What is a CMS & Which One is Best For Your Business?

Since the turn of the century, the idea of creating exhilarating digital experiences using CMS (content management system) has ruled the World Wide Web.

Business owners need to create a compelling customer experience while facilitating their digital transformation initiatives. And, to achieve this goal, just a simple HTML website is not enough. You need a robust content management system at the back of your website so you can truly optimize your online presence.

But how do the best-in-class firms create these compelling customer experiences? You guessed it—through Content Management System (CMS). It’s an exciting time for businesses to adopt new skills such as cloud and machine learning to deploy new solutions backed by robust web development solutions.

As organizations start their digital transformation journey, it is pertinent to understand how to optimize content. It is also significant to learn the facets of leveraging CMS to create new content engaging moments.

If you are wondering how to build next-generation websites using a content management system, then relax! In this article, we will be looking at trending CMS platforms, features and more.

Let’s dive in!

What is a CMS?

Picture this—your business website has digital content that needs to be created, edited, and published—and you don’t want to involve a programmer for every time you want to manage the content.

In this scenario, you can find a content management system (CMS) handy, as you can use the software to manage and deploy website content.

With a CMS, you can handle the creation, editing, and deletion of content from a site through a user-friendly interface. The good part—you would not require the users to have HTML skills or other technical knowledge.

Content authors and managers can make the necessary changes without the help of a developer. CMS typically includes format control, version control, search, and retrieval. It can also help you deliver content quickly and efficiently.

As a business owner, it would be pertinent to have a robust strategy to implement the best suitable CMS for your business website.

Top CMS Features and Capabilities

Understanding CMS features can help to select the right one for your enterprise needs.

Let’s take a look at some of the important CMS features and capabilities:

Table 1. Snapshot of Basic CMS Features

**CMS Features**
- WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) editor - Content versioning and archiving - Content scheduling - Asset management - API and Analytics tools - Built-in SEO tools - Robust page templates - Library of website themes - Mobile optimization and responsive design	- Publishing workflow - Comprehensive search - Microdata support for voice search - Page caching - Bulk management and community management - Localization / regionalization with multi-lingual content - Tiered permissions - Import/export content - Browser compatibility

It is best to check out different CMS platforms and compare the features. Using an enterprise-ready CMS can be a great option.

Why Do You Need a CMS?

At the most basic level, a CMS lets you manage the digital content of your website. Most of them are open-source, and you can customize or add new features to the platform.

If you aren’t too sure how to do this, then it is prudent to opt-in for CMS development services such as Imaginovation. Our professional expertise would help you to explore your options, find the CMS best suited for your business, and incorporate trending features.

You might need a CMS if your business type is one of the following:

eCommerce: If you are looking at tracking sales, and quickly adding and removing products, then a CMS can facilitate your online store. You can also add plugins such as a shopping cart to your site.

Small Businesses: Whether your business is small or big, it makes sense to leverage the features and capabilities of a CMS to manage the digital content and optimize your website’s content.

Nonprofits: You can easily manage your website with an apt CMS. The good part—it won’t cost you much, and you can also accept donations online by adding plugins. You can also find open-source CMS applications with robust communities of developers that can help nonprofits create excellent websites.

Businesses of all types can benefit from using a CMS, and it’s time you plan to enhance your websites with one. Here are some benefits of using a CMS:

1. Update Website on Your Terms: CMS gives you the power to update and edit the content of your website. So if you want to add an event or image to one of your web pages, you can do it at your own pace, without depending on the expertise of an outside vendor or web developers.

2. Secure Collaboration and Access: CMS facilitates the collaboration of different projects. Several people can add, edit, or update content on the site.

3. Advanced SEO Tools and Plugins: Adding plugins and tools is a powerful provision that helps your site to rank better in major search engines. So, for example, WordPress plugins have options to include web page titles, alt tags, meta descriptions, and more that can help to optimize your website.

4. No Technical Knowledge or Web Programming Experience Required: CMS was built for users with little or no programming experience. It is easy to add images and text onto specific pages.

5. Security: CMS is consistently tested, which makes it a robust solution against potential security threats. Countless plugins and tools can increase your website’s security.

6. Cost-Effective: A CMS can save you time and money, as you no longer need to depend on a web developer to make the changes that you need for your site.

7. Access Trendy Web Functionalities: With frequent upgrades and new functionalities, a CMS is worth the investment. Many proprietary CMS would come with a support team to facilitate the transition.

8. Implement Integrative Online Strategy: The best CMS can facilitate the implementation of an integrative online strategy. It is easy to use a CMS to create event registration forms, collect fees and donations, and store member information.

9. Content Quality Improvement: The quality of content is enhanced with a CMS, so not only does it make updating efficient, but the quality facet gives your organization that extra edge.

10. Happy Customers: Quality content spells satisfied customers. With a CMS, customers can find all relevant information on your site, making CMS worth its salt.

A CMS can help in myriad ways, so the next big question is—what are the CMS platforms? Let’s check them out.

Best CMS Picks

What is the right content solution for your business needs? Here are some excellent CMS-style features—some of the best picks of CMS platforms.

1. WordPress

WordPress is an open-source CMS, and one of the most ubiquitous CMS platforms. The platform offers the ability to produce blogs and websites with ease.

It also provides tagging content by category and keyword, embedding media on different pages, managing content and changing visual themes, and more.

2. Wix

Wix is a blog platform that enhances the aesthetics of your blog or website, featuring the most hands-on design interface. The design interface is user-friendly and fun to use.

