Kontent.ai

A CMS that spots issues, applies fixes, and keeps teams in control.

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?

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 If you have outdated or inaccurate content, Gen AI will bring it into focus for all to see.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.

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<hr /> <ul><li>Storyblok surveyed 200 senior IT and procurement professionals regarding their AI strategies</li><li>90% of businesses plan to increase their AI investment in 2026</li><li>61% cited data privacy and regulatory concerns as the biggest challenges to successful AI adoption</li><li>91% indicated that AI will improve content management within their organization</li><li>Only 23% have fully integrated GEO-related strategies</li></ul> It’s true: bad news sells. And when it comes to AI, the negative vibes can be particularly potent. Look no further than the often-referenced MIT report that cites a whopping <a href="But%20the%20lesson%20isn’t%20that%20GenAI%20is%20broken.%20It’s%20that%20companies%20are%20trying%20to%20erase%20the%20very%20drag%20that%20creates%20value.">95% of GenAI pilots at companies are failing.</a>Of course, it’s all about context. And if you read more deeply into the research, the MIT study suggests that it’s not AI that’s broken – it’s that businesses and stakeholders are trying to avoid the essential “drag” that creates value. They’re relying on generic, brittle tools that aren’t designed with memory or learning loops.There’s also been <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/open-questions/is-ai-actually-a-bubble">talk of an “AI bubble”</a> that continues to permeate the zeitgeist. Based on past tech cycles, it’s not out of step to forecast an epic “burst” given the billions poured into the sector since 2022. We’re subjected to a regular dose of fear-mongering around this topic, but there's evidence that some of the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://fortune.com/2025/09/03/what-previous-ai-winters-can-tell-investors-and-executives-about-what-might-be-coming-next-for-ai/">M&amp;A moats could be drying up.</a>Before you start chanting about the coming AI winter – buoyed by the notion that just 5% of GenAI pilots are yielding tangible results – many businesses still seem bullish about AI. That’s the sentiment reflected in new research from <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.storyblok.com/">Storyblok</a>, which analyzed the field through the lens of content management. Recently, the CMS vendor surveyed 200 professionals at large-scale enterprises, targeting IT and procurement roles responsible for AI decision-making. The research focused on their 2026 planning, the hurdles faced in successfully adopting these technologies, their views on the major benefits of AI, and how it’s affecting their content management strategies. <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:28.6%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/12/dominik-angerer.jpg" alt="Dominik Angerer headshot" /></figure>Storyblok CEO and Co-founder, Dominik Angerer Storyblok uncovered several notable nuggets from the survey, chiefly surrounding budgets and spending. According to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominikangerer/">Dominik Angerer,</a> CEO and Co-Founder of Storyblok, companies seem poised to dedicate more funding to their AI initiatives despite any prognostications about an AI bubble bursting. “Our research paints an overwhelmingly positive business view of AI adoption as we look ahead to 2026,” he said. “Budgets look set to continue to grow robustly, and we have seen a significant increase in the number of businesses that say their adoption of AI is mature or fully integrated. There is also growing confidence that AI can and will deliver great ROI."I certainly noted this abundance of enthusiasm at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/joy-to-the-content-world-storyblok-brings-ai-innovation-and-human-connection-to-joyconf-2025">Storyblok's JoyConf event</a> back in October, and the company is building momentum as it introduces more AI features and capabilities in this burgeoning field of AI-enhanced content management. Here are some highlights from the report that are putting wind in its sails. <h3 id="content-management-leads-the-pack-for-genai-impact">Content management leads the pack for GenAI impact</h3>Bullish is the word, and businesses seem prepared to put their money where their mouths are, with the majority leaning into more activity than the previous year.When asked about their AI investment plans for 2026, 57% said they expected it to “significantly increase,” 33% cited a “slight increase,” and 9% believed budgets would remain flat. Only 2% said they expected a reduction in their AI budget. But that’s predicting what’s ahead. For many, the optimistic forecast is built on previously successful outcomes or positive signals coming from existing pilots. For example, respondents said they have seen significant benefits from implementing AI technology, with 54% noting “operational efficiency gains” as the biggest ROI. This was followed by 48% citing a “faster time to value,” 43% noting “enhanced employee productivity,” and 41% stating “streamlined decision making” was the big benefit.Within the pantheon of targeted business applications, content management was cited as one of the top functions that generative AI would impact, with 91% saying it would improve this function within their organization. This makes sense given the strong adoption of AI across CMS tooling and workflows, presenting businesses with proven product features and solutions that already utilize AI to power workflows, drive personalization, orchestrate agents, and other AI-enabled capabilities that are fast becoming requirements of modern content management strategies. “Content management is one of the areas where there seems to be near-complete consensus on the transformational impact of AI,” Dominik said. <h3 id="geo-adoption-is-still-lagging">GEO adoption is still lagging</h3>As consumers shift their search behavior towards answer engines like <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://chatgpt.com/">ChatGPT</a> or <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://search.google/ways-to-search/ai-mode/">Google’s AI Mode,</a> the harsh realities of decaying website traffic and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://searchengineland.com/zero-click-searches-up-organic-clicks-down-456660">“zero-click searches”</a> are settling in. How bad is it? <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://searchengineland.com/search-engine-traffic-2026-prediction-437650">Gartner predicts</a> that by next year, traditional search engine volume will drop by a breathtaking 