Essential CMS development projects for 2026
The CMS landscape is always evolving. So, what are the essential CMS development projects for 2026 that you should have on your radar right now? In this piece, we’ll explore the key trends shaping CMS and what deployments you should start scoping today.
CMS themes in 2026
Headless, AI, secure and sustainable deployments are expected to dominate conversations around CMS in 2026.
AI-first
The most obvious, perhaps, is AI-assisted content creation and curation. This isn’t about just making stuff to put online, but also about automated SEO and GEO optimisation. For enterprise clients, it’s AI for predictive personalisation based on data tags and browsing habits, delivering smart content blocks.
Headless architectures
Businesses want flexibility for multi-platform content delivery (that’s why so many go for Wagtail in the first place). This will lead to more API-first approaches and follow the current trend towards decoupled front-end innovation, where the backend code is separated by its own server instance.
Security concerns
With rising cyber threats in digital publishing, leading to website defacement by malicious actors, moving to a CMS with built-in compliance for data privacy – including GDPR, CCPA and upcoming AI regulations – is nearly imperative.
Sustainability
Green hosting and efficient content delivery get a resurgence as investors become more aware of the cost of AI & digital presence. Optimising your brand’s digital carbon footprint can be a profit driver since PWC states “71% of investors agree that companies should incorporate ESG/sustainability directly into their corporate strategy.”
Essential CMS development projects for 2026
So, what should you greenlight next year? We’d sign off on:
AI-powered content workflows
Think, AI-driven content calendars, smart tagging, AI categorisation and content snippets for your website with chatbot integrations for editorial support. Don’t overdo it, or you’ll end up on the wrong side of sustainability, but it’d be foolish to ignore the benefits AI can bring.
Multichannel content delivery
Think about how you can reuse content and deliver it better and in more places. You could hire us to do CMS integrations for AR/VR, IoT devices and voice assistants and make sure your headless CMS is powering all your apps, websites and immersive experiences.
Personalisation projects
If you’ve got their eyes, keep them with real-time content recommendations, dynamic user segmentation and hyper-localised content strategies. Make sure you’re always serving content they’re interested in.
Advanced security
Reconfigure your CMS with a zero-trust architecture and layer on real-time threat detection and anomaly monitoring with automated compliance checks, so you’re not caught out. Cyber attacks can cost even small businesses tens of thousands.
QoL enhancements
Try some AI-driven performance testing, include support for multiple languages and make sure you comply with all local standards. Oh, and don’t forget about colourblind-friendly fonts and screen readers, if you don’t have them already.
Green features
Lastly, prioritise eco-optimised media delivery and think about integrating carbon analytics dashboards into your CMS. This can help provide some clarity you can share when investors and concerned customers query your website.
If you need expert support to create the business case for any of these projects, get in touch today. We’d love to help.
