In the digital age, one of the most critical decisions you need to make is the choice of the CMS (content management system) you will use to manage your website content. By carefully considering the right features, you can avoid investing in an overcostly CMS or one that doesn’t get the job well done. Having a requirements list can help you narrow down your choices depending on your specific business needs. Here are the typical features to look for in a CMS.
Table of Contents
Functionality
Content management is not only about editing, organizing, deleting, or storing content. Even though an effective content management system should include such functions, there is more than meets the eye. An effective CMS hosting solution makes it easy to integrate, analyze, migrate and deliver content across different environments, repositories and applications. Most importantly, you should ensure that the CMS you pick has the core functionality you need in content management, as business needs can be different.
Content editor
A modern CMS should have an easy-to-use content editor to help you curate content without necessarily having coding skills. You should pay special attention to this feature, especially if you do not have HTML skills. An easy-to-use content editor can save you more time for updating and maintaining your content, making it also usable for anyone working in your organization.
Design flexibility
An effective CMS provides plenty of opportunities and flexibility to create content uniquely. It should be flexible enough to allow the users to dictate the look and feel of your site while also allowing less skilled users to create and manage content efficiently. You might want to look at the flexibility in terms of:
- Editing templates.
- Content architecture.
- Editing and managing content.
- Design freedom etc.
Simplicity
Keep in mind the user’s needs when choosing your company’s CMS platform. Ideally, you want to streamline business processes by making it easy to manage your content. It is less likely that you have technical personnel to update your content, so your CMS should be intuitive and simple to use for the average person. It should make it easy for the end-user to perform content management tasks without new training or instruction.
User management
The high chances are that there will be several departments in your organization using the CMS platform, including the content creators, marketers, IT teams, etc. You want to ensure every stakeholder involved is assigned the right role in the system. Therefore, you should pick a CMS system that simplifies user management to clearly define the assignment of your team’s roles. That can also improve collaboration hence efficient workflows.
Security
Security is of utmost importance in content management because you don’t want to lose your data. Therefore you should prioritize a CMS system with a comprehensive security protocol and credibility. Look for a service provider that takes security seriously.
Final words
Every organization has a different need for content management but prioritizing the features mentioned above can help you choose an effective CMS platform. Most importantly, find a balance between the functionality of the CMS and your business needs.