25%, with search marketing losing its share to AI chatbots and other virtual agents.To combat this phenomenon, brands are building beyond their current SEO strategies and embracing <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generative_engine_optimization">Generative Engine Optimization, or GEO</a> – the practice of adapting digital content and online presence management to improve visibility in results produced by <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generative_artificial_intelligence">generative artificial intelligence</a>. While GEO strategies present a real opportunity for addressing these realities, businesses are still behind. Acccording to Storyblok’s research, 41% had either not started or were in the early stages of adopting GEO, with only 23% saying they had a full strategy implemented. “With less than a quarter of businesses saying they have adapted to these changes,” Dominik codified, “it’s clear there’s a lot of work to be done to ensure businesses can regain confidence in their content.”Without a robust GEO strategy, businesses will struggle to fully optimize their content strategy in an AI-first world of consumer search habits. Clearly, organizations are lagging in this category, but there’s a growing awareness – and a compelling rationale – for getting on board quickly. <h3 id="security-and-data-privacy-are-top-concerns">Security and data privacy are top concerns</h3>AI might be the shining city on the hill, but it’s vulnerable – and that truth is being proven out on a regular basis. Along with performance-based risks relative to guardrails and policy issues, bad actors are exploiting flaws in frameworks and leveraging prompt injections to break walled gardens and elicit brand-damaging behavior. This can range from minor headaches to major security breaches.We’ve also reached a major inflection point in cybersecurity, where AI models have become powerful tools for safeguarding data privacy, but also for conducting state-sponsored attacks. In September, agentic capabilities were <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.anthropic.com/news/disrupting-AI-espionage">used to manipulate Claude Code</a> and infiltrate global targets that included tech companies and financial firms.As such, it’s not surprising to learn that safety was the central concern for respondents in Storyblok’s survey. On a granular level, 61% cited data privacy and regulatory concerns as the biggest challenge in adopting or scaling AI solutions. This was followed by security risks at 58%, and legacy system restrictions at 43%.These hurdles were also reflected in how IT and procurement professionals felt AI adoption could become more successful. 62% said data governance and quality assurance needed to be improved. Meanwhile, 54% wanted better integration with existing systems, and 42% cited increased “vendor transparency.”Notably, only 12% of respondents mentioned “cost-effective pricing” as an area for improvement. This might further underscore that businesses aren’t yet concerned about the cost of AI – or letting the overall price tag stymie their progress.Security is a moving target. As Dominik also noted, despite positive traction, concerns regarding governance and regulatory compliance are likely to grow – and may inhibit AI adoption over the short and medium term. “However,” he said, “it is good news that the professionals in charge of AI procurement have these concerns top of mind.”<h3 id="why-it-matters">Why it matters</h3>As we roll into 2026, Storyblok’s survey provides a glimpse of AI sentiment – and, perhaps, a hopeful one. There are no crystal balls (or at least no reliable ones), and AI’s path has been difficult to gauge on both the foundational and emotional scale. Given the astounding growth and tumultuous rollercoaster of economic and legislative policy headwinds, the last year has proven just how unpredictable things can be.What’s encouraging is to see where the opportunities are for content management, and how stakeholders view it as an area for continued impact. With its intrinsic connection to search, this should light a fire under vendors and agencies to further augment their value and practices regarding GEO, which, based on the data, is not a fully-adopted strategy.Security should be foremost on everyone’s mind. As we rush to drive new AI-powered products and experiences to market, we could potentially expand the surface area for vulnerabilities. Like APIs, this also applies to the fabric of third-party solutions used to compose solutions. The latest example of this came just a few weeks ago, when a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://openai.com/index/mixpanel-incident/">security incident</a> occurred with <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://openai.com/">OpenAI</a> and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://mixpanel.com/home/">Mixpanel</a>, a data analytics provider. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.globaldata.com/store/report/agentic-ai-market-analysis/">According to GlobalData,</a> we've now entered the hyper-growth stage of agentic AI. That means everything is accelerating, and that includes the propensity for problems. As the earlier MIT report indicated, friction is a necessary component for assuring the performance of AI – and the same holds true for data privacy and governance. This is not a time to rely on generic, unproven tools; we need performant, well-maintained solutions from trusted sources. This is where vendors like Storyblok are positioning themselves not just as AI-powered platforms – but AI partners in success. <hr /><h4 style="text-align:center" id="looking-for-more-guidance-on-storyblok?-talk-to-an-expert.">Looking for more guidance on Storyblok? <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/contact">Talk to an expert.</a></h4><hr /> <h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:31.44%" 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> <img style="width:30.13%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/12/image-1765546475634.png" /><h4 id="umbraco-codegarden-2026"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://codegarden.umbraco.com/">Umbraco Codegarden 2026</a></h4>June 10–11, 2026 – Copenhagen, DKJoin us in Copenhagen (or online) for the biggest Umbraco conference in the world – two full days of learning, genuine conversations, and the kind of inspiration that brings business leaders, developers, and digital creators together. Codegarden 2026 is packed with both business and tech content, from deep-dive workshops and advanced sessions to real-world case studies and strategy talks. You’ll leave with ideas, strategies, and knowledge you can put into practice immediately. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://codegarden.umbraco.com/">Book your tickets today.</a>

