Content Management System (CMS): Challenges and Benefits

What is a Content Management System?

 

A content management system, or CMS, is software that enables users to create, manage, and change website content without the need for specialized technical knowledge. 

 

A content management system (CMS) is a piece of software that allows you to build a website without having to write all of the coding yourself (or even know how to code at all).

 

Instead of creating your own system for creating web pages, storing photographs, and other tasks, the content management system handles everything for you, allowing you to focus on the more forward-facing components of your website.

 

A content management system (CMS) is software that enables users to collaborate on the development, modification, and publication of digital content such as web pages and blog posts. 

 

The CMS (or WCM) is evolving from a simple tool for publishing digital content to a more comprehensive system for managing an overall digital experience across several channels including email, mobile apps, social media, and websites.

 

The following are some of the most prevalent CMS features:

 

1. Users may quickly create and format material with content creation.

2. Stuff storage keeps all of your content in one location and in a consistent format.

3. Workflows assign access for managing content to writers, editors, and administrators based on their roles.

4. Content is published, organized, and pushed live.

 

(Related reading: Introduction to Enterprise Content Management)

 

Benefits of CMS

 

• Instant content updates

 

Whatever business you're in, keeping your material up to date with the newest market trends should be a top focus. If a new product or technology is developed, you must act quickly to capitalize on the opportunity in order to remain relevant.

 

The best part about using content management software is that you don't have to wait for your website's admin or developer to make updates. You have the option of editing your material yourself. All of your changes will be applied to your website after you hit the Save button, and you'll be able to see the newly published material in real-time.

 

• Improved security

 

During the COVID-19 outbreak, data breaches are a persistent concern for both large and small businesses. Hackers seeking to profit from the world's digital change have targeted businesses.

 

If your firm has a website, internet security should be a major priority. A CMS with a high level of data security should be your first choice. 

 

Although some CMS include built-in security features, they aren't always adequate. WordPress, for example, is a popular hacking target. Over 70% of WordPress installations are vulnerable to hacker attacks, according to a report conducted by WP White Security.

 

• Simplified collaboration and team content building

 

Most, if not all, of the content for your website, will be created by you in the early stages. However, this is not a long-term solution. As your company grows, you'll need more material, and if you stick to the same technique, you'll struggle to keep up.

 

A content management system (CMS) makes it simple for several users to collaborate on a single piece of information. It's a one-stop shop for all your content creation and collaboration requirements. 

 

For example, the writer can write the blog piece while the graphics designer places the photos. Before posting it on the website, the editor or content manager can double-check for brand consistency.

 

• Detail analytics

 

Keeping track of your campaign is one of the keys to successful digital marketing. It helps you to track engagement across all of your platforms, allowing you to discover which ones are working and which aren't, and make any adjustments. As a result, it's vital to your content marketing approach.

 

The most popular analytics tools, like Google Analytics, frequently integrate with content management software systems, allowing you to track your KPIs straight from your dashboard. You don't have to rely on third-party software to get your data because some systems include built-in analytics and reporting functions.

 

StoryChief, for example, has an analytics and reporting function that gives you useful information from your work. 

 

By tracking the performance of different types of content in real-time, you can learn which ones work best with your audience. Material makers can use this information to determine what type of content to create and which platform to use to achieve the greatest results.

 

• SEO friendly

 

We can't forget about search engine optimization when we're talking about a website, any form of a website. It's crucial for attracting visitors and possible leads to your website. It's easier to optimize your site for Google and other search engines when you use a CMS. Title tags, meta descriptions, keywords, search-friendly URLs, and other SEO elements can all be added.

 

In your CMS library, look for plugins and tools that can help your website rank higher in key search engines. These tools won't be able to replace your SEO or internet marketing staff, but they can assist you in adopting fundamental SEO methods that would otherwise consume a lot of your time. The CMS will alert you if one of these items is erroneous, incomplete, or missing.

 

Challenges of the content management system

 

• Control and Management

 

Perhaps the primary challenge with managing content (which, for the purposes of this article, is defined as an organization's "human-readable" information, representing about 80% of a company's total information base), is that there is little to no control around creating it in the first place.

 

The evolution of financial information systems over 15-20 years ago has yet to take place for content. The fact is, the majority of common-use tools to create and manage content (e.g., Word, Frame, etc) have never moved away from the "paper stimulation" stage.

 

The first word processors replicated the function of typewriters, albeit on a screen instead of on paper. Since then, word processors have become more visual and offer more features, but fundamentally do the same thing: storing information as linear documents.

 

• Migration

 

Migration requires a technological solution. Unfortunately, other elements, particularly the formatting of the original document, play a role in effective conversion.

 

Migrating all of the existing information in an enterprise into this new format represents a significant investment in time and labour. It's more difficult to import a document into the CMS if it's not well-structured.

 

• Gaining approval

 

The approval process for a CMS is an all-too-familiar barrier. While the verbal representation of this issue is, "I cannot get the budget to do this," the real obstacle is convincing people that there is a good business case for investing.

 

The challenge in gaining internal endorsements face arguments that involve hard ROI. However, gaining internal approval can be difficult if the only issue is to make life easier. Where there is a great deal of customer-facing content or translation, a strong case can be made easily.

 

• The people factor

 

Another obstacle to overcome is the people themselves. In our experience, our main competitor for a CMS is not necessarily another vendor, but rather the presence of apathy.

 

Areas within a company that are welcome to change are those who toil over creating and managing content. If a document is not well-structured, it is more difficult to import it into the CMS.

 

In the end, the CMS is a two-part sale: the CMS vendor must demonstrate value to the organization at large as well as to the individual.

 

• Fear of obsolescence

 

An additional challenge in terms of people is personality problems with individuals who have played crucial roles in a group because of their expertise.

 

Once a CMS has been implemented, that person is essentially no longer needed. Therefore a growing sense of obsolescence stems from people foreseeing a loss in their value.

 

Often, people who perceive themselves as indispensable must be left behind in order to utilize a better system. Other times, however, it is possible to make the person "indispensable" in a different area.

 

• Document ownership

 

When the transition is made to content management, the task of writing becomes a "team sport". What some authors don't realize is that this technique might help them narrow their attention to a specialized speciality in which they excel.

 

Document creation in a CMS also demands some flexibility on the part of the users. Writers are normally able to work on their documents when and where they want. When the move is made to a CMS, it is not as simple. However, the new Web-based systems do address this issue effectively.

 

• IT department

 

If a specific CMS product does not fit the current "buzz" of the ideal technical solution, IT can get in the way. The reluctance comes from the fact that Information Technology can be unwilling to support or install software that will require maintenance and support.

 

The real key, however, is to involve the IT department as early as possible, getting their buy-in on the process and specific CMS product. 

 

In the end, there are a few obstacles or challenges for which education and training are not the key-not just product training but training in how to write in a component-based fashion.

 

However, there has to be buy-in from management, not just monetarily but from the perspective of continuous improvement. (source)