Your content management system, or CMS, is the tool your team uses to update the website. It shapes how quickly you can publish, how easy it is to make changes and how much you depend on developers. Choosing one is a big decision, so it is worth looking beyond features and price.
Start with how your team works
Think about who will use the CMS every day. Are they confident with technology, or do they need something simple? How often do you publish? Do you need approval steps before anything goes live? The best CMS is the one your team will actually use well.
Questions to ask
- Can marketers create and edit pages without a developer?
- Does it support the content types you need, such as articles, case studies and landing pages?
- How does it handle user roles and permissions?
- Can it support more than one language or region if needed?
- What integrations do you need, such as forms, email tools or a CRM?
- How are security updates and backups handled?
- What are the ongoing costs, including hosting, licences and support?
Open source, hosted or headless
Broadly, there are three common routes. Open source platforms, such as WordPress, are flexible and widely supported, with many developers who know them. Hosted website builders are quick to start and handle much of the maintenance for you, but can be less flexible. Headless systems separate content from design, which suits complex setups but usually needs more development support. None is right for everyone.
Think about the long term
A CMS is not just a launch decision. Consider how easy it would be to move your content elsewhere later. Check that the platform has an active community or a reliable provider. Make sure more than one person or partner can support it, so you are not stuck if someone leaves.
Taking time to choose the right CMS pays off every time your team publishes. If you would like an honest second opinion on your options, the Northpeak team would be glad to talk it through.