Are businesses bullish on AI in 2026? New research says yes, but security is a top concern

<hr /> The content experience platform category is a bit of a conundrum. While not a CMS, there are certainly content management systems that lay claim to being a “CXP” – which is also an acronym synonymous with “customer experience platform.” That, too, is a horse of a different color.There are also DXPs, which are markedly different beasts. And just like that, you begin to see the problem: between the acronyms and abject confusion, this region of the contentsphere still struggles from a lack of clarity. Even though <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://aragonresearch.com/the-rise-of-content-experience-platforms/">Aragon Research</a> put its stamp on the silo way back in 2021, the idea of a content experience platform has been around for quite some time, and appropriated in different ways. But forget about the category. What’s really important isn’t what a product is, but what it can do for its customers. If there’s been one consistent thread with vendors in this content experience arena, it’s the focus on serving dynamic content and personalizing it with speed and efficiency. That said, there are lots of digital touch points, and lots of content living in different places like CMSes, DAMs, PIMs, and more. With all this siloed stuff, marketers are struggling with brand management, making it a challenge to be fast, nimble, and responsive when creating personalized experiences using all of these disparate assets. This is where <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.smint.io/">Smint.io</a> has established itself as a sort of “portal powerhouse” in the content experience pantheon. The Linz, Austria-based vendor is doing some novel work to help brands and marketing teams publish existing content from where it lives, and do it through fast, easy-to-deploy portals that can be for public, private, or fully authenticated use.And these portals kind of rock. You can check out a mock example of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://brand.oochiali.com/en/?culture=en">Smint's brand portals here. </a> <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:89.32%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/12/portal_logo_colors-scaled.jpg" /></figure>Source: Smint.io website Smint’s breed of no-code portals enable real-time synchronization of assets and product data from a multitude of sources – places like Microsoft SharePoint, Google Drive, Box, and more. It also includes pure-play DAM systems like Cloudinary or even DXP-based services within platforms like <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/sitecore">Sitecore.</a>The use cases for Smint.io’s platform run the gamut, from brand portals, press and media download portals, and product information portals. They even specialize in <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.smint.io/portal-templates/content-buying/">content buying portals,</a> where you can access images from various sources like stock photography platforms – and set up centralized lightboxes and shopping carts while handling licensing in one place. Smint’s model might seem niche, but it’s exactly the kind of service marketing teams crave to handle large quantities of overloaded content. It makes cross-department collaboration a little easier and breaks down content silos by connecting content sources in one place. That translates into brand consistency and faster time to market for global enterprises like Mattel, Synchrony, and BNP Paribas Real Estate. Now, Smint.io has launched a new OEM partnership with <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.censhare.com/en">Censhare</a> and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.marmind.com/">Marmind</a>, founding partners of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://entirely.com/">Entirely</a> – the world’s first open, AI-native marketing technology ecosystem. If you’re not familiar, Entirely is an open, personalized, compliant, and composable solution set of flexible tools designed for collaboration and orchestration and powered by AI. It’s like a cabal of best-of-breed technologies for composable martech, with human guidance and ingenuity as part of the recipe. Some of the other platforms include <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://entirely.com/solutions/adverity?hsLang=en">Adverity</a> for process automation, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://entirely.com/solutions/solutions-elaine?hsLang=en">Elaine</a> for smart growth and marketing automation, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://entirely.com/solutions/zeotap?hsLang=en">Zeotap</a> for CDP-powered data insights, and more.Launched in November, the partnership with Censhare and Marmind merges Smint’s content experience expertise with Censhare’s proven PIM, DAM, and CMS capabilities – and amps it up with Marmind’s marketing resource management features. The integration enables businesses to seamlessly create highly personalized and branded content experiences, allowing them design and manage custom-tailored portals to meet their needs.