How to choose the right CMS. Part 3

In parts 1 and 2 of our guides, we have showed some important concepts and factors to consider when choosing the right CMS.  In part 3 we will take this a stage further, and look at roles and permissions, versioning, multilingual support, and multiple website support.

To decide who can do what on a website is a very important factor in controlling its content.  The ways in which roles and permissions are decided, is more complex than meets the eyes, so when looking at a CMS, as with everything else, decide exactly what you need it to do. 

For example, on an enterprise level website, the CMS may have to cater for content to go through various checkpoints, or permissions, before going live.  This could involve several users having different levels of access, and responsibilities.  This scales down to the more simpler roles of one provider, and one editor. 

Try to look into the future on this one.  Websites often have to change for a different site audience, or as they expand.  If you can get the roles and permissions element right in the first instance, this could save a lot time and effort later when the need to change arises.  Adopting one that allows multiple roles is key to choosing the right CMS.

If content is uploaded that is incorrect or in appropriate, it is important to be able to revert to a previous version of the page, or pages, published.  This avoids damaging your website reputation.  The simplest format for this to follow is to revert back to the last published page, but many CMS’ take it a step forward by enabling a page to revert back to a specific calendar date.

Make sure that the versioning capabilities of your CMS’s functionality, allow the option of reverting back to previous saved page, or pages, as it is a relatively new feature, despite being pioneered on enterprise level websites.

As the possibility of running multiple websites from one CMS is now a reality, it is important to have that functionality in the CMS.  You may feel that it is not something you need, and indeed it may not be right at this moment, but it could be something you need in the future, and as with other elements to consider with CMS, it is far easier to select one now than having to tinker or replace your CMS in the future.  Make sure the versioning is on the money too.

Having a CMS with the capability for multilingual support is strongly recommended by the web design community.  It may not seem like an element you need to embrace in the present, but remember businesses grow, and yours could easily be seeing global customers, or reach a global audience in a very short space of time. 

Remember too, that many countries now, have people living in them from all over the world, and having your site available in many languages makes it more welcoming, and therefore attracts more traffic.  This can provide a significant edge over competition, and gives your site or business a better reputation.  Just make sure that you have considered how you are going to translate the content, and how this translation is going to be paid for.

We hope these three articles are helpful in deciding how to choose the right CMS.  As with most things web design related, it does help to make a list of all the things you need the CMS to have, and discard what you do not. 

We would recommend that the ideas shown here are features which you pay attention too, and use them as a foundation to choosing the right CMS.