AI Meets CMS
Umbraco Goes AI: What It Means for Your Website
Umbraco is bringing AI into the heart of its CMS, but with a twist: you stay in control. Here's what the new AI features mean for businesses, and how Original Objective can help you make the most of them.
Umbraco's Big AI Move
If you run a website on Umbraco, or you're thinking about building one, there's some exciting news. Umbraco has launched a proper AI strategy, and it's quite different from what other CMS platforms are doing.
Rather than forcing you into one AI provider or locking you into features you might not want, Umbraco is giving you the choice. Their approach can be summed up in one line: "Umbraco stays stable. AI stays flexible. You stay in control."
That matters. A lot of CMS platforms are rushing to bolt AI features on top of their systems, often with hidden costs or vendor lock-in. Umbraco is taking a more thoughtful route, and as an Umbraco CMS development partner, we think it's the right one.
What Exactly Is Umbraco Doing with AI?
Umbraco's AI strategy has several parts, each designed to give you more control over how AI works within your website.
Umbraco.AI: The Foundation
This is the base layer. Think of it as the rules engine for AI in your Umbraco backoffice. It lets you set governance controls for things like:
- Which AI models your team can use
- What tone and style the AI should follow
- Content rules that keep everything on-brand
- Which data flows where, and to whom
This is important because without governance, AI can quickly become a mess. Imagine five different team members using five different AI tools with five different writing styles. Umbraco.AI stops that from happening.
Modular AI Packages
On top of the foundation, Umbraco offers optional AI features. These include things like AI prompts, a Copilot assistant, and automation tools. They're all opt-in, so you only use what you need.
The key word here is optional. You're not paying for features you don't use, and you're not locked into anything. If a better AI model comes along next year, you can switch to it without rebuilding your website.
The MCP Server: AI Beyond the Backoffice
This is where things get really interesting. Umbraco's MCP (Model Context Protocol) Server lets external AI tools read and work with your published content in a structured, safe way.
What does that mean in practice? It means AI tools outside of Umbraco, things like chatbots, search engines, or content recommendation systems, can understand what's on your website without touching your source data. They get read-only access to your published content, keeping everything secure.
The Editor MCP goes a step further. It's built for editorial and content teams, and it handles tasks like drafting content, rewriting copy, translating pages, improving SEO, generating metadata, and working with media. All of this runs within Umbraco's governance rules, so everything stays on-brand and controlled.
AI Agents: Coming in 2026
Umbraco has announced Umbraco.AI Agents, targeted for Q2 2026. These will be able to handle more complex tasks automatically, like content modelling, scaffolding extensions, and running multi-step workflows. They've also announced AI Tests and Evaluations for Q1 2026, letting you test AI prompts across different models before going live.
Why This Approach Is Smart
There are a few things that make Umbraco's strategy stand out from the crowd.
No Vendor Lock-In
You choose your AI provider. Want to use OpenAI today and switch to Anthropic tomorrow? Go ahead. Your CMS doesn't care. That's a huge advantage when the AI landscape changes as fast as it does.
Transparent Costs
You pay your AI provider directly. Umbraco doesn't add hidden markups or middleman fees. You know exactly what you're spending and where the money goes.
Data Stays Yours
You control where your data flows and which providers can access it. In a world where data privacy regulations are getting stricter by the year, that's not just nice to have. It's essential.
Humans Stay in the Loop
Umbraco has built confirmation and approval workflows into its AI features. AI suggests, humans decide. That keeps quality high and prevents the kind of AI-generated disasters that make headlines.
What This Means for Your Business
If you're running an Umbraco website, or thinking about building one, these AI features open up some real opportunities.
Faster content creation: Your editorial team can use AI to draft pages, generate meta descriptions, and translate content, all within the CMS they already know.
Better SEO: AI can analyse your content and suggest improvements, helping your pages rank higher in search results. Combined with a solid SEO and search strategy, this gives your content the best chance of being found.