<h3 id="building-a-‘portal-powerhouse’">Building a ‘portal powerhouse’</h3>According to Smint.io, this trifecta provides a module of functionality, delivering sophisticated branding tools and CMS capabilities. With it, brands can design bespoke portal applications, contextualize assets, and integrate with minimal effort with various platforms via custom components. By creating more compelling content experiences, they can activate both internal and external audiences.“Partnering with Censhare brings our content experience platform directly into an open, AI-orchestrated marketing ecosystem,” said <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/reinhardholzner/">Reinhard Holzner, </a>CEO of Smint.io. “Together, we’re empowering brands to deliver personalized, contextual, and on-brand experiences faster and smarter.”CMS Critic connected with Smint.io about how this partnership will potentially impact its go-to-market strategy. As the company told us, it will enable the further expansion of its enterprise customer segment. They see the open-minded, best-of-breed collaboration with both Censhare and Marmind as a game-changer, one that will stymie isolated solutions from competing with the combined offering.I asked Smint about their focus on personalization, and how they might compare in a market of choices – particularly where AI is acting as a force multiplier. They take a direct page from each specific target group on what they need or expect, be it a very specific content portal or an information stream for AI consumers. Smint’s software is flexible enough to meet a range of use cases and be implemented in a very short timeframe.Some of Smint’s customers are already using the joint offering to power brand portals, as well as product information and marketing portals that are fed by assets and data located in Censhare and/or Marmind. The partnership delivers a unified solution that bridges the gap between content creation and personalized delivery. For Censhare, Smint.io provides a no-code solution that transforms a company's Censhare content into on-brand, client-facing portals, like partner or media hubs.“Smint.io adds powerful branded content experience portals to our ecosystem,” said <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobiasackermann/">Tobias Ackermann,</a> CEO of Censhare and Entirely. “This partnership boosts our clients’ capability to combine creativity with the flexibility to integrate the various Censhare applications into a single, seamless frontend – setting new standards for speed, scale, and personalization.”<h3 id="pricing">Pricing</h3>Smint.io doesn’t offer fixed pricing, but it does offer a transparent method for calculating costs based on specific parameters. This includes the number of portals, the audience (internal, external, authenticated), the number of users, and the data sources – of which Censhare is an option.There are also some add-ons for analytics, video support, custom forms and pages, and even dynamic content routing. All of this can be tabulated into a total annual cost.Smint does offer a free 21-day trial, which kicks off with an introductory session with a Customer Success Expert. You can learn more about <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.smint.io/pricing/">the details here. </a><h3 id="the-verdict">The verdict</h3>Portals are a unique form of content experience. And Smint.io is more than just a content experience platform – it’s content activation, enabling organizations to seamlessly publish content directly from their DAM, SharePoint, OneDrive, Google Drive, and PIM systems without creating another dreaded content silo. With Smint.io, businesses can deliver engaging, personalized content experiences tailored to specific audiences. Whether for brand management, media distribution, or sales enablement, it helps ensure that content is always accessible, up-to-date, and on-brand. What’s great about Smint is its simplicity. Marketers have enough cognitive overload to manage, and this portal solution eliminates the complexity in a single hub. Deployment is easy, out-of-the-box, and uniquely catered to the collaborative needs of teams, agencies, retailers, and other organizations where nimble marketing solutions are a must. It also eliminates the need for additional asset storage.For Smint.io, Censhare, and Marmind, it represents a strategic alignment to serve global enterprises with scalable, future-proof technology. It has the potential to boost creativity and flexibility for customers by harnessing the combined powers of all three solutions to deliver faster, scalable personalization.Our recommendation: If portal experience management is part of your integrated marketing and content strategy, Smint.io’s new partnership looks promising, and offers a potentially powerful augmentation with Censhare and Marmind – which benefit from the Entirely ecosystem. You can visit the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.smint.io/pricing/">Smint.io website</a> for details on pricing, support, and other resources.   <hr /><h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <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>

