Choosing a CMS
The mistake that everyone makes
One of the easiest things to do when choosing a CMS is call a few vendors, compare the feature lists and prices and make your decision. This method all but ensures that you will end up with an unsuitable product.
Here we cover several points to consider when choosing a CMS product and vendor:
- Planning - not jumping straight into product comparison
- Considering your internal resources
- Determining your actual requirements
- Selecting a vendor who can work with you Planning
It's easy to quickly lose sight of what you want to achieve and why you are looking at a CMS when you start comparing the various features, costs, and other factors.
Rather than going straight to the web on a hunt for products, take the time to consider what you want to achieve with it, any limitations you have (money, time, resources etc), and what you will use to measure the product's success.
Internal Resources
It's important to know who will be updating your site as your IT team might have a great understanding of the system and everything it does, but may not be the ones making changes.
Make sure you know who your website maintenance team will be and always bear in mind their needs and abilities.
Determining Requirements
Requirements need to be clearly understood as they will greatly affect the solution that you choose in the end.
For example:
- Do you need a system to manage a small website, or a large company intranet?
- Will you be using the CMS-driven website to communicate with your customers/investors through direct marketing?
- How often will the site be updated and by how many different people?
- What kind of future development and growth needs to be considered?
Selecting the Right Vendor
Your vendors should be people who have a strong track record, maintain a close working relationship with their clients and partners, and will be able to support you and work with you in creating a solution that matches your needs.
Communication is a very important aspect to consider when selecting a vendor to provide your CMS. Depending on the level of customisation you require, you could be working closely with these people for an extended period of time.
At Eduka we specialise in working to specific requirements, so we are always able to advise you and implement a strategy that works especially for your company.
More Information
What is a CMS?
How can a CMS help you?
Common features of a CMS
Other CMS resources