Choosing the right Content Management System for your website can be a complex task. Since there are various Content Management Systems available in the market, finding the ideal one for your business involves a pretty complicated process.
So, why does a website need to have a good Content Management System selection process?
All websites need to be powered through content technologies for better use. These same technologies are further expected to be agile as consumers demand relevant content experiences through multiple channels. This is why it is more crucial than ever for businesses to conduct a thorough evaluation process when selecting a content management system.
By selecting a CMS hastily, a business can end up creating a lot of problems for its website that can take quite a lot of time to fix. Choosing the wrong CMS also means that your business won’t be able to get any return on investment that justified the website-launching project in the first place.
What Content Management System Solution to Use?
When deciding on a Content Management System for a website, one of the most important decisions to make is choosing between on-premise, hosted, and SaaS.
Here are the three types of CMS solutions for websites.
- On-Premise CMS
An on-premise CMS allows you to purchase a CMS license from a vendor and install the software either on your servers or your hosting provider’s servers. An on-premise CMS provider only has the responsibility of maintaining and updating the software. Everything else, including installation, security, and infrastructure upgrades, are supposed to be handled by you. Two prominent examples of on-premise solutions are WordPress and Drupal.
- Cloud-Hosted CMS
A cloud-hosted CMS solution allows you to purchase a license and then install the software at a web host or data center. This solution works quite similar to an on-premise CMS solution, except for the fact that it’s installed on third-party servers that you don’t directly own. Generally, any on-premise CMS solution can serve as a hosted solution, given that the web host meets the requirements of the server. Two examples of cloud-hosted solutions are WPEngine and Hostway.
- SaaS CMS Solution
SaaS stands for Software as a Service Solution is an emerging CMS solution category that has gained significant popularity in recent years. Saas CMS works quite similar to any other SaaS tools, such as Google Docs, Gmail, and Salesforce.
By opting for a SaaS solution, you won’t need to install update or maintain your website. The CMS provider will take care of all the technical concerns themselves so you will only need to focus on creating and management content.
When it comes to SaaS, you need to buy a monthly subscription to use the CMS program since there isn’t any long-term contract normally. Moreover, SaaS also doesn’t have any upfront costs before deployment. Since this software is pre-built, you can benefit from its ongoing updates, enhancements and improvements offered by the CMS vendor. Examples of SaaS include CrownPeak and Core dna.
Factors to Consider When Choosing aContent Management System for Your Website
Here are some factors that you need to consider when selecting the right Content Management System for your website.
- Allowed Level of Customisation
Every different CMS offers its own level of customisation. The level of customisation that your Content Management System allows plays a vital role in selecting the right CMS for your website. In case you opt for a basic CMS, you won’t be able to edit your website much, nor will you be able to personalise its aesthetics and layout such as changing the color, adding widgets, or changing the shape according to your business.
- Access and Permissions
A good Content Management System for your website not only offers multiple permission levels, but also allows access to multiple people. While the administrator can edit anything on the website, a few sections of the website also have a lower-level access.
- Scalability
A good CMS system being scalable is a no-brainer. Every business has to go experience change sooner or later, which naturally has an impact on the website. A CMS solution should be dynamic; one that can scale and grow quickly according to changes in a business’ requirements.
- Omnichannel Support
Even if your business is currently only displaying on desktop or mobile sites, it’s vital for you to consider other properties and options that you haven’t yet considered, but could benefit from in the future. In today’s digital world, there are many sources that content exists on including mobile, AR/VR, digital assistants, kiosks, etc. It’s important to note that there are no signs of this slowing down anytime in the coming future. So, when choosing a CMS solution for your website, you need to ensure that you choose one that is capable of supporting new channels in the future.
- Technical Support
While a few CMS platforms provide feed technical support, others charge for this service. A major advantage of having additional technical support is that you won’t have to experience any downtime. Continuous technical support means constant updates and smooth running of a website.
- User-Developed Customisation
Some CMS systems also offer user-develop customisation, which means that the admin can create a plugin or widget on the website for extra customisation. This can either be done by an in-house developer or an out-sourced one, given that they have the skills to develop and promote such add-ons effectively.
- User-Friendly
The ease and convenience that a Content Management System offers to its user reflect its worthiness. Even though this varies from user to user, but almost all businesses want a user-friendly system. So, when deciding on a CMS solution, you should evaluate whether its features are user-friendly or not.
- SEO Optimisation Feature
Most CMS solutions have pre-loaded SEO, which means that using them to build your site will help search engines recognise it. So, even if you aren’t running any SEO campaign specifically, your website will already be optimised.
- Cost
Cost is another vital factor to consider when selecting a Content Management system. While some CMS solutions are reasonable or free of cost in the beginning, you may have to incur significant costs to get some extra features. Either way, you should develop a cost evaluation sheet of all your CMS options to see which will benefit you in the long-run.
The objective of a Content Management System is to offer businesses an easy and convenient way to create and edit content. Keeping the main purpose in mind, you can opt for a CMS system from the various options available in the market. Even though choosing a CMS is a tough job, the above-mentioned factors can help you choose the right one for your business.
