ago, they were on the cusp of introducing new agents that were focused on enhancing various dimensions of the marketing experience. At that time, marketing teams were still dealing with fragmented experiences that lacked intuitiveness – where campaigns, assets, and insights were piled together without clear guardrails based on use case or objective.Like many modern enterprise software platforms, AI capabilities have been historically reactive in nature. Marketers needed to ask the right questions, rather than having an AI system that could proactively anticipate their needs. Again, this exacerbated the cognitive load – especially for teams juggling multiple campaigns.As Sandeep explained, the ideas for Auxia’s agents sprang from the needs of real marketers who have been hamstrung by these challenges, specifically the “black box” areas where data science needed to shine a light on the missing insight. Back in July, the company released an enhanced version of its <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250709871181/en/Auxia-Announces-New-AI-Analyst-Agent-to-Help-Marketing-Teams-Convert-Campaign-Data-Into-Revenue-Insights">AI Analyst agent.</a> Using a natural language interface, it provides marketing teams with high-speed insights into campaign performance. Before, it was hard to know why AI-powered campaigns were succeeding or failing without complex data analysis. Now, marketers can just ask Auxia’s agent for the answers.“One of my frustrations as a marketer was that I would launch, and I would have these systems doing stuff on my campaigns,” he said. “And then if I wanted to go back and determine what worked, or what didn't work, I had to rely on a data scientist or spend endless hours playing with Excel to find out. Now, imagine you can get those answers within a platform through a natural language interface. That's what prompted us to launch our Analyst agent, where you, as a marketer, can go in and interact with the data set and gain deep insights. So you don't need to rely on a data scientist or data engineer. We do it.”With Auxia’s new interface, teams have these agent resources in arm’s reach through a more unified experience, powered by agentic AI that’s helping them move from idea to execution with less friction. Built from the ground up with native AI capabilities, the console is designed to think and act alongside marketers – surfacing insights, suggesting actions, and automating complexity behind the scenes.<h3 id="a-unified-experience-that-streamlines-everything">A unified experience that streamlines everything</h3>One thing that immediately pops up for me is the elegance of Auxia’s new UX. It’s lightweight, intuitive, and makes it incredibly simple for marketers to navigate the ecosystem. You can access its agentic capabilities – like the Decisioning or Analyst agents – from one consistent, chat-based interface that modifies content based on your query. And rather than waiting for prompts, Auxia’s AI is humming constantly in the background, anticipating what you might need next. It surfaces insights and content recommendations automatically, cutting through the noise and reducing cognitive load.The console offers a reimagined home screen experience that brings campaign health, performance trends, and creative recommendations into a single view, helping teams take action faster. There’s also this concept of a “Spark,” which is a lightning moment of insight that agents uncover and proactively surface for marketers. You can review the insight daily from the dashboard, where it is ranked based on overall confidence. <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:84.6%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/10/auxia-featured-2.jpg" alt="" /></figure>Auxia home screen featuring Sparks. Source: Auxia “One big shift that we are making is this whole idea of a Spark,” Sandeep described. “You have our Analyst agent working in the background, trying to understand and highlight insights that they are seeing. It will take an analyst team maybe days, if not weeks, to come up with insights like these, and then they would also need to know what to look for. Our agents are constantly working in the background, trying to determine what insights are relevant based on the current campaigns you're managing.”Drilling into the insights also provides recommendations, and you have the persistent presence of the “Ask Auxia” copilot for targeting natural language queries. <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:84.97%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/10/image-1761772811781.png" alt="A screenshot of a computer