You can look out for the drag-and-drop design format that helps you control the look of your site, even if you don’t know anything about coding.

3. Drupal

Drupal is a free, open-source CMS that is written in PHP. Drupal’s most popular feature is the Taxonomy module. It offers plenty of professional Drupal Themes that can be customized, and you can also use Drupal Plugins.

4. Joomla!

Joomla! is a free and open-source CMS used to publish content. Joomla! includes features such as RSS feeds, page caching, news flashes, blogs, polls, support for language internationalization, and more.

5. ExpressionEngine

ExpressionEngine is a CMS written in object-oriented PHP, using MySQL for data storage. ExpressionEngine (EE) is packed with helpful features with a powerful templating engine.

It offers template caching, query caching, and tag caching that can keep the site running quickly.

6. Weebly

Weebly is a basic CMS with blogging and eCommerce features. The platform can be used for building standard websites, specialized webpages for online stores, and more.

7. MS SharePoint

MS SharePoint is a web-based collaborative platform. It offers BI content such as data connections, reports scorecards, dashboards, and more.

8. Crownpeak DXM

Crownpeak DXM is an excellent provider of Enterprise-level CMS delivered via the cloud.

The platform offers a repository of content capable of feeding different applications across different languages. It has a built-in digital quality tool (DQM) that allows you to check the quality of content and any accessibility issues.

9. Concrete5

Concrete5 is a free and open-source PHP built CMS for content on the web and also for intranets. The platform features integrated server caching, supports OpenID, version control, and SEO.

10. Squarespace

Squarespace is a CMS platform that allows users to create a DIY blog, eCommerce store, or portfolio. It enables eCommerce users to customize not only elements like themes and fonts but also structural elements like online store layout.

The verdict—a content management system is a requisite. You can check out the features offered by the best CMS applications in the industry, and find the one that helps with what you’re trying to accomplish.

You’d have already come across a lot of three-letter-acronyms in the content industry, such as CMS and ECM. What’s ECM? Let’s find out.

Does Your Business Need Enterprise CMS Development?

Let’s start with understanding some of the basics of ECM.

What is ECM?

Enterprise Content Management (ECM) is how the digital content for your business is stored, maintained, shared, delivered, and secured.

It is a set of defined strategies, processes, and tools that allow your business to effectively organize vital information to your employees, business stakeholders, and customers. ECM can help control your company’s data, information, presentations, and documents.

It typically involves implementing processes for projects and creation. ECM tools and strategies allow the management of unstructured information, no matter where that information exists. Tools include WCM and DAM.

What is a DAM? Digital Asset Management (DAM) falls under the ECM umbrella and has a focus on managing rich media assets such as video, audio, brand images, and more.

Let’s check out some of the differences and similarities between CMS and ECM.

What are the Similarities and Differences Between CMS and ECM?

Understanding the differences and similarities between CMS and ECM can help to understand the two terms better.

Differences:

CMS and ECM have subtle differences, typically in the type of content storage and sharing.

So, if you’re looking and handling word documents or professional documents (.pdf), then you’d prefer a CMS. However, if you are managing content such as audio, video, and image files, then you’d prefer an ECM.

Similarities:

CMS is a superset of ECM, and a lot of what ECM does is interchangeable with CMS.

So, you can use both to promote enterprise content organizations and solutions. Both extend integrative capabilities, such as integrating with the popular Microsoft Suite.

Why Do Businesses Need ECM Software?

Let’s take a quick look at some of the reasons why businesses can think of ECM software.

Increased Productivity: An ECM software can help your business with a great deal of saving time and sharing information, which spells into productivity levels increasing.

Reduces paperwork and saves time: An ECM facilitates in reducing paperwork. Now, information can be stored digitally, and the retrieval is enhanced. The process helps save time.

Operational costs and risks cut: Losing crucial business information locked in paper formats is a possibility. With digital forms, not only is it easier to manage and store data, but it is also cheaper compared to using paper.

Enhanced customer service: ECM facilitates in improving customer service. So, any information can be provided to customers efficiently without taking too much time.

ECM and CMS are promising solutions, and the future of customized CMS with facets such as AI, machine learning, analytics, and more will be creating pathways for the future.

Custom CMS for Businesses: The Trend and Features

Here’s a quick snapshot of the CMS future trends. The trends keep evolving, so remember they aren’t written in stone, keep an eye on the market trends and apply the technology to your business environment.

As reiterated by CMO of La-Z-Boy, Doug Collier, who says: “The world is changing so fast, particularly from a marketing standpoint, that if you’re not interested in learning new things you’ll be left in the dust very quickly.” The sentiment is quite apt for the content industry with terms of learning continuously.

Trends with Features:

• More organizations will build functionalities that will create a complete web experience for their users and businesses.
• More organizations will require more agile and adaptive solutions.
• There will be increased use of robotic process automation (RPA).
• The collaboration will continue to expand and information security will play an important role.
• The boost in the adoption of technologies such as IoT, artificial intelligence, big data, and connected devices will create massive data sets for enterprises.

As digitization contributes to the creation of massive data, the need for structuring the data and information is also growing. All these facets are increasing the opportunities embedded in the CMS market.

Create Compelling Digital Experiences with Imaginovation

In today’s content-driven world, it’s important for businesses to create transformative digital journeys for your customers. If you are wondering how to build a stunning website using the top CMS platform, get in touch with us.

We at Imaginovation have helped many businesses to explore, select, and develop the most trending CMS solutions. We also offer custom CMS development services for enterprise organizations. Let’s talk.