Portal Powerhouse: Smint.io, Censhare, and Marmind Partner to Evolve Content Experiences for Brands

Treasure Data Brings AI Marketing Cloud and ‘Super Agent’ Capabilities to AWS Marketplace

<hr /> If you haven’t already heard the React shot heard ‘round the world, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/carapace-nz/posts/?feedView=all">Carapace Security’s</a> Innovation Lead <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lachlan-s-davidson/">Lachlan Davidson</a> discovered a critical vulnerability in components of the popular and widely used <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://react.dev/">React library.</a> It allows unauthenticated remote code execution by exploiting a flaw in how React decodes payloads sent to React Server Function endpoints.How back is it? Using the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Vulnerability_Scoring_System">Common Vulnerability Scoring System</a> (CVSS), it was disclosed as <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-55182">CVE-2025-55182</a> and is rated CVSS 10.0. That’s as severe as it gets. Where is it, exactly? According to sources, the vulnerability is present in versions 19.0, 19.1.0, 19.1.1, and 19.2.0 of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.npmjs.com/package/react-server-dom-webpack">react-server-dom-webpack</a>, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.npmjs.com/package/react-server-dom-parcel">react-server-dom-parcel</a>, and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.npmjs.com/package/react-server-dom-turbopack?activeTab=readme">react-server-dom-turbopack</a>.While it was first detected on November 29th, it wasn’t publicly disclosed until December 3rd. That’s when the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/security/china-nexus-cyber-threat-groups-rapidly-exploit-react2shell-vulnerability-cve-2025-55182/">AWS threat intelligence teams</a> observed active exploitation attempts by multiple China state-nexus threat groups, including Earth Lamia and Jackpot Panda. For detailed upgrade and mitigation instructions, read the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://react.dev/blog/2025/12/03/critical-security-vulnerability-in-react-server-components">React blog</a> and check back regularly for additional updates.<h3 id="don’t-panic,-but-act-quickly">Don’t panic, but act quickly</h3>A fix was introduced in versions <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v19.0.1">19.0.1</a>, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v19.1.2">19.1.2</a>, and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v19.2.1">19.2.1</a>. Even if your app doesn’t implement any React Server Function endpoints, it might still be vulnerable if it supports React Server Components. The bottom line is that you should upgrade immediately.A key point: if your app’s React code does not use a server – or a framework, bundler, or bundler plugin that supports React Server Components – it’s not impacted by this vulnerability. That said, certain React frameworks and bundlers might have dependencies or include vulnerable React packages, such as:<ul><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://nextjs.org/blog/CVE-2025-66478">Next.js (versions 14.x canary, 15.x, 16.x)</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://reactrouter.com/how-to/react-server-components">React Router (RSC preview versions)</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://waku.gg/">Waku (minimal React framework)</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.npmjs.com/package/@vitejs/plugin-rsc">@vitejs/plugin-rsc </a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://parceljs.org/recipes/rsc/">@parcel/rsc </a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.npmjs.com/package/rwsdk">RedwoodJS (rwsdk) </a></li></ul>According to the React blog, there are temporary hosting provider mitigations in place, but you shouldn’t rely on these to performantly secure your app. So roll with that update. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/vercel">Vercel</a>, the company behind the incredibly popular <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/nextjs">Next.js,</a> is also taking proactive steps. Any new deployment containing a vulnerable version of the framework will automatically fail to deploy on its platform. <h3 id="what-the-heck-happened?">What the heck happened?</h3>As Lachlan said in his <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/lachlan-s-davidson_critical-security-vulnerability-in-react-activity-7402099900987142144-65Kz/">recent LinkedIn post,</a> there's more nitty-gritty to unpack with all of this, and we’re sure to get more details regarding the vulnerability after the rollout is considered complete and the dust settles.Currently, here’s the gist of it: As we know, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://react.dev/reference/rsc/server-functions">React Server Functions</a> allow a client to call a function on a server, providing integration points and tools that frameworks and bundlers use to help React code run on both the client and the server. React then translates requests into HTTP requests, which are forwarded to a server, moved into a function call, and returned to the client.According to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://thehackernews.com/2025/12/critical-react2shell-flaw-added-to-cisa.html">The Hacker News,</a> the real problem stems from <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.rapid7.com/blog/post/etr-react2shell-cve-2025-55182-critical-unauthenticated-rce-affecting-react-server-components/">insecure deserialization</a> in the library's RSC Flight protocol, which React uses to enable that server/client communication. With this vulnerability, an unauthenticated remote attacker could fashion a malicious HTTP request or arbitrary commands to any Server Function endpoint. When deserialized by React, it could enable remote code execution on the server. And that’s where the trouble starts. <h3 id="why-it-matters">Why it matters</h3>React has been a game-changer in the digital landscape, specifically through the rise of headless CMSes and Jamstack architectures. There are a lot of fuzzy numbers out there, but most reputable estimates suggest that React is used by millions of websites globally. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://w3techs.com/technologies/details/js-react">W3Techs reports that React is used by 7.7%</a> of all websites whose JavaScript library is known, which translates to 6.2% of all websites.That’s not the lion’s share, but when you consider the notable enterprises utilizing it within their workloads, the scope feels even bigger. Major brands like Facebook, Netflix, Airbnb, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Shopify utilize React or React Native in various parts of their platforms, demonstrating its widespread adoption in both web and mobile development.Security is job zero for everyone, and no system or framework will ever be beyond a vulnerability at some point in its lifecycle. And the more dependent we are on open source libraries and composable, interoperable architectures, the more likely it is that we’ll see a growing surface area of failure points.From a “fix” perspective, transparency is key. We need to shorten the response time and the gap to action, so stakeholders can “react” as quickly as possible and minimize the impact. Obviously, having performant packages in place to upgrade was a key part of the solution, but I think it was smart to enable the hosting resources as a temporary measure of defense. As we learn more, we'll dig into it. For now, the best advice? Stay vigilant. And stay updated, my friends… <hr /><h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <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>

React Now: Why a Major Security Vulnerability in React Server Components is a Severe Threat

