Thoughts and Articles from Blend Interactive

Most web projects start by thinking in pages. But the sites that are easiest to manage — and best understood by search engines — are built around components. Here's why that distinction matters.

Content and IA  |  Design and Front-End  |  Strategy

Most web projects are defined by their deliverables. We think the real value lives in the process — the conversations, the alignment, and the thinking that happens before anyone opens a design file.

Content and IA  |  Digital Optimization  |  Discovery and Scoping  |  Strategy

CMS vendors handle AI in two ways: built-in orchestration or bring-your-own tools. Learn how each approach works and which fits your AI strategy.

AI

Learn how data orchestration helps associations avoid costly website rebuilds by decoupling content sources from the CMS — so switching tools doesn't mean starting over.

Associations  |  Development  |  Strategy

Learn five content paywall strategies associations can use to grow membership — including tiered access, metered access, time delays, and sharing codes.

Associations  |  Strategy

Learn how priority-based scoping helps you build the right website features within budget and timeline with a collaborative approach that prioritizes high-value features for successful launches.

Discovery and Scoping  |  Project Management  |  Strategy

AI adoption fails because organizations bolt tools onto processes instead of understanding actual workflow problems. AI works well for mechanical tasks like research synthesis and consistency checking, but editorial judgment must stay human. Start by identifying your team's real pain points, pick one workflow to improve, and measure actual time saved—the goal is better content, not AI for its own sake.

AI

When we search for something on the web, we’re not looking for “results.” When we’re looking for the nearest children’s hospital, or the nearest credit union, we often think we’re looking for a list of options — a list of results — but that’s not really what we want. We don’t want more decisions. We don’t want randomly associated web pages.

AI  |  Development

For marketing and digital teams, the end of the year means more than just a new date to remember — it often means conversations and planning about what the new year will bring — from goals and projects, to exciting new and big ideas.

Project Management  |  Strategy

Headless is here. Whether you see it scrolling by in your favorite feed or dropping into your full inbox, the term is showing up everywhere.

Development