How to Select a Web Content Management System

Dennis ShiaoDirector, Product Marketing

@DNNCorp | @dshiaoTweet with hash tag:

#DNN

How to Select a Web Content Management System

On-Demand Webinar Replay

Originally presented during a DNN webinar. Register to view the on-demand replay on our

website.

When do you need a Content Management System (CMS)?

Signs that you need a CMS

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It’s difficult to make website updates.

You need to enforce granular, role-based permissions.

You’ve outgrown (or exceeded the capabilities of) your current CMS.

You need more robust content editing capabilities (e.g. version compare, auto-save, rollback, etc.).

More signs that you need a CMS

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Increased Traffic and Customer Satisfaction.

Faster Delivery of Content.

Higher Quality Control.

Broader Distribution of Content.

5 More Searchable Content.

Source: Article "Business Case for a CMS" at HowTo.gov.

More signs that you need a CMS

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Increased Sharing of Content.

Increased Productivity.

Increased Competitive Advantage.

Improved Site Integrity and Policy Compliance.

Source: Article "Business Case for a CMS" at HowTo.gov.

Note: HowTo.gov is a website to help government workers deliver a better customer experience to citizens.

More signs that you need a CMS

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Updating critical Web content takes too long.

The IT staff is overwhelmed by requests to make changes to the Web site.

The Web site lacks consistent branding, look and feel, or navigation.

People responsible for creating Web content don’t have access to make changes.

5 There is no record of who changed what and when.

Source: Nathan Rawlins of Serena Software, Inc. in a blog post by Michael Silverman, CEO, Duo Consulting

6 Changes to the site can only be made every week or so.

Your Use Case Drives Your Needs

INTRANET NEEDS: Integration with Active Directory, SharePoint, ERP, expense management, etc.

WEBSITE NEEDS: Integration with CRM, marketing automation, Application Tracking System (ATS), social media.

Takeaway: Don’t evaluate CMS systems in a vacuum; instead, find a CMS that best addresses your particular needs.

You need to consider current use cases and future use cases, too.

Future Use Cases

Looking 12-18 months into the future, forecast:

Growth in the number of content contributors Changes to editorial workflow Planned technology/infrastructure changes or additions Website visitor growth New requirements requested by the business Broader organizational objectives (revenue, acquisitions, etc.)

Takeaway: The CMS you select now needs to support your needs in the future.

Selecting an HD-TV

Selecting an HD-TV

Common Criteria

SpecificationsPrice

FeaturesPicture Quality

Selecting a CMS should be far different from selecting an HD-TV.

“Select a Web CMS vendor with (nearly) as much scrutiny as selecting a spouse.”

-- Irina Guseva (@irina_guseva), Real Story Group

Source: CMS article, “7 Rules for Selecting the Right Content Management System”

“LTR is the new CRM.”

Related Point: it’s all about the long term relationship.

Navin Nagiah, CEO and President, DNN (@navinnagiah) at Inbound Marketing Summit in Boston, MA.

Read the full blog post: “Why Social CRM is All About the Long Term Relationship”

A similar analogy: hiring

Selecting a CMS vendor is like hiring an employee. Soft skills matter just as much as

capabilities.

Soft Skills for the Job Candidate

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Self-awareness.

Sensitivity to others.

Self-control.

Social intelligence.

Source: Monster article, “Evaluate a Job Candidate's Social Skills”

Soft Skills for the CMS

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Vision, strategy and roadmap.

Ecosystem: partners and community.

Cultural fit.

Services and support.

Takeaway: Sometimes, the most important feature of a CMS does not reside within the product itself.

Check for Insights Within Your Industry

Image courtesy of HowTo.gov.

“HowTo.gov is for anyone who manages or supports (directly or indirectly) a government customer service channel.” Looking for a CMS for your government website? Read this article: http://www.howto.gov/web-content/technology/content-management-systems/choosing-a-cms

Check for Insights Within Your Industry

“Idealware provides thoroughly researched, impartial and accessible resources about software to help nonprofits make smart software decisions.”

Looking for a CMS for your non-profit organization? Review this article from Idealware:

http://idealware.org/articles/top-ten-mistakes-when-selecting-cms

OK, let’s talk about features.

Apply Some Filters Up Front

Implementing a process of elimination up-front can save you some work down the road. Filter based on:

Technology (.NET, Java, PHP, etc.)

Budget Business Functionality (use cases)

Proximity of Partners (including support hours provided by the vendor)

Added: Cloud vs. On-Premise

Source: An article at CMS Wire, “Selecting a CMS: How to Build a Short List” by Seth Gottlieb (@sggottlieb)

Basic Feature Categories to Evaluate

Content Entities (content types available) Taxonomy Features (tagging, categorization) Versioning Workflow Multilingual Support Editorial Features (WYSIWYG editor, spell checking) Social Media Integration

Source: An article at CMS Wire, “How to Use, Not Abuse a Web CMS Features Matrix” by Barb Mosher Zinck

Additional Features to Consider

Ease of Use Content Flexibility Easy-to-Use Templates Content Security Scalability Business-Friendly Licensing Service and Support

Register to download the white paper: http://www.dnnsoftware.com/About/Resources/Whitepapers/view/whitepaper/cid/300729

“A good CMS can have a dramatic impact on your SEO performance and conversely, a bad CMS can kill your SEO program and any hope you have of success.”

-- An article in Search Engine Watch

10 SEO Considerations for Your CMS

1. Must be Able to Customize Page Titles, Meta Data2. Drop-Down Navigation Menus Built in CSS3. URL Structure4. Support for the rel=canonical Tag5. XML Sitemap Creation Function6. No Frames / Iframes7. 301 Redirects, Not 3028. Pagination9. Custom Alt Tags10. Breadcrumb Navigation

Source: Search Engine Watch, "10 SEO Considerations for a Content Management System" by Ray "Catfish" Comstock

Summary

1. When do you need a CMS?2. Map out your current and future use cases.3. Consider "soft skills" as much as the features and

capabilities.4. Leverage the insights shared within your industry.5. Apply filters to eliminate some vendors up front.6. Don't forget about SEO.

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