Our top ten articles on digital customer experience and website management from 2025

Where did the year go? Did 2025 really go that quickly? Thank you to our wonderful customers who have partnered with us in the past twelve months and kept us very busy, meaning the months have literally flown by.

As well as project work, we’ve also continued to invest in this blog. And in what has become an end of year custom here at 3chillies, here’s our look back at some of the top posts over the year. Through 2025 we’ve tried to cover a balance of different digital customer experience and website management themes, as well as exploring some updates with the key products we work with. Were there any topics we missed that we should cover in 2026? If so, please let us know.

Here's our look back at the top ten articles of 2025.

Seven reasons why you should invest in accessibility in your website

Accessibility is critical for websites for multiple reasons – not only from a regulatory, compliance and ethical standpoint, but also because it makes solid commercial sense too. Despite this, it still remains an afterthought for many website projects. In this post we explored seven reasons why it is worth investing in accessibility. Later in the year we followed the post up with an article covering some of the tactics that can support a more accessible and inclusive website.

Nine takeaways from our own website project

This year we completely overhauled the 3chillies website, re-platforming in Umbraco, reworking all the content, and providing a new structure. In this post we explored some of our own takeaways from the project, including the need to choose the right CMS for your project, the importance of getting your tagging right (for blog posts) and the fact that nobody ever likes having their photo taken. Another interesting point was that when considering website content, it does mean force you into making decisions about how you to go market, something we’ve sometimes seen with our client projects too.

Going global: nine elements to consider when evolving your website to a global presence

Over the years we’ve been involved in a number of projects where we are upgrading a website from being UK-centric to one that better reflects a global presence as a business opens international offices or appeals to a wider international audience. In particular we have carried this out for professional services firms and law firms. In this comprehensive post we gathered some reflections on what is involved, covering tactics such as changing the URL, evolving the structure, using some (gentle) personalisation to reflect different geographies and more. We also covered how content is impacted – including potential translation, localisation of pages, and use of images.

What to consider when planning integrations with your website

Integrations – from CRM systems to booking applications to cookie management solutions – are commonplace in website projects. And these integrations come in all different shapes and sizes. Back in May we looked at the various considerations you need to make when planning integrations within a web project, an area that does not always get the attention it deserves. The post covers the reasons for integration, the type of integrations that take place, and then nine key considerations that come with the territory. If your website project involves an integration, this is a good starting point for thinking about what is involved. Later in June, we also explored why you sometimes need to consider integrating an additional CMS with your website to support your content authors.

Seven takeaways from the 2025 Umbraco Codegarden keynote

At 3chillies we work extensively with Umbraco and regularly feature details of product updates on this blog. As usual, back in June, we covered the latest news from the annual Codegarden event, the flagship conference for the Umbraco community. This included some extensive product updates, Umbraco’s first proper foray into supporting AI (the Umbraco MCP server) and a range of improvements to Umbraco Cloud. But the biggest news was the new Umbraco Compose add-on, which supports orchestration, across composable architecture. Later in the year we covered more developments from Umbraco, including new pricing and the opening of a UK office, and also the release of Umbraco17 in beta.

Sitecore update: SitecoreAI launch and other takeaways from Symposium

We’ve worked with Sitecore for a number of years now and it always has an active product roadmap, with the latest updates features in the blog. In November we covered the major reveals from the keynote speech at the ultra-slick Sitecore Symposium conference. In the past two years, Sitecore has sought to position itself around being an AI-powered platform, culminating in the Symposium announcement of SitecoreAI, a new rebranding of the product with AI at the centre. In this post we explore what that means. Throughout the year we also covered other product updates, for example key takeaways from the Sitecore’s summer product update.

What is happening with SEO in the age of AI?

There’s been a lot of coverage of how generative AI is impacting how we find and consume information – in particular, users switching from Google to ChatGPT to search the internet. In September we looked at how this new user behaviour is impacting SEO, with the rise of new disciplines around Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) and Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO). We also then followed the post up with some practical tips on getting started with GEO and AEO.

Optimizely’s native AI agent capabilities: Five takeaways from the Opticon keynote

As well as covering updates from the Umbraco and Sitecore conferences, we also detailed some of the takeaways from Optimizely’s annual Opticon event. As with Sitecore, the emphasis was very much with AI and a set of new AI agents that are being embedded into the platform. The post explores our key observations from the conference keynote, including details of how the AI agents bring value to different parts of the content lifecycle, and the way they are being positioned within the platform.

Why the time is right to introduce personalisation

Personalisation is an important concept in crafting digital customer experiences, but it still remains an aspiration for a surprisingly large number of digital marketing teams. Many websites still do not feature personalisation. In this article we revisited the topic and covered some of the reasons why now just might be the time to take the plunge with personalisation. We also provide some practical suggestions for getting started.

Ten digital customer experience and website management trends for 2026

In December we dusted down the 3chillies crystal ball to take our traditional look at some of the trends that will impact digital marketing teams in 2026. Inevitably AI took centre stage, with over half of our predictions directly or indirectly relating to its impact – from the rise of Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) to the rise of agentic AI to the advanced AI-powered features that are appearing within content management systems (CMSs) and Digital Experience Platforms (DXPs). We also think there will be focus on the negative aspects of AI, such as environmental impact. Whatever happens, 2026 will be a fascinating year and this post provides food for thought when planning your activities and approaches for the new year.

Here's to 2026!

So that was 2025 – so now for 2026! Thanks again to all our customers, partners and suppliers who have worked with us during the year. Wishing you all a very happy, healthy, and peaceful new year and we look forward to working with you all in 2026.