What is Salesforce Experience Cloud?

Salesforce Experience Cloud has become a go-to solution for companies building customer, partner, or employee portals. And the numbers prove it.

Over 5,000 active websites use Experience Cloud today, powering 10+ million digital experiences every month and connecting 50 million community members. A Forrester study found that companies using Experience Cloud achieve an average 342% return on investment in three years.

In this article, we’ll explain what Experience Cloud is, how it works, what results it delivers, and why more companies are investing in it to power digital experiences directly connected to Salesforce CRM.

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What is Experience Cloud, and what is it used for

Salesforce Experience Cloud is a platform that helps companies create branded, customizable, and secure digital portals with clicks instead of code.

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Salesforce Community Cloud vs Experience Cloud

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Launched initially as Salesforce Community Cloud, the product was renamed in 2021 to better reflect its broader use beyond traditional community forums. The new branding as Experience Cloud highlights its role in delivering full digital experiences, not just peer-to-peer conversations.

Here is the Salesforce Experience Cloud overview in simple terms:

• Build websites, portals, and apps;
• Show different content to different users based on their roles and data;
• Pull real-time info from Salesforce (e.g. cases, accounts, product data);
• Support mobile and desktop views without extra work;
• Allow teams to manage and update content without developers.

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Salesforce Sites vs Experience Cloud

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Salesforce Sites is built for simple, public-facing web pages that don’t require users to log in. It’s useful for things like landing pages, lead capture forms, or event microsites. It’s free with some limitations and requires developers to build Visualforce or Lightning components. Since it uses guest access, it’s not ideal for any scenario where personalized or secure user experiences are needed.

In contrast, Salesforce Experience Cloud is made for building secure, branded portals with login access for customers, partners, or employees. If you need a portal tied to your CRM, such as a support hub, partner dashboard, or internal resource center, Experience Cloud is the better choice.

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Salesforce Experience Cloud use cases

We use Salesforce Experience Cloud internally at Noltic to manage resources and collaboration across teams, and we help clients apply the same technology across customer, partner, and employee use cases. Here is how you can use it:

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Customer portals

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Customers can search a knowledge base, submit and track support cases, and access account information in one place. Companies often use Experience Cloud to let customers manage subscriptions, view order history, or update their contact details without calling support.

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Partner portals

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Partners get access to sales materials, price lists, lead distribution, and deal registration tools. Experience Cloud sites on Salesforce also allow tracking of performance and commissions, while helping companies scale partner programs with better visibility and shared data.

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Employee portals

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Internal teams use Experience Cloud to centralize HR documents, onboarding guides, and internal training content. It also supports role-based content access and communication between departments, which helps reduce email clutter and improve internal transparency.

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Salesforce Experience Cloud features

Experience Builder

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Experience Builder is a point-and-click interface that lets users create branded digital portals without writing code. It supports drag-and-drop components, flexible page layouts, and reusable templates. Teams can build new pages, adjust navigation, and preview changes across devices from a single workspace. Themes allow full control over colors, fonts, and branding, making it easy to match the portal to the company’s visual identity.

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Mobile responsiveness

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Every portal created in Experience Cloud is mobile-ready by default. Pages automatically adjust to different screen sizes, including smartphones and tablets. Users don’t need to create separate layouts or apps for mobile devices. This helps ensure consistent access to Salesforce data and services across all platforms, reducing friction for users who are on the go.

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Access control and user roles

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Experience Cloud uses Salesforce’s built-in role hierarchy, sharing rules, and profiles to control what different users see and do. You can define permissions at the page, component, or data level. For example, a reseller may see partner pricing and lead assignments, while a support agent accesses internal documentation. This level of control allows organizations to safely expose Salesforce data to external users without compromising security.

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CMS integration and multilingual content

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The platform includes a native content management system (CMS) that makes it easy to manage images, documents, and rich text across different pages. It supports dynamic content delivery, meaning users see personalized content based on their profile or language. Companies can publish pages in multiple languages and let users switch between them, which is especially useful for global support portals or multinational partner programs.

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AI insights and personalization

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Experience Cloud can surface relevant content using Salesforce’s AI tools. For example, customers might see recommended articles based on their recent activity or case history. This reduces support workload by helping users find what they need before contacting an agent. Personalization also improves engagement, as users get content, alerts, and offers that match their role or behavior.

