In the digital era, every business enterprise has a large volume of content which requires proper management. To manage the content, CMS a powerful tool is used, this helps in the management & delivery of the content. With multiple options available, selecting a CMS is a complicated job to do.
Obviously, every business’s content management needs are different, but there are some crucial parameters that need to be checked when making a choice. Without verifying these parameters, you could end up with a tool you will never use. Here is a list of key features you should consider when investing in a CMS.
Essential Features in a CMS
1. Functionality
Most people assume that all CMS platforms have similar functionality like creating, deleting, editing and organizing content. On a very basic level, this is absolutely correct. However, there are numerous CMS tools present having a feature to perform additional functions like E-commerce, multilingual, multiple websites, and event management. These features are important when your business grows, and you will not need other tools for such features. If a CMS has features that are useless for your website, they form an extra burden that impacts functioning. Make a list of features needed for the business and evaluate each CMS deeply before making a selection.
2. Flexibility
The most important thing to remember is that CMS should serve your business objective, and should not be deciding how you manage your content on your website. While having met the initial requirements of how content has to be accessed and presented, there are very few CMS available that give freedom to manage the content the way you like to. Hence, deep research of the market is needed to look for CMS that can stretch and adapt to your needs. Drupal is one such content management system that can be easily customized as per need.
3. Searchability
The search feature is an important aspect of a website, especially for the user, most enterprises availing CMS tools forget to look at this feature. A CMS should provide a search feature that includes freshness of content, quick search, website ranking, and scope. When assessing the search engine friendliness of a CMS, here are some points to consider:
• Image-Handling
• Static, Keyword-Rich URL Customization
• Title Tag Customization
• Meta Tag Customization
• Custom HTML Tags
• Redirect Functionality
4. Integration
Some businesses require multiple systems to operate in a proper manner. But it requires integration of this system unless business will have dispersed data that can hinder the performance. On the other hand, integration help business owners to make the correct decision by collecting, analyzing, and sharing information. The ability of the CRM to integrate with applications is very important to manage the content.
5. Support
If you opt for a CMS that is free to avail, the community support is important, unless you have in-house support. Such communities help to deal with queries, help in customizing the CMS and offer suggestions. In open source Platforms, the source code is available in the public domain. However, the important thing that needs attention is that community-based support has no guarantee. In most cases, no customer support is available in case of any issues. Paid support is an option that can be availed in most cases, such as heavy-content websites. This doesn’t mean that you invest in branded CMS. For branded CMS, support is often included into the licensing fee, however, it is important to know the level of this support and what restrictions are placed on the licensing arrangement.
6. Scalability
After spending time and doing efforts in selecting the best CMS for your organization, you don’t want to perform the same steps again just because it is limiting you to expand your web presence. Thus, it is important to select a CMS that is perfect for you in the future as well. The CMS that you select should have the ability to scale with your business over time. The CMS should be able to work with data interchanging tools like API & other applications. CMS with tight security measures should also be given proper importance. Moreover, it is important to ensure that the application remains secure even after regular release & upgrades regarding security patches.
Wrapping Up:
Selecting a CMS is not an easy decision to make. It needs proper investigation, planning, and future considerations. The most important decision is to opt for an open-source or branded version. Every CMS should be evaluated according to your needs and its own benefits. Does it fit within your requirements? Does it do what you need? Will it offer support? Can it meet the changing needs of your business organization? All these questions are discussed above in the blog. If these key points are followed properly, it is the best way to get assured value for your money.
Guest article written by: Aayushi Gill has great experience in Drupal Technology. She is the founder of Drupal India – a renowned Drupal Development Services provider. She loves to share her knowledge with all about the latest tips, trends and best practices.