Last Updated on September 25, 2023
When your business needs to focus on the daily operations of a website, search ranking, advanced features, and fun design are often pushed to the back burner. This all-too-common scenario can lead to a missed opportunity — there is a suitable CMS that offers more for your needs than you think. Below are 12 criteria to help you choose the right content management system platform for small businesses.
What is the purpose of CMS?
One of the best practices to keep your website content fresh and up-to-date is to use a content management system (CMS). Content management systems (CMS) are software programs designed to make website creation, modification, and maintenance more accessible. They simplify website development by allowing users to manage new content without knowing HTML or other coding languages. Headless CMS is a term that has been around for a little while now. It’s a content management system offering additional features and functionality beyond managing content.
The purpose of a CMS is to manage all aspects of your website, including navigation, user experience, multimedia, and more. In addition to providing essential core features and functionality like image galleries, video embedding, and contact forms, many CMS platforms are available today that offer advanced features such as eCommerce and social media integration.
Content management software is a computer application that allows you to create, manage, and publish web content. The workflow can be a formal set of steps or a more informal process. WordPress is one of the most popular CMS platforms, used by over 60 million sites worldwide. It’s easy to use, highly customizable, and has a vast community of third-party developers who create plugins for all functionality and features. When choosing a CMS platform for your website, it’s essential to consider how much time and money you want to spend on maintaining your site. Also, consider how user-friendly the platform will be for your clients so they can make changes independently.
Content Management Systems (CMS) are web tools that allow you to easily manage and publish your website content. CRM is an acronym for customer relationship management. It is a strategy that can be used to improve the relationship between your company and its customers. Open Source CMS software is the best way to start your website, blog, or small business.
Most CMS platforms are free or low-cost, making them affordable for small businesses and individuals who want to create their websites.
Why are Content Management Systems critical?
Content management systems are very useful in managing and updating the content of your website. They have become trendy in recent years due to their ability to edit the content of your website easily and quickly. A content management system is highly recommended if you have a website, as it will make updating your site much easier and quicker than manually.
Content management systems help businesses manage their websites efficiently. They allow you to update information quickly without knowing how to code or hire someone who does. This is important because it means you can keep up with your online presence no matter where you are or what time of day it is!
It also makes things easier if you work with multiple people on your site and want them all working together in one place instead of trying to communicate through email or Slack messages whenever someone needs something changed on their part of the website.
12 Criteria for Evaluating Content Management System Platform
Before evaluating a content management system platform, you must know what you want. Content management systems are designed to make creating, managing, and publishing websites and other digital content creation more accessible. They range from simple tools that allow you to craft basic websites with limited search functionality to complex platforms that let you create sophisticated sites with multiple pages and advanced features.
The following criteria will help you evaluate the Content Management System platform that’s right for your organization:
Scalability.
You want to ensure the CMS can handle your current demands and growth plans. With this consideration, many different content management system platform is built from the ground up, but others may require additional customization to meet these needs.
Security.
A secure content management system platform will protect your data from unauthorized access and third-party modification. It will also protect your users from malicious scripts that could infect their computers with viruses or malware during browsing.
Integration capabilities.
You’ll want a content management system platform that can integrate with other systems you use in your business today — such as e-commerce solutions or marketing automation platforms — and future technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and chatbots.
User experience.
The user experience is another critical factor when evaluating content management system platforms. You want your visitors to easily navigate through your site and find what they need quickly without being bogged down by complicated menus.
Functionality.
A good content management system platform should give you all the tools you need to manage your content. For example, suppose multiple writers and contributors post articles and blog posts on your website. In that case, the platform should have built-in authoring tools to do so easily without knowing HTML or other coding languages. It should also provide essential features like comments and search engine optimization (SEO) tools so visitors can easily find what they’re looking for on your site.
Customization.
You want to be able to customize your website from scratch so it matches your brand and business goals perfectly. Customizability refers to how much control you have over your website’s features, look, and function.
Cost.
Another consideration when choosing a content management system platform is cost. Some platforms charge per month, while others charge by usage (i.e., how many pages are being added). Pricing varies depending on what type of website you are building, but most platforms offer plans starting at around $30 per month up to several hundred dollars per month, depending on what they offer.
Ease of use.
The more difficult the platform is to use, the longer it will take for your team to learn it — and that can lead to mistakes or delays in your project timelines. Look for platforms that offer training resources and support from their developers if you need help getting started or troubleshooting technical issues down the line.
Integration With Other Software and Services
The best content management systems are the ones that integrate easily with other software and services that you use. Integration with other software and services is essential when evaluating new CMS platforms. Some CMS platforms are designed to be used with other software, while others are designed to work independently.
Support
Select a content management system platform that offers 24/7 support that is accessible, easy to use, and quick to respond to. Customer support is an essential aspect of any business. It would be best if you did not have to wait on hold for more than a few minutes before you can speak with someone live. Additionally, you should be able to reach out via email or live chat if you prefer to avoid phone conversations.
Reliability
The best content management systems should be reliable. Your website is your business’s face; if it goes down, you lose money. Reliability measures how often a content management system platform crashes and for how long. A reliable content management system platform consistently well, even under user loads or traffic spikes. You can evaluate a CMS platform’s reliability by looking at its uptime track record or using one of the many online tools that report on a site’s content downtime.
Manageability
Manageability is among the most important criteria for evaluating content management system platforms. Manageability refers to how easy a system is to use and how long it takes to make changes. Some systems are straightforward to use, while others require extensive training. The time it takes you or your employees to change publishing content also matters because it affects productivity.
Conclusion
As you choose a CMS, remember it’s a long-term decision. You want one that will offer the CMS features, flexibility, and usability you need for your website over the next few years. A clearly defined set of requirements to evaluate each platform will help you select. Feel free to visit our blogs to know more about content management system platforms.
FAQs
How easy is it to edit?
Some platforms use templates or drag-and-drop interfaces that allow you to customize your site easily without any coding experience. Others require more technical knowledge, which may be perfect if you already have developers on staff but could be frustrating if you don’t have time or resources to learn new skills.
Does it have all the features you need?
Many content management system platform comes with built-in features such as SEO tools and analytics tracking that are useful for businesses of all sizes. Others offer only basic functionality at a low price point, while others still offer advanced features at a higher cost.
What are the limitations of using CMS?
There are several limitations to using CMS. First, they can only be used effectively when people use them consistently. If they aren’t used consistently, their data will not be accurate and useful. Second, you must have much time and energy to keep up with your data. Third, you need access to the Internet for these programs to work correctly.