Smarter workflows: When AI Agents arrive in 2026, routine tasks like creating landing pages or updating product descriptions could be partially automated, freeing your team to focus on strategy. We already help businesses automate their workflows to save hours every week.
Future-proof technology: Because Umbraco's AI is modular and vendor-independent, your website won't become outdated when the next big AI model arrives.
How Original Objective Takes This Further
At Original Objective, we're an Umbraco development agency based in Manchester, and we've been building Umbraco CMS websites for years. But we don't just build standard CMS websites. We combine Umbraco with cutting-edge technology to create something much more powerful.
Headless Umbraco with Next.js
We build headless Umbraco websites using Next.js and React on the frontend. This means your content lives in Umbraco (where your team manages it), but the website your visitors see is built with modern web technology that's incredibly fast.
The result? Websites that score 100/100 on Google PageSpeed, load in under a second, and give your visitors a brilliant experience on any device. That speed isn't just nice for users. Google rewards fast websites with better search rankings.
Advanced SEO That Actually Works
We don't just build fast websites. We build them with advanced SEO baked in from the start. Server-side rendering, structured data, optimised meta tags, proper heading hierarchies, and technical SEO best practices are all part of every website we design.
Combined with Umbraco's new AI-powered SEO tools, this means your content gets the best possible chance of ranking well. The AI helps your editors write better content, and our technical setup makes sure Google can find and understand it. For businesses looking ahead, generative engine optimisation (GEO) is the next evolution beyond traditional SEO, and we're already helping clients prepare for it.
Automated Content Workflows
This is where Umbraco's AI and our development expertise really come together. We build automated content workflows that connect your CMS to other tools in your business.
For example:
- A new blog post is published in Umbraco, and it's automatically shared across your social media channels
- Product data is updated in your ERP, and your e-commerce website content updates itself
- A customer fills in a form, and a personalised follow-up email is sent automatically
- AI analyses your existing content and flags pages that need updating or optimising
These workflows save your team hours of manual work every week, and they reduce the risk of human error.
Mobile App Integration
Because we build Umbraco as a headless CMS, your content isn't limited to your website. The same content can power mobile apps, digital signage, kiosks, or any other digital channel.
Need a companion app for your business? Your team manages the content in Umbraco once, and it appears everywhere. No duplication, no inconsistencies, no extra workload.
Web Apps and Custom Software
Beyond websites, we build custom web applications that integrate seamlessly with your Umbraco CMS. Whether it's a client portal, a booking system, or an internal tool, having everything connected means less admin and a better experience for your users.
AI-Powered Features for Your Visitors
Beyond the backoffice AI that Umbraco provides, we build AI-powered features into the websites themselves. Things like:
- Intelligent search that understands what your visitors actually mean, not just the exact words they type
- Personalised content recommendations based on browsing behaviour
- AI chatbots that can answer questions about your products and services using your actual website content, similar to how we set up AI customer support for businesses
- Automated content tagging and categorisation that keeps your content organised as your site grows
Why Umbraco + AI + Original Objective Works
The combination is powerful. Umbraco gives you a flexible, open-source CMS with responsible AI built in. Original Objective gives you the headless architecture, performance optimisation, and AI integration expertise to turn that into a genuine competitive advantage.
Here's what that looks like in practice:
- Your editors get AI-assisted content tools in a CMS they already know
- Your developers get a modern, headless architecture that's easy to extend
- Your visitors get a lightning-fast website with smart features
- Your business gets automated workflows that save time and money
- Your data stays under your control, with clear governance and no vendor lock-in
Ready to See What's Possible?
If you're interested in what Umbraco's AI features could mean for your website, or if you want to explore headless CMS development, advanced SEO, content automation, or mobile app integration, we'd love to chat.
We build websites that are fast, smart, and built to grow with your business. And with Umbraco's AI strategy aligning so well with how we already work, the timing couldn't be better.
Book an intro call with our team, or get in touch to find out how Original Objective can help you get the most from Umbraco and AI.
