When visitors see that your website is up to date, they understand that you are invested in ensuring they have the most up-to-date information possible.
A content management system (CMS) is an application that allows you to create and modify digital content for your website. It is useful not only for setting up your website but also for modifying it over time. One benefit of a CMS is its ease of use – that is, you don't need to have technical knowledge to use it. Another is that a whole team of people can use it, so you can assign different tasks to team members. These features give you full control over the content on your website.
A CMS also allows you to create blog posts, which can serve to bring new content to your website, attract visitors, and provide useful information to customers and prospects. When visitors see that your website is up to date, they understand that you are invested in ensuring they have the most up-to-date information possible.
In the following sections, we provide information on how to choose the best CMS for your company's unique needs.
The importance of choosing the right CMS for your company
In today's business environment, your website is your storefront. The way it appears can attract or repel customers, and it's easy for them to move on to the next supplier if they don't like what they see. Customers or prospects who see an outdated or obsolete website may even get the impression that your company is not capable of providing the type of service they want.
Given the importance of strong content for promoting your business, you want to have a strong system for managing it. According to the global talent marketplace Job , “A good CMS makes it easy to add, edit, and remove content from a website without ever writing a single line of code.” These elements of your website can include text, images, or videos. You need to create a system to stay on top of these changes, but the CMS gives you the basic tools you need to implement them.
Types of CMS and which one is right for your business
There are four main types of CMS. What you choose should depend on how advanced you need it, what language your website is built with, and the skill level of the people who will be using it.
Open source CMS
You can download an open source CMS for free and without licenses, contracts or update fees. However, other costs may be involved, including hiring someone to help you set up the system, customizing the software, purchasing templates, add-ons, and plug-ins, and the time required to train staff. Examples of open source CMS applications are WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Magento and PrestaShop.
Use this solution when: You want a reliable, stable CMS that will continue to improve over time.
Proprietary CMS
Proprietary software is software that your company builds and uses exclusively. The advantage of this type of software is that you can create it specifically for the needs of your website and ancillary websites, such as e-commerce. The main disadvantage is that construction can take a lot of time and money. However, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages as you save time, effort and money on updates and gain the ability to update your website more efficiently.
Use this solution when: You have specialized content management needs that cannot be met by commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) solutions, and you have the budget and time available to develop proprietary software.
commercial CMS
Commercial software is software that you can buy off the shelf. While there may be customizations you can implement, it is generally expected to work out of the box. You will need to purchase the software or a licensing fee, and you may also need to pay additional fees for updates or support. Examples of commercial CMS platforms are Kentico, SharePoint, IBM Enterprise Content Management, Pulse CMS, Sitecore, and Shopify.
Use this solution when: Your content management needs are fairly simple and the features available in a COTS solution are compatible with the tasks you need to accomplish.
Software-as-a-Service CMS
Software as a Service (SaaS) is similar to commercial software in that you pay for a solution that may have some customizations but is generally designed to work as delivered. The difference is that SaaS is only available from an online source and by subscription only. One of the benefits of this type of solution is that technical support and continuous content storage are included.
Use this solution when: your content management needs are fairly straightforward, the features available in a SaaS solution are compatible with the tasks you need to perform, and you want a complete package solution that includes updates and technical assistance.
Other benefits include consistent costs over time, providing the ability to budget more easily without needing to update as this is done continuously, the ability to use the software from any internet-connected device, and the ability to Easily scale up or down depending on the number of users you have at any given time.
Right CMS for small businesses
Small businesses are smart to work with a web developer who can set them up on an easy-to-use CMS appropriate for their website and the skills of their team. In this scenario, the developer can configure the site and train users on how to update their own content. Typically, this type of arrangement is useful for small businesses that do not have a permanent web development team on site.
Some CMS platforms known for being easy to use are WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla. Easy-to-use CMS applications are simple, offering an interface similar to programs that users may already be familiar with. With the interface, users can easily change text as the business changes, update or replace images that better reflect the business over time, and add videos and blog posts that help visitors stay up to date with what the company is doing. is happening.
How to evaluate a CMS – Features and requirements
So what makes a good CMS system? The best CMS platform for your company is one that allows you to make changes to your website efficiently and easily and is easy to use for all team members. Furthermore, the CMS must be cost-effective and reliable. To determine which specific business requirements you need to meet, ask the following questions before beginning your search.
- How often do we need to create content?
- How often do we need to review content?
- What is our workflow like? How many people are creating, changing and implementing content? What type of tracking do we need?
- Who needs access to your content?
- What different types of content will you create?
- What level of security do we need?
- Do we need multilingual resources?
- How do we expect our business and content team to grow?
- Do we use e-commerce? If so, what resources do we need to optimize it?
Below are some specific resources to help you know what to look for in a CMS.
Scalability
Remember, one of the reasons you regularly update your website is to get more business. This means your CMS must be able to accommodate more users and tasks. For example, let's say you want to start adding video testimonials to your website. This is a whole new task that may require different skills and tools that you want to be available when you need them.
