A CMS primarily needs to help you manage content and media for a website, but it should also provide added value in low monthly costs, search engine optimization (SEO) tools and customization options. We compared the top names in custom content management solutions to help you find the best system for your specific needs, whether you’re selling products online, providing services or information to customers or you want to promote a blog.

1. 7 Best Content Management
Software (CMS) Tips Of 2024

2. Many of the content management software (CMS) systems you know
today started out as simple blogging platforms. Now, you’ll find the best
CMS platforms double as website builders, web hosts and e-commerce
platforms.
A CMS primarily needs to help you manage content and media for a
website, but it should also provide added value in low monthly costs,
search engine optimization (SEO) tools and customization options. We
compared the top names in custom content management solutions to
help you find the best system for your specific needs, whether you’re
selling products online, providing services or information to customers or
you want to promote a blog.

3. 8 tips to design a CMS-friendly website
1. Research the features of your CMS Design
What features does your CMS offer? Are there any limitations you have to
consider? Your website design should be one that can be easily created within
your CMS. If your CMS design philosophy doesn’t allow you to easily add certain
design elements without a lot of custom coding, you may need to rethink your
design.
Learning about the features your CMS offers out of the box can help you
streamline your website development efforts.
Also consider what plugins and modules already exist for your CMS and how you
can use them in your website and design.

5. 2. Design the pre-existing elements
Your CMS may already offer some pre-existing features such as
forms, buttons, and more, out of the box. While these will come
with some default styling, in order to use them on your website,
you’ll have to create brand-specific styling for them. This would
make them easy to integrate with the rest of your website CMS
design.

6. 3. Create reusable components
A great way to get the most value from your CMS design strategy is to
use modular design. Reusable components and patterns help maintain
a cohesive look across your website while also giving content editors
the flexibility they need to create different layouts.
Instead of creating whole pages at a time, create reusable sections.
These can be made up of blocks or components that can be used
independently or combined to create larger elements within your
custom cms solutions. For instance, basic components such as
headings, images, buttons, and forms can be combined to create larger
elements such as a CTA block or a slider.

8. 4. Create responsive and flexible designs
Do think about scenarios where content may be displayed in a different form
than expected. For example, with structured content like telephone numbers
and addresses, you will need to plan for the eventuality that some content
may be missing (such as a street name in the address), or in a different
format (such as a country code with or without the plus sign).
You will also need to consider what happens when content is significantly
longer or shorter than expected. Headings may spill over from one to two or
three lines, and body content may run into multiple paragraphs, making some
page elements display very differently in your design. Do add instructions for
what to do in this scenario, e.g. extending the background in case of
additional content, or resizing the text to fit within a box.

9. 5. Create templates
Consistent design templates make it easy to onboard new
content authors and editors.
Create templates for each type of page used on your website.
Follow a logical visual hierarchy, keeping heading and image
sizes consistent across pages. A few standard types of pages
you can create templates for include the home page, contact
page, blog listing page, and blog detail page.

11. Do consider if any templates can be reused for other pages —
minimize the number of unique designs to prevent confusion among
content editors. Also plan for any content that is to be added in the
future. For instance, your website may not have any published case
studies, but if you plan to add these in the future, you should design
the template for them.
While content editors might need some options to edit templates, try
to find the right balance between giving them the control they need
and minimizing the chance for errors by providing limited options.

12. 6. Create accessible designs
Accessibility isn’t just a good-to-have. In some countries, it’s now
mandated by law. Your website design should meet WCAG guidelines .
These include the following.

13. 7. Design for non-technical users
Consider your website design from a non-technical user’s perspective.
Will they be able to manage content, media and design elements
independently in case something needs to be changed or manually
applied? If not, you may have to rethink your design.
It can help to create standards and processes for image selection and
styling of text for the use of editors, authors, and administrators. But
on the whole, ensure that you design the website or application so that
even if users make mistakes, the presentation isn’t significantly
affected.

14. Maximize ROI with the immaculate CMS design
CMS platforms offer a number of powerful features within an easy-
to-use user interface. With thorough planning, you can design your
website to take advantage of all the flexibility and modularity that
your web application development company offers.
A good design will ensure that content authors and editors are able
to easily perform their tasks without any confusion and errors,
enabling you to streamline operations and maximize the return on
investment from your website.