How the Experience Modernization Agent Migrates Sites to Edge Delivery Services

Migrating a website to a new platform has always meant weeks of manual content mapping, block-by-block rebuilding, and endless QA. Adobe's Experience Modernization Agent changes that equation. Built as part of the Brand Experience Agent, it automates the heavy lifting of onboarding sites to Edge Delivery Services (EDS) turning a traditionally slow migration process into something teams can move fast on.

Here's a look at how it works, step by step.

Where It Starts: Scraping and Structure Analysis

The agent begins by scraping the source site, regardless of whether it's coming from another CMS, a legacy AEM setup, or just Figma designs.

• Identifies section boundaries by detecting background changes and spacing shifts
• Breaks each section into smaller content sequences
• Builds a two-level hierarchy of the page before touching any code

Authoring Analysis: Deciding What Becomes What

Not everything needs to be a custom block. The agent applies an authoring-first logic to keep content easy to manage later.

• Asks a simple question for each content sequence: "Can an author create this by normal typing?"
• Defaults to standard content types, headings, paragraphs, lists, inline images wherever possible
• Reserves custom blocks for content that genuinely needs them

Mapping Content to Blocks

Once the structure is understood, the agent maps content into EDS block variants.

• Pulls reference implementations from the Block Collection and Block Party
• Applies Content-Driven Development (CDD) principles for author-friendly models
• Generates the markdown output following EDS block structure

Design Fidelity, Handled Automatically

If a Figma file is part of the input, the agent takes a styles-first approach.

• Reads metadata first to understand structure, then pulls detailed design context
• Extracts all styles as CSS custom properties (design tokens) before writing any CSS
• Keeps the migrated site visually consistent with the existing design system

Quality Checks Before Anything Ships

Migrating one page is easy. Migrating a thousand without regressions is not, so the agent builds in automated review.

• A Style Critic compares migrated pages against the original using visual and textual matching, flagging inconsistencies
• A Content Critic scans thousands of page pairs for text differences in seconds, producing similarity scores and diffs
• Together, they replace manual page-by-page QA at scale

Governance Stays with Developers

Automation doesn't mean losing control.

• All changes route through GitHub-integrated review workflows
• Nothing ships without developer approval
• Teams can operate the agent directly, or lean on Adobe's Agentic Outcome Engineer (AOE) model for complex, high-priority migrations

The Bigger Picture

The Experience Modernization Agent isn't just a migration shortcut; it's a shift in how modernization projects get scoped and delivered. By making the processes of importing content, mapping blocks, and applying the design system automated, it speeds up tasks which would normally take months. Plus, by working via the live preview console, non-technical staff can ask for changes using clear wording, although the developers have the final decision on publishing.

If your company uses outdated CMS or has no idea how to proceed with its modernization, then this method deserves attention.

Written by

Vandit Shah

AEM Certified Developer

I’m Vandit Shah, an Adobe Certified AEM Developer at Arroact Technologies. I work with Adobe Experience Manager to build structured, scalable digital experiences that are both efficient to manage and consistent across channels. 

Alongside AEM, I focus on N&N Automation to streamline repetitive processes and improve how teams handle content and workflows. I’m interested in finding practical ways to reduce manual effort while keeping systems reliable and easy to maintain. 

My approach is straightforward - understand the requirement clearly, build with clean structure, and make sure the solution works smoothly in real-world use. I enjoy working on projects where thoughtful implementation can simplify complexity and create lasting value for both teams and end users.