--- title: "Transforming Content Publishing Through a Unified CMS Strategy · Appnovation" url: "https://www.appnovation.com/work/launching-scalable-cms-and-design-system" description: "How Appnovation helped Semrush replatform to a modern headless CMS, launch a unified design system, and scale its enterprise web operations." --- # Transforming Content Publishing Through a Unified CMS Strategy Launching a Scalable CMS and Design System ## Challenge Preparing for a major rebrand and a move off its existing web infrastructure, Semrush needed a partner to unify page ownership, introduce a shared design system, and bring its enterprise site into a single connected experience on a modern CMS. ## Solution Appnovation partnered with Semrush across three connected workstreams, delivering technical architect consulting, a component-based design system in Figma, and parallel builds covering an enterprise site reskin and a CMS migration. ## Impact Semrush now has a unified design system, a refreshed enterprise site on the new brand identity, and a new CMS publishing model that unlocks faster, more agile content operations. On this page ## Engagement Client Launching a Scalable CMS and Design System Industry Technology & Telecommunications Services Creative & Experience Design · Digital Transformation · Engineering & Platform Development · Platform Engineering & CMS ## On this page ## Challenge Semrush, the NYSE-listed visibility platform behind 55+ SEO and marketing tools, was preparing a major rebrand alongside a move off its existing web infrastructure. With semrush.com's SEO strength as a foundation, the team saw an opportunity to unify page ownership, introduce a shared design system, and bring the enterprise site into a single connected experience. With a new CMS chosen, Semrush looked for a partner to move in parallel across design, engineering, and migration. ![Diagram showing the Semrush website connected to a CMS icon and typography icon](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ey850001/production/435c23da0c0f62f57ade7fad788fbc43169dae7e-1059x390.png?w=960&auto=format) ## Solution Appnovation partnered with Semrush across three connected workstreams to redesign and replatform the public web presence. The engagement opened with technical architect consulting to map how 10+ frontend functionalities could integrate with the new stack, validated through a proof of concept on the selected headless CMS and modern frontend framework. From there, the team built a component-based design system covering tokens, primitives, navigation, and 30+ reusable components. That system was applied in parallel across two builds: a reskinned enterprise site with 42 reworked components across 16 templates, and the migration of priority pages onto the new CMS with five integrations spanning marketing automation, web analytics, error monitoring, experimentation, and behavioural insight tooling. The result is a scalable foundation ready for future AI-enabled enhancements. ![Diagram showing content moving through design, image and code steps to the Semrush website](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ey850001/production/3adc0d33495b9d07444f06f996281eb526472057-1620x675.png?w=960&auto=format) ## Results Semrush now has a unified design system, a refreshed enterprise site on the new brand identity, and a new CMS publishing model that unlocks faster, more agile content operations. With shared components, dark-mode theming, and a modern headless stack in place, Semrush's marketing and platform teams gain the governance and scalability to support future product, brand, and AI-driven evolution. At Appnovation, our experts specialize in headless CMS implementations, design systems, and large-scale web replatforming for technology leaders. Through a strategic partnership, we helped Semrush unify its design and engineering foundations, replatform onto a new CMS, and establish a scalable system ready to support future brand, product, and AI-driven growth. 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