What should enterprise businesses look for in a CMS?
With so many providers on the market, each promising countless different functionalities and capabilities, how do marketers decide which content management system (CMS) or enterprise management system (EMS) is right for their organisation?
It might be one of the most important tech investments your business makes.
But with so many providers on the market, each promising countless different functionalities and capabilities, how do marketers decide which content management system (CMS) or enterprise management system (EMS) is right for their organisation?
First things first: what is a CMS, and how does it differ from an EMS? Fundamentally, a CMS is an application that lets an organisation manage, store and deliver content or documents.
Broadly speaking, though there are differing definitions of the term, enterprise management systems have the same functionalities as content management systems, but on a grander scale, so they can support the needs of larger businesses. An EMS might also be a system that is tailored to an organisation’s particular needs.
So what should enterprise businesses look for in a CMS? Of course, every business is different, and so it depends on what you’re looking to achieve. But we’ve brought together seven features that are most important for marketers in particular.
1. An intuitive UI, and ease of use
A good CMS is easy to get to grips with, and a pleasure to work with. If the system is too complicated, or proves frustrating to use, your people will vote with their feet, defeating the purpose of investing in a new system entirely.
Ask yourself whether the CMS is intuitive for everyone in the business who is using it, from the tech-savvy to the not-so-much. If your organisation requires a more specialised system with more complex capabilities, weigh up whether it is worth investing in staff training or considering a different system.
2. Content and user management capabilities
If your business creates a lot of digital content, including web pages and emails, you need a CMS that allows you, and any other content creators in your organisation, to easily update text and images, or make edits on the fly. A WYSIWYG interface that allows easy uploading of multimedia, such as video, is essential for businesses to remain reactive and relevant.
It’s also worth checking if it is possible to manage access to the system. If your business has many content creators who are uploading content on the CMS, this feature allows a nominated admin to manage the users’ access to the system, and the privileges they have.
3. Scalability
Given the size of your investment, it’s important to consider the future needs of your organisation before you make your CMS selection. How flexible is the CMS? How will it cope with any changes to the business model, should they happen?
4. Ease of integration
Is your current infrastructure capable of running the CMS? Is your IT team ready for the maintenance and upkeep it might require? Make sure the system can integrate with your marketing stack, and that it will get along with your server.
5. Good SEO
After taking the time to install your new content management system, and getting to grips with its marvellous content editing capabilities, it would be a shame if your SEO takes a hit because of how it generates new web addresses, or doesn’t allow you to create suitable, informative titles for the pages you create.
Check how adaptable the system is, and after you’re satisfied it’s right for your business, you’re definitely going to need…
6. Performance tracking
See whether it’s possible to integrate any other SEO tools you might be using into the system, and how it works with web analytics tools like Google Analytics. If you don’t have the ability to track key performance metrics, how will you know whether you made a good investment?
7. Security and support
Content management systems represent a goldmine of vast amounts of data, and so it follows that they’re prone to attacks. Ask what security features are in place, and how easy it is to install security patches. Can your IT team take this on?
Server problems do happen, and if there is ever an outage, you need that peace of mind that support is at hand, 24/7/365. If you’re an international company, make sure support is available in every language spoken across your offices.
Download our CMS Vendor Selection Pack for more information about how to select the best web CMS for your business.