A 7-Step Guide to Choosing Your Next CMS Platform

Ever thought what life would be like if there were no wheels? Or if there was no phone? Everything would need to be done the hard way. 

Well, without a CMS, website management is pretty much the same. 

A Content Management System (CMS) enables web developers to create, modify and manage website content without the need for coding. It offers an intuitive way of adding elements and components to the web UI, creating and publishing content and managing online platforms entirely through central dashboards. 

According to studies, more than 70% of global websites are using a CMS platform for custom website development, with the total CMS market expected to reach around $54billion by 2025 Q4. Despite this popularity and imminent need, organizations still struggle to choose the appropriate CMS platform that suits their business needs. With custom CMS development companies like WordPress, Drupal, Strapi, Joomla, etc., the decision-making process is becoming more complex, resulting in delays, inefficiencies and non-scalability.

To clear the picture, we have summarized the best practices organizations should keep in mind when choosing their next CMS platform, guaranteeing impactful content, fast site loading and digital security.

Steps to Remember When Choosing The Next CMS Platform

Understanding the Business Use Case First

Before cooking a dish, do you put in all the ingredients first or understand what you are cooking and for whom, follow the steps and then get the dish ready? The latter one, of course. 

When choosing a CMS platform, it is important to look for before leaping - to stop and define the business goals and requirements before diving into features, functionalities and comparisons. It is often the case that CMS platforms fail to cater to the desired need simply because businesses rushed the processes and did not map the requirement-offering equation. It is advised to understand the content requirement and framework of any website before pre-planning on any CMS platform. 

Web developers must consider the following aspects before choosing a CMS platform:

• Is the goal to develop 

• • a corporate website

  • a multi-language publishing platform,

  • or a product-heavy eCommerce experience?

• Maximum number of users who will manage content?
• Is headless flexibility a requirement or can traditional UI-driven CMS work too?
• Will multiple brands and domains be catered by the website?
• Are 3rd-party integrations like Salesforce or HubSpot needed?
  
  

Choosing Between Headless CMS vs Traditional CMS

When choosing enterprise CMS solutions, the most pivotal aspect that comes into play is whether to choose a Headless, API-led CMS platform or a traditional, monolithic CMS architecture. With each model built with its own offerings and shortcomings, it becomes increasingly significant to align features with requirements. Depending on project requirements, technical experience and long-term vision, the choice between Headless CMS and Monolithic CMS becomes imminent.

In case of headless CMS platforms, the content is decoupled from the presentation layer, giving more power and control to the web developers over design and user experience. Content is managed centrally and served to any frontend via APIs, which is great for flexibility, performance, and omnichannel consistency. Ideal for organizations building omnichannel experiences with custom UIs and intuitive frameworks like React, Vue, etc. headless CMS brings the authority back in the hands of the developer. 

Traditional CMS platforms, on the other hand, bundle everything into one interface, which makes it ideal for marketing teams who want to enable easy page-building with minimal developer intervention. Including components like drag-and-drop page builders, plugins and theme editors, monolithic CMS platforms prove to be ideal for content-driven teams who need quick updates, editorial processes and SEO. 

Our tip: For a content strategy that spans multiple channels and where uniformity matters across multiple devices, screens and touchpoints, a headless CMS might be the right choice, offering the desired flexibility and scalability. However, if the website is content-centric with a smaller team and fewer customizations, a traditional monolithic CMS might make the cut, proving to be more cost-effective and easily manageable.

Evaluating Necessary Core Features

Once businesses know what their use case is and what the best CSM for website development is, it’s time to learn about the features in detail that will actually support the business goals. The key is to prioritize functionality that directly improves your workflows, scalability, and user experience.

Not all CMS features are created equal and web developers need to assess parameters critically. Some CMS are great for everyday content creation and management, while others may offer long-term flexibility or performance gains. It is advised to focus and aspire on capabilities that will actually bring impact to the business.

Here’s what web developers need to look for when choosing a CMS for custom website development:

• Ease of Use: Offer a clean content editor, an intuitive UI, and designated user roles.
• Scalability: Ensure the CMS can handle a traffic surge, increased content and varied media formats.
• Security: Implement built-in access controls, regular patching, and hosting flexibility.
• Multisite or Multilingual Capabilities: Ensure content localization for global or regional brands.
• Custom Workflows: Enable the creation of a draft-review-publish pipeline? Also, approval rules?
• Integration Support: Enable native or API-based integration with tools like CRMs, analytics, and marketing automation.
• Performance: Maintain lightweight delivery, CDN support, and fast API responses for headless platforms.
  
  

Considering Internal Team Skill 

Choosing the best CMS for website development also essentially depends on the experience and expertise of the internal teams. The platform with the most features might not work for an organization, simply because the platform is underutilized by junior employees. Again, a cheap and cost-effective CMS might not offer the necessary features that C-level, senior professionals need. In CMS website development services, the best option is not always the one with the most feature-rich platform or the most used one; the choice completely depends on what the internal team is capable of handling and performing with. It is very important to align the CMS capabilities with the team’s technical and operational comfort zones.

Here’s how different team structures may influence your decision:

• If you have a non-technical marketing team
  Look for CMS platforms that offer intuitive drag-and-drop page builders, visual editing tools, WYSIWYG interfaces, and inline content editing.
  
  
• If you have an internal development team
  A headless CMS with structured content models, Git-based workflows, and robust API support may be ideal.
  
  
• If you regularly work with outsourced teams or freelancers
  Consider the ease of onboarding and collaboration. Choose a CMS that supports user roles and secure access, offers a clear content structure, and doesn’t require steep learning curves for occasional users.
  
  

The main aim of a CMS platform is to ultimately foster growth and productivity, not sabotage it. Choosing a solution that fits the team’s current capabilities and also allows room for growth and scaling is what every custom website development requires.

Prioritizing Long-Term Goals

When selecting a suitable CMS platform, it is important to understand that a custom CMS development is not a one-time job. Like every other aspect, a CMS should also promise to scale and grow with the business in the course of time. 

Web developers must question the following parameters:

• Will the chosen CMS platform still be functional after 3-4 years down the line??
• Is the developer community highly active?
• Are platform updates frequent and automatic?
• Is any ongoing support or documentation offered by the vendor?
• What’s the cost of CMS switching if it is a non-fitment? 

Trying Before Buying

It is advisable to always take a test run of the CMS platform before fully implementing it. Practices like small test sites or real workflow reruns can help measure performance and solidify the decision-making process. This also means both technical and non-technical users have a say in making the decision.

Final Thoughts - Which CMS to Choose

Choosing a CMS isn’t just about features; it’s about fitment and alignment. The best CMS for any business is the one that aligns with its content goals and strategies, team strengths, scalability needs, and long-term digital roadmap.

In the end, a CMS should do more than content management; it should empower growth, foster success and bring in revenue.