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Salesforce data integration

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Because it runs on the Salesforce Platform, Experience Cloud gives users direct access to CRM data like Cases, Opportunities, Accounts, and custom objects. No syncing or middleware is needed. Users can submit forms that create records, update existing entries, or trigger automations like approvals or email alerts. You can also embed dashboards and reports directly into portal pages, providing real-time insights without switching systems.

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Real-world results of Salesforce Experience Cloud implementation

Below are four real Salesforce Experience Cloud examples from Noltic’s projects that show how different organizations improved speed, cut costs, scaled faster, and served users more efficiently.

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We Are Group

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A UK-based organization supporting vulnerable populations used Experience Cloud as part of a full Salesforce overhaul. Their outdated systems slowed down support services and led to duplicate work across teams. Noltic replaced five disconnected legacy CRMs with one unified platform and built a customer-facing Experience Cloud site that helped clients self-register, submit documents, and track their cases online.

Results:

• User adoption of Salesforce jumped from 25% to 75%;
• Delivery timelines for key services were cut in half, from 4 months to 2;
• The client described the new system as "critical" to maintaining timely support during crisis situations.

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Technical textiles manufacturer

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A long-established manufacturer in the UK needed a modern platform to unify production, inventory, and accounting. Noltic used Experience Cloud to build a connected ERP-style system with real-time dashboards and process automation. The portal allowed staff to access up-to-date production schedules, raw material usage, and order data, replacing manual spreadsheets and siloed tools.

Results:

• Real-time access to production data reduced delays in order processing;
• Thread waste was reduced through accurate forecasting;
• Internal operations became significantly leaner, saving time across departments.

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Caribbean financial services company

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A financial firm working across the Caribbean region needed to digitize how requests were submitted and processed between clients, banks, and internal teams. Noltic used Experience Cloud to create a secure partner-facing portal that replaced unreliable email chains and manual processes. They also added a public Salesforce Sites form connected to the same backend.

Results:

• 100% request delivery success rate after implementation;
• Eliminated duplicates and human errors from the request lifecycle;
• Created full auditability for every action across the process, improving trust and compliance.

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Freedom ID

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Freedom ID, an NGO from the Czech Republic, needed to quickly onboard and verify hosts offering shelter to refugees. Noltic built a scalable Salesforce Experience Cloud for nonprofits portal that collected applications, processed verifications, and tracked case progress, keeping it compliant with EU KYC standards. The solution had to be fast, secure, and flexible enough to handle surges in activity.

Results:

• 500+ verified hosts onboarded in the first month;
• Application processing was automated end-to-end, reducing manual admin time;
• The platform supported growth and compliance needs without extra staff.

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Challenges and limitations

While Experience Cloud in Salesforce offers powerful tools, it’s important to be realistic about its challenges.

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Setup and implementation can be complex

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Launching a high-quality portal involves more than just enabling the product. It requires work across UX, permissions, data modeling, branding, and testing. Organizations without experienced admins or developers may find the learning curve steep, especially when dealing with visibility rules, guest user security settings, or multilingual content.

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Customization often requires developer support

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Although Experience Builder allows drag-and-drop editing, many advanced features, like dynamic page logic, custom LWC components, or integrations with third-party systems, require Salesforce Experience Cloud development skills.

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Licensing and pricing can be confusing

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Different user types (Customer Community, Partner Community, Customer Plus, etc.) come with different limits and pricing tiers. It’s easy to miscalculate Salesforce Experience Cloud license needs, especially if portal usage grows faster than expected.

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Content management isn’t as flexible as a CMS like WordPress

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While there is a built-in CMS, it’s designed more for structured business content than for marketing teams used to standalone web editors. Asset versioning, content workflows, and editor collaboration are basic.

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How to measure the success of Salesforce Experience Cloud implementation

To make sure your Experience Cloud portal is doing its job, set clear goals and track performance through Salesforce Reports and Dashboards.

Useful metrics to monitor include:

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Tools to help with Experience Cloud in Salesforce:

• Use Salesforce standard reports to track user logins, case volumes, and content interaction.
• Build custom Experience Cloud dashboards to display metrics by partner, region, or product.
• Run a regular Health Check on the org to identify security and performance issues.
• Review user feedback through surveys or in-app forms to identify friction points.

