Selecting the right content management system (CMS) for your new and improved website is crucial, and it’s not always the easiest decision to make. Both IT and Marketing teams are likely to be involved, and they will have different views of the situation. So how can you be sure that you’re making the right choice, with the right information, while meeting the needs of every department?

IT staff tend to prefer tried-and-tested solutions, with solid user support and a sturdy technological platform. They’ll also pay attention to compatibility and inter-connectivity with existing or complementary solutions and infrastructure.

Marketing types look for tools which are attractive and easy to use and which give them full autonomy in the pursuit of their marketing objectives. Functions such as content personalization capacity can often play a deciding role.

We base our recommendations on all of these criteria. All too often, businesses just choose the most popular tool – but popularity doesn’t mean it’s right for you. We will help you find the most appropriate solution for your own business context.

TRIED AND TRUE SOLUTIONS

Obviously, you’re going to want a tried and true solution which performs well in the areas most important to you. If, for example, your website is designed for use in different countries and includes multiple languages, a solution with native multi-language capacity will be better suited to your needs than an option which requires additional plug-ins to provide these functions.

SUPPORT

Companies often forget about the support element of CMS, but if you’re having website trouble, easy access to the product manufacturer is invaluable. If an agency offers support, make sure that they’re happy to respect the existing architecture, otherwise you may end up with a Frankenstein website which is impossible to modify.

EASE OF USE

In our opinion, a good management tool should be intuitive and simple to use, so that you can update your content without having to hunt through endless menus or call in the specialists. Ease of use is essential to improving the efficiency of administrative teams, particularly when combined with great development practices in order to centralize content.

INTER-CONNECTIVITY AND OPENNESS

Whatever your needs, it’s always good to look for an open solution with the capacity to evolve and interconnect with other external solutions, such as a CRM. Proprietary solutions, where clients are locked in, should be avoided. They may be cheap to purchase, but there could be unpleasant surprises further down the line in terms of evolution costs.

ADVANCED FUNCTIONALITIES

Evidently, certain functions are more important than others when choosing a CMS – particularly as a bespoke system isn’t always in the budget. Decisions should be made on the basis of the functions offered by the existing CMS. If your requirements are simple, it’s best to avoid larger platforms which can be cumbersome, increase management complexity and have a negative impact on performance.

In short, there’s no one-size-fits-all option for CMS: each solution has its own advantages and drawbacks, and your choice should be based on your own, real requirements. It’s often tempting to adopt the solution with the greatest long-term potential, but cost is also a factor. On the flip side, attempts to cut costs by adopting a free CMS solution can often backfire: you may have to code everything from scratch, which, in the long term, will be more expensive.