AI-generated content may be incorrect." /></figure>Detail view from a Spark. Source: Auxia Campaigns are now organized into core marketing workflows called Journeys that align with customer needs. This includes Evergreen journey, which are always-on journeys optimized for continuous AI decisioning – and Burst journey, which are time-bound campaigns where marketers can override and steer based on their desired experiences.<h3 id="availability-and-pricing">Availability and pricing</h3>Auxia’s new console is already rolling out to select enterprise partners, with general availability planned for Q4 2025 – so any time now. If you’re interested in early access or live demos, you can visit<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://auxia.io/"> auxia.io</a>I asked Sandeep about pricing, which is a bit of an enigma. That said, this isn’t a standard model. As he explained, a typical engagement would involve going deep into a specific marketing journey or use case that an enterprise wants to transform, and pricing is based on the calculated volume of decisions and usage. In other words, it’s highly custom – so you’ll need to connect with their team for details.<h3 id="the-verdict">The verdict</h3>Customer Journey Orchestration is becoming an elevated imperative as marketers look for new ways to optimize and enhance their campaign performance. Enterprises are hungry to get personalization right – and the stakes have never been higher. Journey orchestration is bridging the gap, but AI is making it more effective than ever. Auxia’s pure-play solution is challenging some of the built-in features of other platforms. From a first-party data standpoint, it’s been handling security and privacy from day one with GDPR compliance and other features that help ensure governance. Sure, pricing is vague, but that’s part of the discovery process. That said, if you can fill the role that data scientists play to divine insights and automate decisioning, it could be worth its weight in gold. One thing I do like is the composable, agnostic nature of the product. As Sandeep indicated, they work natively at the cloud layer, and they’re able to play with CMS and enhance 1:1 personalization with content decisioning via their agents.“We connect to content management systems, where you can use our agents to determine what is the right content to showcase to somebody at a point in time in their journey to get them to the objective,” he said. The redesigned UX is something to marvel at. It’s clean, concise, and delivers the unified experience that Auxia was aiming for. For marketers, reducing those “swivel chair” moments and crushing cognitive overload is key – especially in a dark landscape drowning in data and apps. If that sounds a bit like Mordor, relax. Auxia might just be your one UX to rule them all.  <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:29.08%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/10/image-1761594434824.png" /><h4 id="typo3-conference-2025"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://t3con.typo3.com/">TYPO3 Conference 2025</a></h4>November 25–27, 2025 – Düsseldorf, GermanyT3CON is the premier annual event for web professionals, developers, marketers, and decision-makers. Much more than just a TYPO3-focused conference, T3CON spotlights the latest trends, innovations, and leaders shaping the future of content management, covering everything from grassroots initiatives to new technologies, strategies, and success stories. The event is designed to empower businesses and organizations with the knowledge and tools they need to thrive in the evolving digital landscape. The conference culminates in an awards ceremony celebrating the best TYPO3 projects across various industries. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://t3con.typo3.com/">Get your ticket.</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>

One UX to rule them all: Auxia powers customer journeys with AI agents in new unified experience

At CDP World 2025, Treasure Data Signals an Evolution from CDP to AI Marketing Cloud