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Experience Cloud vs other platforms

When evaluating digital experience platforms, Salesforce Experience Cloud is often compared to tools like Adobe Experience Cloud, Oracle Advertising and Customer Experience (CX), and Progress Sitefinity. While each platform offers web content delivery and personalization features, the difference comes down to native integration with CRM and business systems.

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Adobe Experience Manager and Adobe Experience Cloud

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Adobe Experience Cloud (which includes Adobe Experience Manager, Adobe Analytics, and Target) is designed for enterprise-level digital marketing. It excels at content authoring, campaign management, and analytics. Creative teams that already use Adobe Creative Cloud benefit from tight integration between design and content workflows.

However, Adobe’s CRM and marketing automation tools are separate from Salesforce. Teams using Salesforce often face challenges with Adobe Experience Manager integration with Salesforce Marketing Cloud, requiring custom connectors or third-party middleware.

In a direct comparison of Adobe Experience Cloud vs Salesforce, the latter wins when CRM data is at the center of the experience. Experience Cloud lets you surface Cases, Opportunities, Knowledge Articles, and custom objects with zero syncing. Adobe tools, while strong in content and design, are not CRM-native.

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Oracle Advertising and Customer Experience

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Oracle Advertising and Customer Experience (CX) brings together Oracle’s suite of marketing, sales, service, and advertising tools. It offers content delivery, AI-powered recommendations, and user tracking across channels.

Where Experience Cloud has the advantage is in real-time access to CRM data and simpler implementation for companies already using Salesforce. Oracle’s CX tools are often fragmented or require more technical setup. In contrast, Experience Cloud uses standard Salesforce objects and security models, making it easier for admins to build with existing knowledge.

Additionally, Salesforce has a broader ecosystem and more consistent updates across products. Companies looking for unified service, sales, and support integration often find Salesforce Experience Cloud faster to deploy and easier to manage than Oracle’s CX suite.

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Progress Sitefinity

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Progress Sitefinity is a flexible .NET-based web CMS known for its ease of use, multilingual support, and marketing-friendly tools. It’s a good fit for teams focused on managing public websites or marketing content without deep integration into back-office systems.

However, Sitefinity is not a CRM platform, and integrating it with Salesforce or other CRMs typically requires middleware or custom development. It also lacks the granular permissioning, native case management, and role-based logic that Experience Cloud offers out of the box.

If your goal is to connect web experiences directly to Salesforce records (e.g., cases, contacts, partner registrations), Salesforce Experience Cloud is the more efficient option.

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Summary: Why Experience Cloud stands out

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Salesforce wins when:

• You want to create self-service portals, partner hubs, or employee platforms tied directly to Salesforce CRM;
• You need secure, role-based access to live CRM data with minimal duplication;
• You want a visual builder that admins and non-developers can use;
• You’re already invested in Salesforce and want faster time to value;
• You already use Salesforce Marketing Cloud and want to extend digital touchpoints into one system, one data source, one user experience.

Other platforms like Adobe Experience Manager, Oracle Advertising and Customer Experience, and Progress Sitefinity offer strong marketing or content tools, but often require more custom integration work to achieve the same CRM-connected outcomes.

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Why Experience Cloud is growing

1. More companies are investing in self-service support

Customers now expect to solve simple problems without talking to a support agent. Experience Cloud lets businesses build portals with knowledge bases, case tracking, and automated help, all tied directly to Salesforce. According to research, 85% of service leaders say support is now seen as a revenue driver, not just a cost center.

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2. The shift toward digital partner ecosystems

As partnerships become more global and complex, companies need scalable ways to collaborate with resellers, vendors, and service providers. Experience Cloud enables branded portals where partners can register deals, access documents, and track progress, fully integrated with Salesforce CRM.

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3. Rising demand for AI-enabled personalization

Users expect tailored content, not generic pages. Experience Cloud connects with Salesforce AI tools like Agentforce and Data Cloud to show personalized articles, forms, and recommendations based on real-time CRM data. This keeps users engaged and helps resolve issues faster.

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4. Salesforce’s platform-wide AI growth confirms the trend

In a recent earnings update, Salesforce reported $900 million in annual recurring revenue from Data Cloud and AI products. They also closed over 3,000 net-new Agentforce deals in a single quarter, showing that businesses are doubling down on personalized, AI-driven digital experiences.