Omnichannel support
Scalability offers flexibility, which is important because of how quickly technology and your business is changing. That's why you should also consider getting flexibility with a CMS that supports omnichannel posting. For example, as the metaverse takes off, you may want to develop content that is compatible with that space. Things like the metaverse and virtual reality are only going to become more popular, so it makes sense to consider now how you can support them later.
Integrations
Another way to gain flexibility is to integrate with other applications and microservices. For example, to meet the needs of your marketing team, you want applications that ensure the leads captured on your website are put to good use. Other functions you might consider include ecommerce, business intelligence, analytics, and blogging functionality to enable personalized content for website visitors.
Technology Options
If you need support with your CMS, avoid looking for an engineer who specializes in a specific language. In other words, you want your CMS to support multiple languages. This way, if you need support, you can more easily find an engineer to help you. Additionally, it's smart to ensure that if you need help with your CMS, the work can be done without disrupting your team's ability to update your online assets.
Easy to use
Your CMS is only as good as your team members' ability to use it. Make sure the interface is intuitive, preferably with operations similar to other applications the team already uses. Your content is too valuable to risk frustration from team members or even the inability to update as needed, so be sure to get buy-in from team members and create the opportunity for a trial before you buy.
Continuous workflows
If your site is complex or you have many people working on the content, you want to have a system that allows for seamless workflows. For example, you need to be able to track what content is in progress, what needs to be published and when, what approvals are needed and what deadlines are coming up, as well as which channels to deliver specific content to.
Security
Websites require a lot of time and effort to build, maintain and attract visitors. So the last thing you want is for all that hard work to be ruined by a security breach that affects your content, your visitors' privacy, and your reputation. Recovering from such an attack can take months, if not years, and many companies do not recover from this type of catastrophe. Security is very important and you should check how each CMS you are considering handles this critical aspect of the software.
8 CMS Platforms to Consider
The following platforms are widely used and could be the right choice for your company's needs. They range from simple content updating platforms to eCommerce tools and more. They are good starting points for figuring out how to choose the best CMS for your business.
#1 CMS Center
CMS Hub is more than just a CMS. It's also a customer relationship management platform, which means it allows you to integrate lead collection with content development. It is optimized to respond individually to each visitor, regardless of the device they are using. CMS Hub is designed for businesses of any size and is especially useful for companies that are expanding their operations and online presence. It's easy to use, customizable, secure, and affordable.
#2Drupal
Drupal is an open source platform that works well for a wide range of users. It offers templates, modules, and themes to help developers initially create a website, as well as tools to easily make changes. Drupal works well for companies that have team members with a high level of technological knowledge. The biggest benefits of Drupal are ease of use, customization, security, and price.
#3Joomla
Another open source CMS platform, Joomla is versatile and easy to use. It requires some level of technical knowledge, but is highly flexible, with over 6,000 extensions. It is highly customizable and affordable for medium and large businesses.
#4Magento
Magento is an e-commerce platform owned by Adobe. It's great for online retailers who have some experience in this space. Although highly flexible, this platform can require considerable technical knowledge to make the best use of it. Magento is highly customizable, with 3,800 add-ons. It is highly secure with regular updates. The price is higher than some of the other options on this list.
#5 PrestaShop
PrestaShop is a highly powerful and simple to use CMS. It is best for online retailers with some experience and technical knowledge. Some features include customizable messaging, multi-language implementation, and easy coupon deployment. This platform includes over 6,000 add-on modules and themes, as well as the option for other add-ons and support plans. PrestaShop is highly customizable and reasonably priced.
#6 Shopify
Shopify is an ecommerce platform designed to help sellers set up and manage an online store. It's particularly useful for beginning retailers because it's easy to use. It includes blogging tools, customer reviews, easy payment options, reviews, and other features to help you launch your online store. While customization is somewhat limited, you still get a good number of themes and apps, as well as robust security and very reasonable pricing.
#7 Story block
Storyblok is a headless CMS, which means it provides an easy way to manage content and deploy it across multiple systems, software, or websites. It is widely used to build corporate websites, e-commerce websites, and mobile applications. Storyblok was specifically designed with content managers in mind and is therefore easy to use. It's good for companies operating in multiple countries, using multiple languages, and multiple device types. It's customizable, affordable, and includes robust security features.
#8WordPress
WordPress is the most popular CMS platform in use today. It is an open source product that highlights usability and is especially useful for blogs. Due to its ease of use, it is ideal for small businesses or companies that cannot maintain a web development team. However, if you need more complexity, you can add plugins or other customizations. In addition to being easy to use, WordPress is customizable, secure and highly accessible. The following video highlights the benefits of WordPress.
Optimize your online presence
With such a diverse range of CMS options, you're likely to find the right platform to create a seamless and unique online presence for your business. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, but the time you spend researching the best CMS for your business will pay off big when your website attracts visitors and allows you to communicate effectively to create win-win interactions and relationships.
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Source: BairesDev