<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/critics/dominik-angerer">Dominik Angerer</a> is the founder and CEO of Storyblok and a CMS Critic Contributor.<hr /> For decades, marketers have competed to secure a coveted page-one spot on the search results. But today that landscape has shifted. As AI-driven search experiences dominate, brand discovery is no longer about ranking for blue links; it’s about appearing in AI-generated answers.This shift is rewriting the rules of online strategy. Not too long ago, getting your website noticed revolved around a careful balance of keywords and backlinks. Now, to appear in AI-generated responses, brands need content that machines can interpret as easily as humans. The reality is that many are not prepared.The result? Traffic is declining. Zero-click answers are overshadowing genuine human expertise. Many brands are also finding outdated website content resurfacing inside AI-generated responses. The outcome is a loss of credibility and diminished ownership of their narrative long before a customer even reaches their site.This has led some experts to predict the so-called “death of the website,” envisioning an internet overrun by AI-generated content and bots, where quality information and genuine human interaction are all but extinct.The truth, however, isn’t nearly so grim. As we see it, AI isn’t killing websites; it’s exposing longstanding weaknesses in how organizations manage content. In this light, it should be seen not as an ending, but as a crucial turning point in terms of the way brands create and manage content online. <h3 id="relevance-before-rankings">Relevance before rankings</h3>Previously, brands could get away with a content ecosystem that was outdated and internally inconsistent. Take a look at any one site, and chances are you’re guaranteed to find some old news releases or dusty product specs. But while humans might overlook a stale blog post from 2018 or incorrect pricing buried three levels deep, AI systems do not. Algorithms now crawl and compare information at a scale and speed no person can match. They evaluate how current your content is, whether your messaging stays consistent across pages and channels, and how authoritative your knowledge base looks against competitors. In other words, AI is no longer just reading what you publish – it is judging whether your entire digital presence adds up.Generative Experience Optimization (GEO) is the roadmap for this new landscape. At its core, GEO is about ensuring that content is relevant, coherent, and authoritative so that AI can accurately interpret and surface it. For marketers, this translates into designing content that prioritizes clarity, consistency, and authority: clear language, cohesive messaging, and demonstrable expertise that generative AI can reliably recognize and elevate in its responses.Crucially, GEO also shifts the focus from individual pages to the overall logic of your digital estate. It asks whether every touchpoint, including product pages, help centres, blogs, and social media copy, tells the same story and uses the same definitions. When that ecosystem hangs together, AI systems can more easily map questions to your answers, quote you as a primary source, and elevate your brand in aggregated, AI-generated experiences.<h3 id="legacy-limitations--">Legacy limitations  </h3>This shift, in turn, is placing a sharpened focus on content governance. Across many organizations, individual channels still operate in isolation. Web teams publish one thing, marketing says another, or brand information is fragmented. AI interprets this inconsistency as a lack of authority and reduces trust accordingly. All of this is compounded by legacy CMS systems that were never designed for the dynamic, multi-channel, AI-driven environment we now inhabit, making timely updates slow and consistency nearly impossible.To remain visible and trusted in this new discovery environment, brands need content systems that are flexibly structured and built for speed. This makes the case for composable, API-driven architectures – technology stacks made from interchangeable, best-in-class components rather than rigid, all-in-one systems – even more compelling. This is because composable CMS platforms allow marketers to update information once and distribute it everywhere, ensuring that every channel, region, and touchpoint reflects the same up-to-date source of truth. They also encourage more thoughtful content modelling and governance, which is essential for maintaining accuracy and coherence across increasingly complex digital ecosystems. What’s great, too, is that a composable stack makes it easy to introduce new tools, such as personalization engines, automation layers, AI assistants, or creative workflows, without disrupting the entire system. This granular level of flexibility gives marketing teams the agility they need to operate confidently in an AI-first discovery landscape, where freshness, structure, and adaptability determine relevance.<h3 id="evolve-or-risk-extinction">Evolve or risk extinction</h3>Ultimately, the internet isn’t going anywhere. Take a closer look, and you’ll likely find that smartphones, apps, and social media platforms are doing better than ever. What is changing though is the way people access and interpret information, as the rise of AI causes brands to rethink how they structure, maintain, and distribute content. Those that adapt and seize the opportunity to reclaim control of the narrative will find that the web isn’t dying at all; it’s simply evolving into something more dynamic, more decentralized, and more dependent on the quality and consistency of the content that fuels it. Those that fail to evolve risk being defined by outdated information circulating through systems they can no longer influence. <hr /><h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <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>