<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/critics/amit-aggarwal">Amit Aggarwal </a>is the founder and principal consultant at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://accessibilitypartners.ca/">Accessibility Partners Canada,</a> and a CMS Critic contributor. <hr /> In today’s digital world, accessibility isn't just a legal requirement – it’s a vital part of creating an inclusive online experience. Selecting the right content management system that aligns with the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/">Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)</a> is a key step toward achieving this goal. A well-chosen CMS makes accessibility an integrated feature rather than something added later.However, choosing the best CMS can be a complex process, especially when balancing functionality, design flexibility, and compliance. That’s why many organizations work with experienced<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://accessibilityinnovations.com/website-accessibility-consultant/"> web accessibility consultants</a> to ensure their CMS selection supports accessibility from the start, saving time and resources while making their website inclusive for all users.In this guide, we’ll explore the key factors to consider when selecting a WCAG-compliant CMS so you can confidently choose the best system for your website.<h3 id="understanding-wcag-compliance">Understanding WCAG Compliance</h3>WCAG compliance refers to following a set of guidelines developed by the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.w3.org/">World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).</a> These guidelines outline best practices for creating web content that is accessible to people with disabilities, including those with vision, hearing, cognitive, and mobility impairments.The WCAG standards are organized around four key principles (sometimes referred to as <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://accessibility.umich.edu/basics/concepts-principles/pour">POUR</a>), and your choice of CMS can play a critical role in meeting these principles effectively:<ul><li>Perceivable: Information and user interface components must be presented intelligibly.</li><li>Operable: User interface components and navigation must be accessible by all users.</li><li>Understandable: Information and operation of the user interface must be clear and concise.</li><li>Robust: Content must be robust enough to be interpreted reliably by various user agents, including assistive technologies.</li></ul><h3 id="key-factors-to-consider-when-choosing-a-wcag-compliant-cms">Key Factors to Consider When Choosing a WCAG-Compliant CMS</h3> 1. Built-In Accessibility FeaturesA WCAG-compliant CMS should come with built-in accessibility features, reducing the burden of manual adjustments. These features often include (but are not limited to):<ul><li>Semantic HTML structure</li><li>ARIA landmarks</li><li>Keyboard navigability</li><li>Screen reader compatibility</li><li>Accessible forms and multimedia</li><li>Color contrast options</li></ul>Check to ensure whether the CMS actively supports WCAG standards and whether its core architecture is designed with accessibility in mind. Some platforms offer integrations with accessibility tools that address some of these requirements, but it's important to understand the interoperability of these products when delivering a compliant solution.  2. Customizability Without Breaking ComplianceA CMS should allow customization without breaking accessibility standards. While templates and plugins can enhance functionality, they can also introduce accessibility barriers if not built correctly. Choose a system that enables developers to integrate accessibility features directly into custom designs and templates without significant rework. 3. Accessibility Auditing and ToolsSome CMS platforms offer built-in <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://accessibilityinnovations.com/website-accessibility-testing-services/">accessibility testing</a> and auditing tools. These tools allow developers and content managers to assess whether their content meets WCAG guidelines before publishing. Having such tools within the CMS can save time and ensure ongoing compliance. 4. Responsive Design CapabilitiesWCAG compliance also requires responsive design to accommodate various devices and screen sizes. Ensure your CMS supports responsive design principles and allows for adaptive adjustments without compromising accessibility. 5. Ongoing Accessibility SupportWeb accessibility is not a one-time task—it’s an ongoing commitment. Choose a CMS vendor that offers continuous updates and accessibility support. Accessibility standards evolve, and your CMS should adapt accordingly.<h3 id="tips-to-ensure-wcag-compliance-after-choosing-a-cms">Tips to Ensure WCAG Compliance After Choosing a CMS</h3>Selecting the right CMS is just the first step. Implementing and maintaining accessibility is a continuous process. Here’s a simple roadmap:<ul><li>Work with experts: Collaborate with web accessibility consultants with a proven track record to audit your current site and guide your CMS selection.</li><li>Choose accessibility-ready themes and templates: If you're working with a theme, make sure that it already meets WCAG standards and test it thoroughly to validate.</li><li>Train your content creators: Ensure your team understands accessibility best practices for creating inclusive content. Provide them with access to ongoing learning resources.</li><li>Test regularly: Use automated accessibility tools and manual testing to ensure ongoing compliance.</li><li>Stay up to date: WCAG standards evolve; your CMS and processes should adapt accordingly.</li></ul><h3 id="benefits-of-a-wcag-compliant-cms">Benefits of a WCAG-Compliant CMS</h3>Choosing the right CMS and maintaining accessibility offers significant benefits:<ul><li>Legal compliance: Avoid lawsuits and penalties related to accessibility laws.</li><li>Wider audience reach: Make your website usable for all visitors, including those with disabilities.</li><li>Improved SEO: Accessibility features often enhance search engine optimization.</li><li>Better user experience: Accessibility improvements benefit all users, not just those with disabilities.</li></ul><h3 id="final-thoughts">Final Thoughts</h3>Picking a WCAG-compliant CMS is a strategic investment in accessibility, user experience, and legal compliance. By focusing on features such as built-in accessibility tools, responsive design capabilities, and ongoing support, businesses can create inclusive digital environments that serve everyone.Early collaboration with web accessibility consultants can guide the CMS selection process and ensure that accessibility is embedded from the ground up. This not only benefits users with disabilities but also improves the overall quality and reach of your website. <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:29.08%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/10/image-1761594434824.png" /><h4 id="typo3-conference-2025"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://t3con.typo3.com/">TYPO3 Conference 2025</a></h4>November 25–27, 2025 – Düsseldorf, GermanyT3CON is the premier annual event for web professionals, developers, marketers, and decision-makers. Much more than just a TYPO3-focused conference, T3CON spotlights the latest trends, innovations, and leaders shaping the future of content management, covering everything from grassroots initiatives to new technologies, strategies, and success stories. The event is designed to empower businesses and organizations with the knowledge and tools they need to thrive in the evolving digital landscape. The conference culminates in an awards ceremony celebrating the best TYPO3 projects across various industries. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://t3con.typo3.com/">Get your ticket.</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>