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Is Experience Cloud right for you?

Before investing in Salesforce Experience Cloud, it helps to ask a few practical questions:

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• Do you already use Salesforce CRM or other Salesforce products?

If your data and processes already live inside Salesforce, Experience Cloud is a natural extension. It avoids the hassle of syncing with third-party portals and keeps all data in one place.

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• Do you need a secure, scalable portal for customers, partners, or employees?

Experience Cloud offers built-in user roles, sharing rules, and login security. Whether you're building a support site, partner hub, or internal resource center, it’s designed to scale securely as your user base grows.

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• Do you need to publish dynamic content to different audiences?

You can show different pages, components, and data based on user roles, language preferences, or account status. That makes it ideal for personalized experiences, multilingual portals, or tiered content access.

If you answered “yes” to any of these, Experience Cloud is likely a good fit, and you don’t need to start from scratch.

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How to get started with Experience Cloud

Getting started is easier when you follow a structured approach. Salesforce offers a variety of templates and tools that help speed up development. You can choose prebuilt layouts for common use cases such as customer service portals, partner hubs, or employee onboarding platforms. Using Experience Builder, you can quickly customize content, configure logic, and apply your branding without writing code.

If you're planning your first project, it helps to review a complete Salesforce Experience Cloud implementation guide to understand the architecture, licensing, and customization options. You’ll want to define roles, data access, and integrations early. For those managing more complex setups, a clear understanding of Salesforce Experience Cloud architecture is key to ensuring long-term scalability and security.

At Noltic, we provide full Salesforce Experience Cloud implementation services, from design and configuration to rollout and optimization. We’ve delivered over 140 Salesforce projects, earned 400+ certifications, and have a team that includes 8 certified architects. Our AppExchange profile holds a 5.0 rating, and we’re trusted by companies in financial services, manufacturing, nonprofit, and healthcare.

Our Salesforce Experience Cloud consulting team is here to help you move fast, make the right technical choices, and launch a portal that meets the needs of your users and your business. Whether you're just starting or looking to optimize an existing site, our Salesforce Experience Cloud services are built to deliver real results.

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FAQs

What is Salesforce Experience Cloud used for?

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Salesforce Experience Cloud is used to build secure, branded portals for customers, partners, and employees. These portals can provide self-service support, enable deal registration and collaboration, or serve as internal knowledge hubs. It connects directly to Salesforce CRM, allowing real-time access to cases, accounts, documents, and custom workflows.

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What is Experience Cloud in Salesforce?

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Experience Cloud is Salesforce’s platform for creating digital experiences across audiences. Formerly known as Community Cloud, it allows organizations to design and deploy websites, portals, and apps with user-specific content, secure login access, and CRM integration, all without building from scratch.

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How do you create an Experience Cloud site in Salesforce?

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To create an Experience Cloud site in Salesforce:

1. Go to Setup, search for "Digital Experiences" or "All Sites".
2. Click New, select a template (such as Customer Service or Partner Central).
3. Name your site, set its domain, and follow the prompts to publish.
4. Use Experience Builder to customize the layout, pages, branding, and components.
5. Set up roles, profiles, and sharing rules to control what different users see.

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What is the difference between Salesforce Experience Cloud and Community Cloud?

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Salesforce Experience Cloud vs Community Cloud is mostly about naming. Community Cloud was the original name, but as the platform expanded to support broader digital experiences beyond basic communities, it was rebranded as Experience Cloud in 2021. The features are the same, just a new name to better reflect modern use cases.

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How to get a Salesforce Experience Cloud certification?

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To get the Salesforce Experience Cloud certification, you need to pass the Salesforce Certified Experience Cloud Consultant exam. Here's how to get started:

1. Review the exam guide on Salesforce's official website to understand the topics covered, including Experience Cloud architecture, sharing models, branding, and content management.
2. Complete relevant Trailhead modules, especially the Experience Cloud Consultant learning path.
3. Get hands-on experience building portals using Experience Builder and configuring user access, content, and CRM integration.
4. Register for the exam through Webassessor. The exam includes 60 multiple-choice questions and requires a passing score of 62%.