AI didn't kill the website: it exposed how broken it was

dominik-angerer

<hr /> When <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/umbraco">Umbraco’s</a> community talks, its HQ listens – and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/bolette-kern-2436ab57/">Bolette Kern</a> helps turn those transactions into action. As Senior Product Manager for the legendary open source vendor, Bolette is at the front line with users, embodying what makes Umbraco “The Friendly CMS.” In fact, when news broke that <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://umbraco.com/blog/umbraco-17-lts-release/">Umbraco 17</a> was being released last week, she joined me for a call from a partner summit. She’s busy. And rightly so. Umbraco has been blazing trails recently, going back to this year’s <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/sowing-the-seeds-of-love-umbracos-codegarden-2025-celebrates-20-years-of-community-and-innovation">CodeGarden event</a> – where everything from a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://umbraco.com/blog/unveiling-umbraco-mcp-server/">new MCP server</a> to orchestration features via <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://umbraco.com/products/umbraco-compose/">Umbraco Compose</a> were unveiled.But one of the jewels in the crown has been the hotly anticipated, long-term supported (LTS) version 17 of Umbraco, which Bolette calls a “major and milestone release.” As she noted, it follows the predictable six-month cadence for releases. But it’s also the realization of a two-year journey that began with its new backoffice architecture in Umbraco 14. Now, all of the pieces have aligned in this latest LTS, including a mature backoffice experience, a modernized content platform, and a concurrent ecosystem – from extension APIs to package compatibility. As Bolette said, this LTS version is an ideal fit for agencies and organizations craving stability, longevity, and growth. Making the move will give developers a host of new capabilities and essential updates, which is what makes this leap so critical.“It's really important that we have people moving forward with us on this new LTS, because we’ve introduced quite a lot of necessary changes in 14,” she said. “Going from 13 up to 17, we have a job of making sure that people are joining us on this journey into a more modern platform that also supports what Umbraco is best at, which is being the most extendable and ‘Friendly CMS’ that's out there.”While Umbraco sees this LTS as evolutionary, it still reflects the core pillars of freedom and flexibility, allowing developers to work with their preferred technologies and frameworks to build and customize their digital experiences. It’s the embodiment of a truly composable posture, allowing its community to build in almost any direction.One of the big benefits of this LTS is the glide path to upgrade, and how Umbraco has reduced the friction associated with the move. “Organizations that have built projects on Umbraco 13, our previous LTS version, will have a direct upgrade path to Umbraco 17,” Bolette said. Customers upgrading to Umbraco 17 LTS will also benefit from its new backoffice architecture, extensibility, security, headless capabilities, scalability, and performance enhancements brought into the core CMS over the past two years.Part of the impetus for upgrading is having a future-proofed foundation. As Bolette pointed out, the underlying <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/core/whats-new/dotnet-10/overview">.NET 10</a> is also an LTS version of Microsoft’s software. As such, customers will be on the latest .NET version – ensuring that any optimizations and improvements at the Microsoft layer are also reflected in Umbraco 17. “Both are LTS versions, which means that your Umbraco 17 projects will be future-proofed for at least three years,” she stated.One really great attribute worth elevating: Umbraco has been focused on delivering an accessible backoffice throughout 2025, engaging with an accessibility consultant to review and improve its editor-facing workflows against <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.w3.org/WAI/">WCAG standards.</a> According to Bolette, most issues flagged in the audit have been remediated in 17, or are targeted for 17.1.<h3 id="what’s-new-in-umbraco-17">What’s new in Umbraco 17</h3>Overall, there’s a lot. And if you’re up for a deeper technical review of repository caching or system date migration, I suggest reviewing this <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://umbraco.com/blog/release-candidate-umbraco-17/">Release Candidate blog post</a>. It’s a fantastic granular accounting of everything, from small upgrades to big features. Here's a video segment that unpacks the biggest improvements in Umbraco 17, featuring <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lottepitcher/">Lotte Pitcher,</a> Head of Developer Relations, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/niels-lyngs%C3%B8-01b159272/">Niels Lyngsø,</a> Technical Product Manager, and Senior Developers on the CMS team – <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-neto/">Laura Neto</a> and Nikolaj E. Lauridsen: <figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://youtu.be/EfC9jWUaIXk"><div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:56.2493%"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EfC9jWUaIXk" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;left:0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div></figure> What really stands out in Umbraco 17 is the introduction of comprehensive backoffice load balancing and enhanced search functionality. While both features will appeal to a range of use cases, they further reflect Umbraco’s tacit focus on growing its enterprise portfolio, especially in the addressable North American market. As Bolette explained, many of the new features in Umbraco 17 are tailored to enterprises, offering advanced capabilities that are fit for large-scale organizations and global teams.