BEST CONTENT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE (CMS) SYSTEMS OF MAY 2024

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Vault’s Viewpoint: Compare the Best Content Management Software (CMS) Systems of 2024

Learn More About Content Management Software (CMS) Systems

Content management software (CMS) is a must for digital content publishers. It makes publishing and managing a library much easier—and it’s your primary tool of choice to optimize your reader experience.

To get the most out of your CMS, we have to truly dissect what it is and how it works. Our experts have summarized what you need to know about the best content management system software options, giving you the insight you need to excel.

What Is a Content Management Software (CMS) System?

A CMS platform allows a digital publisher to draft, edit and publish online content with ease. As they serve as your comprehensive hub for all things public-facing, different CMS solutions typically provide different complementary elements and features to elevate your experience. These include perks such as plugins for formatting or technical integrations. Additionally, most CMS platforms offer a drag-and-drop block-style editor to make drafting and customizing content easy.

How Do CMS Systems Work?

Beyond mere creation, a CMS also has a primary function of organizing content. The process for this may vary by vendor, but is fairly simple at its core.

For example: When new content is added to the website, it is first placed in draft mode. This allows relevant parties, such as editors and SEO managers, to edit the content so that it meets editorial standards. Once a draft is complete, the editor or content manager has the option to publish the piece. This can be done immediately or scheduled for a specific date and time.

When content is uploaded, it is then added to the library with all other content to be indexed and viewed. Editors and content managers can move content into certain categories so that similar content is found in the same place on the website, enhancing the search experience for site visitors. SEO staff can also tag content with keywords, further enhancing the search experience based on the user’s search intent.

Who Is CMS Software Best For?

A CMS software solution is best for any individual, site or business that is planning to function as an online publisher in any capacity. While many online publishers might be e-magazines or recreational bloggers, many might also be organizations and enterprises looking to enhance their organic marketing presence via SEO.

In short, anyone who has a library of content that they want to publish (or create) will generally want a CMS to help organize it.

Types of Content Management Systems

There are five primary types of CMS software solutions:

• Component Content Management Systems (CCMS): This type of tool organizes content granularly, collecting words, phrases, paragraphs or images and sorting by value in a centralized “hive.”
• Enterprise Content Management Systems (ECM): This tool type ensures that information and documents are sent to the most qualified audience both inside and outside of an organization. It’s typically more robust in nature, and may come equipped with other more inclusive features.
• Web Content Management Systems (WCMS): This tool option manages digital components of a website exclusively in a sleek, no-code format—enabling authorship and collaboration across the repository without the strain of the developmental steps typically associated with CMS publishing.
• Digital Asset Management Systems (DAM): A DAM allows users to produce, manage, store and organize digital assets across content types, typically in an accessible cloud-based format.
• Document Management Systems (DMS): This tool is a CMS of sorts, without a heavy emphasis on authorship. Rather, it acts as an automated solution for uploading, processing and distributing business documents in a simple, paperless way.

How To Choose a Content Management Software

When looking for the best content management software or a new sales content management system software, there are some factors that you should consider. Our experts have summarized them below in an effort to streamline your evaluation process.

Implementation Costs

There are two costs associated with implementing a new CMS solution. The first is the subscription cost, if your platform of choice has one. Some open source CMS software solutions are free. However, free doesn’t mean that it won’t cost you anything to implement. You may need a developer or someone with coding experience to implement the solution to be a viable working solution for your organization.

Our experts do want to note that most subscription-based solutions are templatized, and don’t require intensive coding experience to implement. You might consider this type of a solution if you are looking for something that is launch-ready.

Access to Templates

Some CMS providers offer thousands of templates both through their own offerings and as third-party integrations. While having a lot of templates may not be necessary, it’s important to make sure that the CMS has a template that fits the needs of your content design—and more variety means more options to choose from. Additionally, some CMS solutions allow you to create your own templates in the solution, which is ideal for those wanting a specific look for their content. The best content management software options typically offer both choices, allowing the customer to choose the solutions that fit their needs.

Storage Space

Building a content library with images and videos can take up a lot of space. As such, it’s best to choose a CMS solution that can support the size of your library.

As you search for this factor in your content management system software of choice, our experts recommend digging deep to confirm how much space you’ll actually be getting. For example: Some solutions have limited plan storage size that upgrades with premium plans, allowing you to scale your business as needed. However, it’s easy to overlook if you’re skimming the pricing tiers quickly, especially with tools with more complex fee structures.

Collaboration Capabilities

Depending on the size of your organization, multiple people may need to touch an asset before it is published. Content creators, editors, SEO staff, marketers and developers may all need to be part of the content creation process. Your CMS of choice has to be robust enough to support the current and future anticipated level of collaboration.

Content Scheduling Tools

Publishers typically create content calendars to ensure consistent and timely content publication. Our experts recommend choosing a CMS that allows you to schedule content based on date and time with few extra steps. Choosing a tool with this flexibility ensures that you can keep a steady stream of content flowing to your target audience.

SEO Features

Getting your content to rank on Google or other search engines is imperative for most digital content publishers. After all—this is how they get eyes on the content without spending a lot of money on ads or hoping things go viral with social media. Our team recommends choosing a CMS platform that incorporates SEO tools into content publishing, ideally without the extra step of an integration or extension download.

Security

As with any tool, our experts recommend choosing a CMS solution that prioritizes security; possibly via code and design features that dissuade hackers from trying to access your website. If you have questions about the depth of your tool’s security, we encourage you to reach out to service reps. They should be able to provide you with the information you need, as well as any additional certifications that the tool has to offer.

Other Content Management Software (CMS) System Alternatives

M-Files

M-Files is an enterprise content management solution that helps businesses oversee documents used throughout the company. It offers generative AI as a solution that allows collaborators and authors to interact with the organization’s base of knowledge, protecting the security of a company’s document management process and assets. Those wanting more information are encouraged to schedule a demo and get a customized quote based on their industry and content library size. The company also offers a 30-day free trial of the platform, allowing you to truly try before you buy.

Zesty.io

Zesty.io is ideal for companies needing capability and “space” for more user accounts, as well as additional storage for content and assets. It’s also ideal for global enterprises, as the site can support 15+ languages at the time of this publication. Plans range from $0 per month to $3,500+ per month, offering you a scalable solution you can count on for your CMS needs.

Magnolia CMS

Magnolia CMS is designed to unify content, assets and data effectively. It is a headless CMS, meaning it can produce content once and then publish it on any device or touchpoint without added restrictions. It’s also an open source solution, making it highly customizable with the proper coding. Its most recent, primary perk is a native AI tool that helps to accelerate how quickly an organization can create content and automate repetitive tasks.

Sitecore

Sitecore is a cloud-based solution that offers an end-to-end composable digital experience.. Beyond its enterprise CMS solution, digital asset management and content operations, you can enjoy native tools for automation, marketing automation, personalization and testing.

HubSpot CMS

HubSpot offers a free, drag-and-drop CMS tool for businesses and enterprises alike. It’s designed to drive traffic, generate leads and grow revenue via inclusive and advanced features; and can be integrated with HubSpot’s other tools, such as its CRM. Beyond its robust CMS, the software includes a theme library and premium cloud hosting on an easy-to-use platform.

The post Best Content Management Software (CMS) Systems of May 2024 first appeared on Newsweek Vault.

2024-04-29T14:27:57Z dg43tfdfdgfd