Umbraco's Big AI Move
If you run a website on Umbraco, or you're thinking about building one, there's some exciting news. Umbraco has launched a proper AI strategy, and it's quite different from what other CMS platforms are doing.
Rather than forcing you into one AI provider or locking you into features you might not want, Umbraco is giving you the choice. Their approach can be summed up in one line: "Umbraco stays stable. AI stays flexible. You stay in control."
That matters. A lot of CMS platforms are rushing to bolt AI features on top of their systems, often with hidden costs or vendor lock-in. Umbraco is taking a more thoughtful route, and as an Umbraco CMS development partner, we think it's the right one.
What Exactly Is Umbraco Doing with AI?
Umbraco's AI strategy has several parts, each designed to give you more control over how AI works within your website.
Umbraco.AI: The Foundation
This is the base layer. Think of it as the rules engine for AI in your Umbraco backoffice. It lets you set governance controls for things like:
- Which AI models your team can use
- What tone and style the AI should follow
- Content rules that keep everything on-brand
- Which data flows where, and to whom
This is important because without governance, AI can quickly become a mess. Imagine five different team members using five different AI tools with five different writing styles. Umbraco.AI stops that from happening.
Modular AI Packages
On top of the foundation, Umbraco offers optional AI features. These include things like AI prompts, a Copilot assistant, and automation tools. They're all opt-in, so you only use what you need.
The key word here is optional. You're not paying for features you don't use, and you're not locked into anything. If a better AI model comes along next year, you can switch to it without rebuilding your website.
The MCP Server: AI Beyond the Backoffice
This is where things get really interesting. Umbraco's MCP (Model Context Protocol) Server lets external AI tools read and work with your published content in a structured, safe way.
What does that mean in practice? It means AI tools outside of Umbraco, things like chatbots, search engines, or content recommendation systems, can understand what's on your website without touching your source data. They get read-only access to your published content, keeping everything secure.
The Editor MCP goes a step further. It's built for editorial and content teams, and it handles tasks like drafting content, rewriting copy, translating pages, improving SEO, generating metadata, and working with media. All of this runs within Umbraco's governance rules, so everything stays on-brand and controlled.
AI Agents: Coming in 2026
Umbraco has announced Umbraco.AI Agents, targeted for Q2 2026. These will be able to handle more complex tasks automatically, like content modelling, scaffolding extensions, and running multi-step workflows. They've also announced AI Tests and Evaluations for Q1 2026, letting you test AI prompts across different models before going live.
Why This Approach Is Smart
There are a few things that make Umbraco's strategy stand out from the crowd.
No Vendor Lock-In
You choose your AI provider. Want to use OpenAI today and switch to Anthropic tomorrow? Go ahead. Your CMS doesn't care. That's a huge advantage when the AI landscape changes as fast as it does.
Transparent Costs
You pay your AI provider directly. Umbraco doesn't add hidden markups or middleman fees. You know exactly what you're spending and where the money goes.
Data Stays Yours
You control where your data flows and which providers can access it. In a world where data privacy regulations are getting stricter by the year, that's not just nice to have. It's essential.
Humans Stay in the Loop
Umbraco has built confirmation and approval workflows into its AI features. AI suggests, humans decide. That keeps quality high and prevents the kind of AI-generated disasters that make headlines.
What This Means for Your Business
If you're running an Umbraco website, or thinking about building one, these AI features open up some real opportunities.
Faster content creation: Your editorial team can use AI to draft pages, generate meta descriptions, and translate content, all within the CMS they already know.
Better SEO: AI can analyse your content and suggest improvements, helping your pages rank higher in search results. Combined with a solid SEO and search strategy, this gives your content the best chance of being found.
Smarter workflows: When AI Agents arrive in 2026, routine tasks like creating landing pages or updating product descriptions could be partially automated, freeing your team to focus on strategy. We already help businesses automate their workflows to save hours every week.
Future-proof technology: Because Umbraco's AI is modular and vendor-independent, your website won't become outdated when the next big AI model arrives.
