Choosing The Right CMS For Your Business

A content management system (CMS) is software that helps you create, manage, and modify content on your website without having to be a computer genius to do it. A good CMS should make it easy to build your site without needing to write code, or even know how to code at all. The content management system handles all of that basic infrastructure work for you – but what should you look for in a CMS? Here are six key factors common to any good content management system:

1. A content editor that is easy to use should be one of your highest priorities when evaluating the content management systems available to you. The most obvious example is WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editors that assist you in creating content without the need for any coding skills at all. Because of the importance of content editors, most CMS platforms place particular emphasis on them so you should be spoilt for choice in this particular department.
2. Your CMS needs to have core functionality that helps you manage (create, add, delete) your content without any problems. This should align with your business goals to ensure you select the content management system best suited to your specific requirements. While you may want functionality that matches your needs in the here and now, it will be a good idea to consider your scaling and how your current needs could change in the years ahead. It’s useful, therefore, to think of core functionality as the features in the platform that will help you take your business to the next level but without losing sight of where you are now. A good example is just because you don’t have enough content yet, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be interested in the search function or the search optimisation of your page down the track.
3. Design flexibility in your CMS platform will allow you to use an existing template or theme for your pages as a starting point, but with the ability to add your own branding and design elements that will improve your content. The flexibility you need includes capabilities in the following areas:

• Editing templates to add your own branding and design
• Editing and managing content
• Managing your web pages
• Content architecture
• Design freedom to add personal touches and branding

With more people now accessing their web content on a mobile device, design flexibility also has to allow for an excellent user experience across all devices – this applies to even the most simple sites. Of course, the more complex the site and its content architecture, the harder it is to provide a great user experience without having the flexibility to improve it.

4. Efficient user management will allow for greater collaboration and increased input right across your team. There will be a lot of people using your CMS platform, be they a content writer, a marketer, an SEO professional, or someone working in IT support. To ensure everyone is assigned the right role in the platform, user management should be easy. As a result, the assignment of roles and permissions will be straightforward so everyone in your team can access the CMS when they need to.

5. A wide selection of third-party integrations and plugins is crucial if you want to go beyond the basic elements of your CMS platform. No content management system in its original form comes with all bells and whistles. However, it should be able to provide you with easy access to additional features that will add to your content when you want to. There are thousands of options when it comes to integrations and plugins that can transform your site, and the best CMS gives you the best selection.
6. Support is crucial. No matter how easy your CMS is to use, there will be times when you need technical advice. When shopping around for your content management system, look for ones that have a reputation for providing professional support that you can access without delay.

The content management system you opt for will help you easily build and update your site. But here’s one more tip to finish, and it’s an important one. As good as your CMS is, and as user-friendly as your website becomes, it stands for little without engaging the services of digital marketing experts to help you show off your site to the consumers you’re trying to attract.