As marketers, the content management system (CMS) is the engine that powers the most important marketing channel you have – your website. With so many to choose from, how do you select the best CMS for your needs? This presentation covers what must be considered when selecting a CMS platform as well as a CMS vendor.

1. What to Consider When Selecting a
Website Content Management System
Chris Remington
Trivera
Business Marketing
Association- Milwaukee
January 29, 2014

2. A little bit about Trivera…
•Founded in 1996
•Website Design since 1996
•SEO since 1997
•Email Marketing since 1998
•Website Hosting since 1998
•eCommerce since 1999
•Mobile since 2000
•Content Management Systems since 2007
•Social Media since 2008
•Thousands of Engagements, Hundreds of Clients

4. Trivera is ‘CMS Agnostic’

5. This presentation will be:
High-level
Questions to ask
Things to consider
Vendor and client perspective
This presentation will NOT be:
A sales pitch for any particular CMS
Overly technical
A side-by-side comparison of CMS tools and their options

6. The CMS Landscape…
CMS usage across the web
64% of sites use
non-monitored
CMS tools or no
CMS
WP used by 21% of
all sites = a 60%
CMS market share
Source: http://w3techs.com/technologies/overview/content_management/all

7. The CMS Selection Process – WHY A CMS?
Empowerment
Not held hostage to HTML coders
Facilitates execution of an ongoing content strategy
Scalability & additional feature sets
Enables cross-device optimization (responsive)
"Question Mark Button" by Stuart Miles – FreeDigitalPhotos.net

8. Tactics without strategy
is the
noise before
defeat…
Strategy without tactics
is the
slowest route
to victory
-Sun Tzu

9. The CMS Selection Process – BUSINESS GOALS
What is the main function/goal of the website?
External-facing, client/member portal, or both?
What will be the most frequently utilized CMS features?
What business processes/workflows can be improved?
How must it drive your brand voice and value prop?
How future-proof and scalable is the CMS?

10. The CMS Selection Process – WHO’S DRIVING THE BUS?
Marketing?
C-Suite?
Board?
IT?
Know who is making the decision and funding the project
Mantas Ruzveltas - Source: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

11. The CMS Selection Process – CONTENT
What is the content strategy?
Who owns the content?
Where is the content coming from?
How frequently should it be updated?
What are the primary content types?
Is document/asset management important?
"Creative Light Bulb With Technology Business Network Process" by KROMKRATHOG – FreeDigitalPhotos.net

12. The CMS Selection Process – CONTENT
Is globalization/translation important?
Gated/password protected content?
To what degree will Social Media content be
integrated?
To what degree will ‘Community’ be important?
Will customers/non-employees be empowered
to enter/edit content?
"Creative Light Bulb With Technology Business Network Process" by KROMKRATHOG – FreeDigitalPhotos.net

13. The CMS Selection Process – FUNCTIONALITY
Asset/Document
Management?
Events Calendar?
eCommerce?
Gated Content?
Blogging?
Is the tail wagging the dog?
Thoroughly define what’s needed & find a CMS that delivers
"Waiting Lonely Dog" by Keattikorn – FreeDigitalPhotos.net

14. The CMS Selection Process – RESOURCES
Who will be responsible for using CMS to
maintain site - what is their background and
skill set?
Technical Resources - internally vs. retaining
developers?
Will there be the need for various levels of
access (e.g. Reviewer, Editor, Publisher, Super
Admin)?
Training?
"Business Team Meeting" by Ambro – FreeDigitalPhotos.net

15. The CMS Selection Process – BUDGET
License Fees?
Buildout?
Post-launch
Support/Maintenance?
Upgrades?
Resources – Internal? External?
Glossy Yellow Dollar – FreeDigitalPhotos.net

16. The CMS Selection Process – HOSTING
.NET Solution?
LAMP Stack?
Emulation?
Local vs. Cloud?
Internal vs. External?
http://www.trivera.com/blog/9-questions-your-it-guys-need-to-answerbefore-you-host-your-own-website/
"Cloud Computing" by hyena reality – FreeDigitalPhotos.net

17. The CMS Selection Process – PLATFORM
Open Source vs. Net vs. Hosted (SaaS)?

18. The CMS Selection Process – SEO IMPLICATIONS
Customizable Page Titles & Meta Data
CSS Drop-Down Nav
URL Structure
Support rel-canonical Tag
XML Sitemap Creation
No Frames/Iframes
301 Redirects, Not 302
Pagination
Custom Alt Tags
Breadcrumb Navigation
http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2223883/10-SEO-Considerations-for-a-Content-Management-System - Ray Comstock
"Hand Clicking Internet Search Page" by phanlop88 – FreeDigitalPhotos.net

19. The CMS Selection Process – UPGRADE PATH
How frequent?
Mini-enhancements vs. new versions?
Security or Functionality-driven?
Forced by hosting companies?
Risks of falling behind?
Costs?
"Stairway In Garden" by anankkml – FreeDigitalPhotos.net

20. The CMS Selection Process – EXTENSIBILITY
What comes ‘out-of-the-box’ with the CMS?
How easily can things be added to it?
Who can add things – Client/end user or
Developer/Programmer/Platform Team?
3rd Party integration/APIs - e.g. Quick Books,
Salesforce.com, Constant Contact, PayPal?
"Plastic Building Blocks" by nenovbrothers – FreeDigitalPhotos.net

21. The CMS Selection Process – OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
Size of community?
Community vs. Vendor-built add-ons?
What is the national roster of clients
using the tool?
Security?
Versions – which is right for you?
Source: http://moodyandsanguine.blogspot.com/2010_05_01_archive.html

22. The VENDOR Selection Process
Stability (freelancer vs. agency vs. proprietary)
Site ownership - what is in the vendor’s ‘fine print’
about who owns the site?
‘One trick ponies’
‘Jacks of all trades’
Relevant & related CMS experience
What other services beyond the CMS does the
vendor offer?

23. SUMMARY
Plenty of options
Assess your needs and goals
Take time to ask questions and do research
Understand the big picture beyond the initial build out
Commit to an ongoing content strategy

25. Thank You, and Good Luck!
Chris Remington
@eMilwaukee on Twitter
Trivera Interactive
http://www.trivera.com
262-250-9400