How to Choose the Best Web CMS (5 Key Tips)

A web CMS isn’t just part of your online presence – it’s the foundation at the core of it. As such, choosing one isn’t a decision that should be made lightly. That’s why we’ve put together this guide. By applying five essential tips during your search, you can choose the best web CMS for your organization on the first try.

What is a web CMS?

A web CMS is software that allows you to manage your digital presence. It forms the base on which you can build your organization’s identity, holds all its data, and determines how your brand interfaces with your customers.

Developers can work on the backend with coding, but it also offers a simple interface so that even editors who have no coding experience can use it to design, organize, and publish content. It typically also comes with tools to make your work more effective such as collaboration features and data analytics.

Given how essential a web CMS is to your business, you can’t just pick the first one you come across. Finding the right fit takes time and research. If you skip the process, it could seriously hamper your ability to run your site. This can take the form of unorganized content, a bad frontend user experience, or even security threats.

Switching away from a bad CMS also has its challenges: the time it would take, the cost of migration, a challenging learning curve, and more. That’s why it’s important to find the right web CMS on the first try.

How to choose the best web CMS (5 tips)

Here are five pieces of advice to help you discover the best web CMS for your organization.

1. Decide if headless is right for you

A headless CMS is a system that organizes your content in a flexible way by separating the backend from the frontend. It still connects the two through the use of APIs - however, this also means that a headless CMS can use APIs to connect to any number of frontends and additional tools. The result is a web CMS that’s infinitely scalable, extremely customizable, and fundamentally secure.

However, it’s worth noting that headless CMSs take time and resources to use to their fullest potential. It allows you to do many complex things, but if you’re running a small website that doesn’t need too many bells and whistles, this might not be what you’re looking for in a web CMS. You might be better off with a monolithic solution that comes with simple, pre-selected features.

Given how different these options are, deciding between a headless CMS and a monolithic CMS should be one of the first steps you take. Not only will this effectively cut down on the number of options you have to sort through, but it will also help you narrow down which features are most important to you in a web CMS.

2. Investigate growth options

Expanding an organization comes with enough challenges as is. You don’t want to add to the pile by picking a web CMS that will restrict your ability to grow. This will only slow down your operations, and in the worst case, prevent them from moving forward at all. You’ll either have to drastically change your system or undertake a challenging migration process during what was supposed to be a crucial time of growth.

Even if you’re not thinking about growth right now, understanding how a web CMS scales can at least make sure it remains an option in the future. Make sure to look into how well a web CMS supports expansion before you commit. You may want to ask questions like:

• Are there storage restrictions that would limit your ability to increase content production?
• Is changing or adding new tools a lengthy, complicated process?
• Will additional team members have to struggle with a steep learning curve when onboarding?

Moreover, you may want to look beyond logistics and see what specific growth features a system offers. For example, if you want to reach new audiences around the world, it’s worth your time to check out what globalization capabilities a potential option can provide you with.

3. Take a look at organizational features

Nobody wants to spend their time hunting through mountains of content to find what they’re looking for. A web CMS that can’t offer high-quality organization is one that will only get harder to use as time goes on and content increases. Pick one that makes your users’ lives easier with tools to keep everything in order.

A simple way to get an idea of how organized a web CMS is is by searching for a few key features and determining how effective they are in action. Some to keep an eye out for include:

• A tagging system that makes finding relevant content quick and easy
• Customizable workflows to keep track of each content’s status
• A digital asset management system (DAM) that effectively catalogs images

This is another reason why you may want to consider scalability. As your site grows, so will the content within it. It won’t be much use to you if there’s no effective way to keep track of it all.

4. Include all team members in the decision-making process

As the basis of your website, a web CMS is going to be a pretty big part of the day-to-day life of your users. This applies to any team, whether they’re developers working on backend code or marketers working to produce content for frontend users. Include every team that will be using your CMS in the decision-making process to ensure that nobody will feel lost when the time to switch comes.

For example, a complex web CMS might be perfect for your developers, but might be too difficult for any content editors to effectively use. By the same token, a simpler web CMS might be easier for non-technical people to use, but it could also tie your developers’ hands if it doesn’t have the capabilities they need to build a high-performing website.

You should also take a look at available collaboration features. The ability to communicate within your CMS keeps all the relevant information in one place and eliminates the need for additional external tools that can complicate the process. Look for things such as in-engine commenting, defined workflows, and an interface that users of any technical skill can easily use.

5. Give it a try

Images, articles, and videos are helpful, but it’s hard to beat experiencing a CMS first-hand! Trying out a system is the most direct way to see how intuitive it is. It also gives you a chance to see the features in action, which can help you determine if they’re up to the job of supporting your site.

The good news is that many web CMSs offer free demos. This offers you the chance to talk to a team that can answer any questions you may have and walk you through any features you’re interested in. These demos are an easy yet extremely valuable tool to help you find your perfect fit.

Key takeaways

Choosing a web CMS might be the most important decision you make when it comes to establishing your organization’s online presence. It should also be the most well-researched one. There are a lot of options out there, but by keeping your organization’s needs in mind and fully investigating your options, you can find the one that’ll best support your goals.