The Homepage as We Know it Will Soon be Dead!
Too many websites still function as static experiences—page layouts created by one team filled with content created by another with limited personalization, forcing users to navigate predefined paths. To make matters worse, attempts to personalize these experiences often relied on intrusive pop-ups that drove visitors away.
The result? An internet filled with sites that frustrate users, and marketing teams left with little way of knowing what content or channel is performing best, forcing them to drown in data as they struggle to optimize those digital experiences.
At Acquia we are working towards a vision that will be radically different for both creators and visitors. Instead of being static destinations, websites will evolve into scalable content ecosystems that adapt dynamically to individual users.
Reimagining the Digital Experience
How many of us have been challenged over the years trying to satisfy every internal stakeholder and every audience type through a single homepage? Imagine if, instead of presenting the same rigid content to all visitors, webpages are curated in real-time based on user behavior, intent, and past interactions—similar to how Amazon, Netflix and Spotify dynamically adjust recommendations.
The website of the future will operate the same way, adapting digital journeys and content to each user, driven by THEIR actions and not the desires of advertisers—and without requiring them to pay subscription fees.
This shift requires moving beyond outdated business-rule-based personalization—where users were grouped into broad segments and forced into predefined experiences—and into AI-driven content curation, which dynamically presents the most relevant information without intrusive pop-ups or disruptions.
It’s beyond personalization… It’s an adaptive, productive, fulfilling experience!
AI Supercharges Efficiency
The Gartner 2024 CMO spend survey was aptly headlined, “Welcome to Marketing in the era of less.” This resonates with marketers like me, who are all too aware that marketing budgets are declining or stagnating, and technology and resource costs are continuing to rise. So, how can we do more in the era of less?
It is no surprise that AI will be an essential tool for marketing teams who need to improve productivity. We’ve already seen the potential with conversational AI chatbots and content writing tools driving incremental efficiencies, but the real revolution is just beginning.
Instead of having creative teams bogged down with content approval processes, AI agents will streamline workflows, operate autonomously and efficiently to enable marketers to spend their time on more meaningful tasks.
Imagine a world where AI agents manage entire processes seamlessly across multiple marketing systems. Where content creators are connected with brand teams and digital channels are tied together by an agent process. Where agents are able to integrate and summarize data to give insights on customer behavior and content consumed, and to recommend and automate campaigns.
The real power of AI in the website of the future will be its ability to optimize content, curate experiences for known and unknown visitors, and automate the execution of personalized digital experiences.
Next Generation CMS
Using AI, the next generation of content management systems must empower the creation of adaptive content, including customization, optimization, activation, and most importantly, the velocity required to compete and win in this new online landscape.
Managing multiple brands, languages, and channels, will be effortless, with dynamic adaptability built in. Traditional CMS’ will not be able to keep up with all these requirements.
The website of the future must also be designed with AI agents in mind. While it is unlikely that AI agents will completely replace human visitors, the website of the future must be ready to serve both types of visitors. Will your website be ready to serve up both an efficient agent experience alongside a more human-centric navigation? Just as websites today know the difference between a desktop and a mobile visitor, the website of the future must deliver relevant experiences to both agents and humans. In fact, there could be a future where companies expose a content repository directly to AI agents. AI may also go to these certified content repositories to access a source of truth.
AI-powered search engines, digital assistants, and recommendation engines are increasingly mediating how content is discovered. Do you know the percentage of your web traffic driven by LLM’s, and do you know the conversion rates of your LLM traffic versus other types of traffic? The results may alarm you.
What can you do to prepare yourself for the next generation of websites?
With so much excitement on the horizon, it’s easy to forget about what you can do today to prepare yourself for the next generation of the web. Here are some basic updates you can make to your website to make it easily accessible to LLMs and your visitors at the same time.
- Structured HTML: Use schema markup to help LLMs understand the content and context of your website’s data.
- Simple HTML Tags: Ensure that you use clear and descriptive HTML tags to make the semantic meaning of your content explicit.
- Comprehensive Metadata: Provide detailed metadata, including well-written titles, descriptions, and keywords, to summarize the content’s intent and improve understanding.
- Accessibility: Making your website accessible to users also makes it accessible to LLMs by providing good alt text descriptions, fixing broken links and streamlining site navigation.
At Acquia, we know that with the right tech in place, organizations can strike the balance between speed and control, maximizing personalization through innovative AI capabilities while maintaining, and even improving, brand trust. We know scalability and flexibility can work together - we’ve been doing it for years with Drupal - the most secure open source CMS on the planet. Imagine if that were more accessible to marketers! Check out Solutions like Acquia DXO.
There’s so much to be excited about. Marketers are on the cusp of having technology that truly empowers leadership. Less “doing the marketing” and more “market-making”—that’s the future we’re building with you.
Chief Market Officer Acquia