The Zero-Cost Content Paradox

Forget the Cape! Here's Why CMS Is Your 'Unsung Hero' in 2025

Presenting the Winners of the 13th Annual CMS Critic Awards!

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Progress Powers Its Vision for ‘Generative CMS’ with Agentic RAG and a Legacy of Innovation

TinyMCE releases 2025 ‘State of Rich Text Editors’ report, and CMS use cases are fading. Why it matters

Forrester DXP Wave 2025: Welcome to 'The Agent Hunger Games.’ Are the odds in your favor?

Cat got your tongue? Not with Smartcat’s AI Agent for SCORM multilingual course translation

Feel the GEO Rush: Adobe to Acquire Semrush for $1.9B to Enhance AI Search

Combatting Composable Regret in 2026

Read the Feed: Amplitude’s Next-Gen AI Transforms Customer Feedback into Actionable Product Insights

The Headless Holodeck: Joel Varty of Agility CMS on Warp-Speed Demos, AI, and the Next Generation of CMS

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Conquer ‘Cold Starts’ with Hot Launches: Uniform AI Helps Teams Ship Digital Experiences Faster

Hightouch Launches High-Performance Agents to Help Marketers Move 10x Faster

‘Seasons of Love’: Sitecore Symposium 2025 Sings, Putting AI and Marketers in the Spotlight

Agentic AI 101: What's an AI agent and when should they be used?

Welcome to the ‘Collaborative CMS’: Directus Breaks the Bottlenecks with its Native MCP

Shock and AI Awe: Sitecore Unleashes SitecoreAI, its Next-Gen AI-Powered DXP

JoyConf Stories: Netlify’s Matt Biilmann on the Power of the Storyblok Partnership

Give your audience the best video experience

What I Mean to Say: A Practitioner Perspective on AI, Semantics, and Content Evolution

Welcome to the 'Agent Ecosystem': MACH Alliance unites tech leaders to build the future of enterprise AI

One UX to rule them all: Auxia powers customer journeys with AI agents in new unified experience

At CDP World 2025, Treasure Data Signals an Evolution from CDP to AI Marketing Cloud

How to Pick a WCAG-Compliant Content Management System for Your Website

The easiest way to translate a website

CMS Critic - The leading news source for CMS, DXP, and beyond

The Zero-Cost Content Paradox

Forget the Cape! Here's Why CMS Is Your 'Unsung Hero' in 2025

Presenting the Winners of the 13th Annual CMS Critic Awards!

Generative AI is Making Content King Again

Latest CMS News

What's the future of CMS in the AI era?

Give your audience the best video experience

The easiest way to translate a website