Which CMS is Best for AI Search? Sitecore vs Storyblok

• Five signs your CMS isn't ready for the age of AI
• Start your Storyblok free trial (opens in a new window)

AI isn’t everything when selecting the perfect content management system (CMS) — but without the right one, AI search engines may have a harder time seeing and using your content in answer generation. 

Your CMS is the engine room of discoverability. It’s the tool you use to create, structure, optimize, and distribute content to multiple channels — now including AI search engines. If it isn’t built to deliver AI-ready, machine-readable content, your brand risks invisibility as traditional search fades and audiences shift to ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity for answers.

Why AI search matters 

Audience behavior shows us that consumers today want singular, speedy, specific answers with little to no effort required to browse options — a.k.a they want AI search engines to do the legwork for them. It’s one search, one answer, maybe one click. 

Not only that, but more traditional search engines (like Google) have adapted to this new wave of search with their own AI overview (opens in a new window). This means even if brands try to hold on to traditional SEO only, Google’s AI is already working against them — making AI search discoverability and usability not optional, but urgent.

• AI overviews now appear on ~47% (opens in a new window) of Google searches, pulling answers directly into the results page (SERP) — and only citing 3–4 sources. 
• Sites previously ranked first in search results could risk losing as much as 79% (opens in a new window) of their traffic if they don’t appear in AI overviews.
• Organic traffic is decreasing by between 18% and 64% (opens in a new window) depending on industry and subject matter — and this trend is predicted to continue. 
• In 2024, nearly 60% (opens in a new window) of Google searches were zero-click, with users getting their info from the AI overview and not following through with any URLs. 

Why your CMS matters for AI search performance

SEO has long been the go-to strategy for discoverability. For years, we’ve all been aiming for that top spot on the SERP, and the good news is that those long-held SEO practices provide a solid foundation for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) — in other words, making content visible for AI search engines.

What is AI search looking for in content to generate answers? 

AI search is evolving fast and continues to change on a near-daily basis, but we do have guidelines on what AI wants to see from our content. 

1. Structured content: Clear, well-structured, composable content helps AI search engines to understand what you’re saying and find the answers they’re looking for. The better the structure, the easier it is. 
2. Fast performance: People don’t want to wait around for slow sites, and neither does AI. How quickly, cleanly, and clearly your content loads signals to AI search engines how trustworthy or usable it is. AI engines will not direct searchers to slow-loading, sluggish sites after all. 
3. EEAT principles: Google's search quality guidelines (opens in a new window) — Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness — are still valuable as AI search wants the most accurate, comprehensive information to build their answers. 
4. Content accuracy: There is no guarantee that AI search engines will only use your most recent content. Outdated content could be your secret weakness, especially if it contradicts current messaging, signalling to AI engines you’re unreliable. Or, if it’s downright incorrect, it could lead to AI search sharing inaccurate information. 
5. Cross-channel consistency: AI search engines can pull information from brand channels, so ensuring consistency in information is vital. Websites, social media, mobile apps, AR/VR, you name it, and AI can review and use them for answers. 

But not every CMS can deliver the level of structured, high-quality content AI search needs (across every channel) — or give content creators the tools they need to meet these standards. Does your CMS facilitate the proper implementation of structured data and content for AI readability? Does it have built-in omnichannel capabilities that allow you to update once and publish everywhere for unified messaging? The list goes on. 

Which CMS is best for AI search? 

Let’s get into the CMS features and capabilities needed to deliver fast machine-readable and human-friendly content through the lens of two different types of CMS. 

• Storyblok: a much-loved (opens in a new window), API-first, headless CMS designed to empower you to easily deliver structured and consistent content everywhere. 
• Sitecore (opens in a new window): a digital experience platform (DXP) known for its omnichannel and personalization features, historically built in monolithic architecture (opens in a new window).

Headless CMS vs. Digital Experience Platform for AI search

Your CMS is the secret weapon in AI search visibility

The writing’s on the wall: headless is the key to the AI-driven content era. With built-in discoverability through structured content, API-powered omnichannel delivery, and the agility modern teams need to move with the times, headless CMSs like Storyblok leave monolithic platforms like Sitecore struggling to keep pace. 

Of course, every team and brand has its own requirements, and the right CMS will always depend on factors like scale, ease of use, and existing infrastructure. Traditional DXPs still offer great enterprise features, but headless platforms bring a future-proof flexibility that’s hard to ignore (and in Storyblok’s case, alongside powerful enterprise-grade capabilities). For organizations looking to stay discoverable in the AI landscape, headless CMSs represent not just an alternative but a proven path forward.

Your CMS is the home of your content. If your foundations aren’t solid, the whole thing could come tumbling down — AI search is the strongest stress test yet, shaking those foundations harder than ever. The question is: Is your CMS ready for AI search?