How Original Objective Takes This Further
At Original Objective, we're an Umbraco development agency based in Manchester, and we've been building Umbraco CMS websites for years. But we don't just build standard CMS websites. We combine Umbraco with cutting-edge technology to create something much more powerful.
Headless Umbraco with Next.js
We build headless Umbraco websites using Next.js and React on the frontend. This means your content lives in Umbraco (where your team manages it), but the website your visitors see is built with modern web technology that's incredibly fast.
The result? Websites that score 100/100 on Google PageSpeed, load in under a second, and give your visitors a brilliant experience on any device. That speed isn't just nice for users. Google rewards fast websites with better search rankings.
Advanced SEO That Actually Works
We don't just build fast websites. We build them with advanced SEO baked in from the start. Server-side rendering, structured data, optimised meta tags, proper heading hierarchies, and technical SEO best practices are all part of every website we design.
Combined with Umbraco's new AI-powered SEO tools, this means your content gets the best possible chance of ranking well. The AI helps your editors write better content, and our technical setup makes sure Google can find and understand it. For businesses looking ahead, generative engine optimisation (GEO) is the next evolution beyond traditional SEO, and we're already helping clients prepare for it.
Automated Content Workflows
This is where Umbraco's AI and our development expertise really come together. We build automated content workflows that connect your CMS to other tools in your business.
For example:
- A new blog post is published in Umbraco, and it's automatically shared across your social media channels
- Product data is updated in your ERP, and your e-commerce website content updates itself
- A customer fills in a form, and a personalised follow-up email is sent automatically
- AI analyses your existing content and flags pages that need updating or optimising
These workflows save your team hours of manual work every week, and they reduce the risk of human error.
Mobile App Integration
Because we build Umbraco as a headless CMS, your content isn't limited to your website. The same content can power mobile apps, digital signage, kiosks, or any other digital channel.
Need a companion app for your business? Your team manages the content in Umbraco once, and it appears everywhere. No duplication, no inconsistencies, no extra workload.
Web Apps and Custom Software
Beyond websites, we build custom web applications that integrate seamlessly with your Umbraco CMS. Whether it's a client portal, a booking system, or an internal tool, having everything connected means less admin and a better experience for your users.
AI-Powered Features for Your Visitors
Beyond the backoffice AI that Umbraco provides, we build AI-powered features into the websites themselves. Things like:
- Intelligent search that understands what your visitors actually mean, not just the exact words they type
- Personalised content recommendations based on browsing behaviour
- AI chatbots that can answer questions about your products and services using your actual website content, similar to how we set up AI customer support for businesses
- Automated content tagging and categorisation that keeps your content organised as your site grows
Why Umbraco + AI + Original Objective Works
The combination is powerful. Umbraco gives you a flexible, open-source CMS with responsible AI built in. Original Objective gives you the headless architecture, performance optimisation, and AI integration expertise to turn that into a genuine competitive advantage.
Here's what that looks like in practice:
- Your editors get AI-assisted content tools in a CMS they already know
- Your developers get a modern, headless architecture that's easy to extend
- Your visitors get a lightning-fast website with smart features
- Your business gets automated workflows that save time and money
- Your data stays under your control, with clear governance and no vendor lock-in
Ready to See What's Possible?
If you're interested in what Umbraco's AI features could mean for your website, or if you want to explore headless CMS development, advanced SEO, content automation, or mobile app integration, we'd love to chat.
We build websites that are fast, smart, and built to grow with your business. And with Umbraco's AI strategy aligning so well with how we already work, the timing couldn't be better.
Book an intro call with our team, or get in touch to find out how Original Objective can help you get the most from Umbraco and AI.
Get Your Free Umbraco & AI Guide
Download our practical guide to getting the most from Umbraco's AI features and headless development.
Inside this free guide:
- Umbraco AI Features Explained: what's coming and when
- Headless CMS + Next.js: why speed matters for SEO
- Content Automation Workflows: save hours every week
- AI Governance: keeping control of your data and content
- Mobile App Integration: one CMS, every channel
- Advanced SEO: technical and AI-powered optimisation
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