“There’s wind in the sails for moving upmarket right now,” she said. “So everything we do, including some of the features that we’re introducing in Umbraco 17, is catering to the more enterprise-scale projects. For example, load balancing in the backoffice really caters to projects that have 100-plus editors.” <h4 id="backoffice-load-balancing">Backoffice Load Balancing</h4>Without question, the ability to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://docs.umbraco.com/umbraco-cms/fundamentals/setup/server-setup/load-balancing">load balance the backoffice</a> in Umbraco is a major step forward – and a big win for enterprise workloads. Previously, only a public-facing website could run across multiple servers, while the backoffice was restricted to a single machine. This killed performance for larger teams that swarmed one server for all content creation and media management, severely impacting scalability and resilience.Now, with Umbraco 17, you have one unified application that can scale horizontally to meet your needs. Effectively, your entire backoffice can run across multiple servers – just like a front-end website. This gives content teams greater confidence over performance, improved resilience by eliminating a single point of failure, and a simpler infrastructure to worry about.Load balancing provides the elasticity that enterprises rely on for performance, particularly in high-volume editorial workflows. The benefit to large, distributed teams and organizations is clear, hence why <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/critics/filip-larsen">Umbraco CTO Filip Bech Larsen</a> called it a “game-changer for enterprises” that have multiple content editors working on their website at the same time. <h4 id="enhanced-search">Enhanced Search</h4>Semantic search is driving a large share of the customer engagement across digital experiences. By some accounts, as much as <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.coveo.com/blog/what-is-site-search/">43% of website visitors opt for the site search</a>, with a clear preference for natural language.Umbraco’s enhanced search is helping to meet this demand. The feature arose from digital agency partners who were tasked with adding semantic search to customer sites. Obviously, there are numerous tools across the market that provide site search, and with Umbraco 17, you can plug in abstractions that deliver those capabilities via your preferred search provider. <h4 id="mcp,-cloud,-and-more">MCP, Cloud, and more</h4>I already alluded to the additional granular features of the updated backoffice, specifically as it relates to the new load balancing capability. On top of that, the Umbraco 17 LTS also benefits from a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/aspnet/core/performance/caching/hybrid?view=aspnetcore-10.0">HybridCache feature</a> that optimizes content loading and multi-site support features introduced in Umbraco 15. Further reflecting the enterprise focus, there are Block Level Variations that enable global organizations to make local language content changes while maintaining their core brand standards with consistency. There’s also role-based permissioning that’s accessible via the Client Credentials feature.Another big change worth noting is the replacement of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/tinymce">TinyMCE</a> with a new open-source rich text editor, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://tiptap.dev/product/editor">TipTap</a>. The transition is designed to improve not only the content editing experience, but also handle license compliance out of the box. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/tinymce-releases-2025-state-of-rich-text-editors-report-and-cms-use-cases-are-fading-why-it-matters">I recently wrote</a> about how CMS use cases for RTEs are diminishing, and open source options like this do offer clear advantages.I mentioned MCP earlier, but it’s a vital part of the growing agentic strategy for Umbraco. The final version of the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://umbraco.com/blog/umbraco-cms-developer-mcp-for-umbraco-16/">Developer MCP is live,</a> which delivers full API parity with Umbraco’s Management API and a host of refinements. While the Developer MCP is largely designed for technical folks, forthcoming capabilities will be focused on weaving AI across everyday editorial workflows. This includes enhancements like Tools Collections, an Editor MCP, and more.With the rebrand of uMarketing Suite complete, 17 now aligns its backoffice experience with <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://umbraco.com/blog/introducing-umbraco-engage/">Umbraco Engage,</a> which introduces Deploy support – making it easier to transfer configs like segments, personas, and more while maintaining analytics data in each environment. Umbraco 17 is also available on <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://umbraco.com/products/umbraco-cloud/">Umbraco Cloud</a> immediately and provides some key enhancements for enterprises. This includes a Custom Identity Provider support for the Cloud Portal that centralizes authentication and daily bandwidth insights to improve operational visibility and capacity planning.<h3 id="maintaining-openness">Maintaining openness</h3>Umbraco 17 might be a technical evolution, but the company hasn’t changed its fierce commitment to community. Maintaining engagement and supporting open source contributions remain at the heart of Umbraco’s strategy, which firmly roots the trust that users and enterprises rely on. I asked Bolette how the changes in this latest version – or any version for that matter – are telegraphed with the community to build consensus and adoption. “I think it really comes down to being very honest and transparent about what it is that we see as the key benefits,” she said. “When we say we’re the most friendly and most extensible CMS, that’s really true to the bone. Being very transparent about what we do is helping us along the way to get this message out.”The last few years have seen solid growth and expansion for Umbraco. As it looks ahead, partnerships will be a critical ingredient in the recipe for success. As such, the company is focused on reinforcing its relationships to fuel innovation and opportunities.“It’s really been such a great experience seeing how this started in the community,” Bolette said. “Now, we’re sitting in conversations with partners that are building things on top of MCP, and they’re just so proud of showing off what they have built. Having that super close connection to what our ecosystem and what our partners and the community are doing is key.”Like all software, CMS platforms are in a constant state of improvement. What makes Umbraco different is its open source community and the ideation and innovation it brings to the evolutionary track. The resulting DNA offers stronger bonds, passing down the best traits of human thinking, connection, and inspiration – even as technology continues to change. With Umbraco, you're not just leveraging a product or an LTS. You're investing in the people behind it. And that core of community is one of its greatest assets. You can get more details on <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://umbraco.com/blog/umbraco-17-lts-release/">Umbraco 17 here.</a>  <hr /><h4 style="text-align:center" id="looking-for-more-guidance-on-umbraco?-talk-to-an-expert.">Looking for more guidance on Umbraco? <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/contact">Talk to an expert.</a></h4><hr /> <h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:31.44%" 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>

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<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. 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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

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