Umbraco predicts key CMS trends for 2025 including AI focus

A web content management system provider, Umbraco, has released its predictions for key trends affecting the platforms used by organisations to create websites and digital experiences in 2025.

Umbraco, noted as the largest open-source .NET CMS with a significant user base, anticipates that AI, personalisation, security, orchestration, and ROI demands will be pivotal factors influencing the CMS sector in the upcoming year. Additionally, the company highlights the environmental concerns posed by AI's resource demands, prompting a need to reduce software carbon footprints.

The role of AI in content creation is expected to advance significantly. Generative AI will facilitate the mass production of digital content, allowing users to personalise content tailored to diverse audience needs using AI analytics.

Paul de Metter, CTO at Umbraco partner, Conclusion Experience, explains, "In general, I see the trend of dedicated CMS players, like Umbraco, staying focused on their core, composable CMS platform, providing the flexibility for more technologically mature organisations to select and integrate the right external AI tools for real-life use-cases."

Mats Persson, CEO of Umbraco, adds on the potential of AI-powered search: "Personalisation has long been the dream of marketers. The challenge has been getting it to work in practice and finding a way to scale it up for the mass market. AI-powered content generation opens the potential for CMS platforms to be used to deliver personalised customer journeys to vast audiences."

As marketing budgets become tighter, there will be greater scrutiny on the time-to-value provided by digital investments. Umbraco predicts an emphasis on automation, cost control, and conversion rate improvements through CMS platforms. Kyle Brigham, Chief Strategy Officer at Marcel Digital, shares, "As an integrated digital marketing and development agency, we've seen first-hand the impact that a new website can have on bottom line revenue. Choosing a CMS with faster deployment and time-to-value will allow organisations to realise and multiply these results sooner."

Security remains a key concern as organisations are increasingly mindful of cyber threats. CMS platforms, being integral to Digital Experience Platforms (DXPs), must enhance their security features to comply with regulatory frameworks like the EU GDPR and the Cyber Resilience Act.

Zoja Antuchevic, CEO at Umbraco partner, Solution Lab, comments, "In an era of escalating cyber threats and tightening privacy regulations, CMS platform providers have no choice but to innovate. The platforms that prioritise security as a business enabler will set the benchmark for trust and resilience in 2025 and beyond."

Digital transformation is pushing organisations towards CMS platforms that empower non-technical staff to manage digital content, reducing dependence on developers. The demand for cloud-based, composable CMS solutions is expected to rise, facilitating digital democratisation. Alex Vilmur, Web Development Director at Marcel Digital, states, "Universal CMS will give developers even more flexibility, and provide marketers with a customised, intuitive user experience with the ability to scale."

Organisations are also seeking seamless customer experiences by integrating various data sources through composable CMS platforms. Matt Sutherland, Head of Technology at true, highlights, "Orchestrating all of this in a way that continues to be user-friendly and seamless to CMS platform administrators is golden, and the reason why composable architecture will continue to be the best choice for our clients' digital experience platforms in 2025."

Filip Bech-Larsen, CTO of Umbraco, concludes, "Orchestration, dealt with in a low-code SaaS way, will deliver on the original promise of composable DXPs, allowing organisations to select and seamlessly connect the best products for their requirements, with minimal complexity, and no vendor lock-in."