Common CMS Features
There are many feature sets that can come with a CMS. Below is a brief description of some common CMS features which are ALL available in our own Content Management System.
Secure Maintenance Area
Access to the CMS is only available to specific people, and it can be further limited to certain tasks or areas of the website.
Modular and Scalable Growth
This means you don't have to have the whole system, and instead can choose "modules" that are relevant to your organisation, and then add more modules to the system as your business grows and your needs change.
Search Engine Support
The CMS should create code that is clean, so that search engines will find your site and "read" it more easily. You should also be able to enter keywords and descriptions for each page which can display on search results.
Simple and Familiar Interface
It helps if you can recognise many aspects of the system from programs you are already familiar with, such as Microsoft Word or Excel. A brief training session should be sufficient for you to become adept at maintaining the website via the CMS.
Multiple Sites
You should have the ability to maintain and publish to multiple URLs, which will save you on database costs, as each new database costs extra money to host, as well as time and effort.
Choice of File Type for Publishing
Some custom-built systems need to have asp/php/cfm or other "code" pages, but these don't load as fast as simple html pages. You should be able to have different file types depending on the requirements of each page.
Structured Workflow
A review process (or "Workflow") within the CMS reduces risk of error, and should be simple to understand, fast, and effecient.
Page Previews
Previews let you check that everything looks satisfactory before the page is published.
Dynamic Navigation
Add new pages, remove old ones, hide pages from the menu until they are ready, and move pages around without breaking any links. This gives you much more control over the growth of your website.
Publish Scheduling
Promotions, job placement pages, and other pages often quickly go out of date. A publishing schedule alerts you when a page needs to be published to the site, or is close to expiring.
Rollback and Versioning of Pages
You should be able to retrieve a previous backup version of every page and protect yourself and your CMS users from irretrievable errors.
Multilingual Capability
It should be a simple matter to support different languages on the one website through the same CMS.
Integration Messaging
This allows users to communicate via email as well as via the system.
Search Capability
There should be the facility to perform a website search for specific words or phrases.
SSL Support
SSL (Secure Socket Layer) is a way of making sure private information is kept safe. When you see a little padlock at the bottom of the browser window, that page is SSL protected.
RSS Feeds and XML Web Services Integration
Some CMS will allow for integration to other systems, making them much more powerful and customisable.
Comprehensive Documentation and Training
An added bonus is if the training is included in the cost of the CMS, and obviously a user manual is important as well as help within the system.
Customisable to Suit Additional Requirements
One size never fits all! Customisable and scalable are two things every CMS should be.
More Information
What is a CMS?
How can a CMS help you?
Choosing a CMS
Other CMS resources