(Originally presented at a DNN webinar - register to view the replay: http://www.dnnsoftware.com/About/Resources/Webinars/view/webinar/cid/424375) This presentation provides insights on how to select a Web Content Management System, commonly referred to as a WCMS or CMS. The sections of the presentation are: 1) When do you need a CMS? 2) Map out your current and future use cases. 3) Consider "soft skills" as much as the features and capabilities. 4) Leverage the insights shared within your industry. 5) Apply filters to eliminate some vendors up front. 6) Don't forget about SEO.

1. How to Select a Web Content Management System
Dennis Shiao
Director, Product Marketing
@DNNCorp | @dshiao
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2. On-Demand Webinar Replay
Originally presented during a
DNN webinar. Register to view
the on-demand replay on our
website.

3. When do you need a Content Management
System (CMS)?

4. Signs that you need a CMS
1
It’s difficult to make website updates.
2
You need to enforce granular, role-based
permissions.
3
You need more robust content editing capabilities
(e.g. version compare, auto-save, rollback, etc.).
4
You’ve outgrown (or exceeded the capabilities of)
your current CMS.

5. More signs that you need a CMS
1
Increased Traffic and Customer Satisfaction.
2
Faster Delivery of Content.
3
Broader Distribution of Content.
4
Higher Quality Control.
5
More Searchable Content.
Source: Article "Business Case for a CMS" at HowTo.gov.

6. More signs that you need a CMS
6
Increased Sharing of Content.
7
Increased Productivity.
8
Improved Site Integrity and Policy Compliance.
9
Increased Competitive Advantage.
Note: HowTo.gov is a website to help government workers deliver a better customer
experience to citizens.
Source: Article "Business Case for a CMS" at HowTo.gov.

7. More signs that you need a CMS
1
Updating critical Web content takes too long.
2
The IT staff is overwhelmed by requests to make changes to
the Web site.
3
People responsible for creating Web content don’t have
access to make changes.
4
The Web site lacks consistent branding, look and feel, or
navigation.
5
There is no record of who changed what and when.
6
Changes to the site can only be made every week or so.
Source: Nathan Rawlins of Serena Software, Inc. in a blog post by Michael
Silverman, CEO, Duo Consulting

8. Your Use Case Drives Your Needs
INTRANET NEEDS: Integration with Active
Directory, SharePoint, ERP, expense
management, etc.
WEBSITE NEEDS: Integration with
CRM, marketing automation, Application
Tracking System (ATS), social media.
Takeaway: Don’t evaluate CMS systems in a vacuum; instead, find a CMS that
best addresses your particular needs.

9. You need to consider current use cases
and future use cases, too.

10. Future Use Cases
Looking 12-18 months into the future, forecast:

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Growth in the number of content contributors
Changes to editorial workflow
Planned technology/infrastructure changes or additions
Website visitor growth
New requirements requested by the business
Broader organizational objectives (revenue, acquisitions, etc.)
Takeaway: The CMS you select now needs to support
your needs in the future.

11. Selecting an HD-TV

12. Selecting an HD-TV
Common Criteria
Specifications
Price
Features
Picture Quality

13. Selecting a CMS should be far different
from selecting an HD-TV.

14. “Select a Web CMS vendor with
(nearly) as much scrutiny as selecting a
spouse.”
-- Irina Guseva (@irina_guseva), Real Story Group
Source: CMS article, “7 Rules for Selecting the Right Content Management System”

15. Related Point: it’s all about the long term relationship.
“LTR is the new CRM.”
Navin Nagiah, CEO and President,
DNN (@navinnagiah) at Inbound
Marketing Summit in Boston, MA.
Read the full blog post: “Why Social CRM is All About the Long Term Relationship”

16. A similar analogy: hiring
Selecting a CMS vendor is like hiring an
employee. Soft skills matter just as much as
capabilities.

17. Soft Skills for the Job Candidate
1
Self-awareness.
2
Sensitivity to others.
3
Social intelligence.
4
Self-control.
Source: Monster article, “Evaluate a Job Candidate's Social Skills”

18. Soft Skills for the CMS
1
Vision, strategy and roadmap.
2
Ecosystem: partners and community.
3
Services and support.
4
Cultural fit.
Takeaway: Sometimes, the most important feature of a CMS does not reside
within the product itself.

19. Check for Insights Within Your Industry
“HowTo.gov is for anyone who manages or supports (directly or indirectly) a government
customer service channel.” Looking for a CMS for your government website? Read this article:
http://www.howto.gov/web-content/technology/content-management-systems/choosing-acms
Image courtesy of HowTo.gov.

20. Check for Insights Within Your Industry
“Idealware provides thoroughly researched, impartial and accessible resources
about software to help nonprofits make smart software decisions.”
Looking for a CMS for your non-profit organization? Review this article from
Idealware:
http://idealware.org/articles/top-ten-mistakes-when-selecting-cms

21. OK, let’s talk about features.

22. Apply Some Filters Up Front
Implementing a process of elimination up-front can save
you some work down the road. Filter based on:




Technology (.NET, Java, PHP, etc.)
Budget
Business Functionality (use cases)
Proximity of Partners (including support hours provided by
the vendor)
 Added: Cloud vs. On-Premise
Source: An article at CMS Wire, “Selecting a CMS: How to Build a Short
List” by Seth Gottlieb (@sggottlieb)

23. Basic Feature Categories to Evaluate

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
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Content Entities (content types available)
Taxonomy Features (tagging, categorization)
Versioning
Workflow
Multilingual Support
Editorial Features (WYSIWYG editor, spell checking)
Social Media Integration
Source: An article at CMS Wire, “How to Use, Not Abuse a Web CMS
Features Matrix” by Barb Mosher Zinck

24. Additional Features to Consider

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
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

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Ease of Use
Content Flexibility
Easy-to-Use Templates
Content Security
Scalability
Business-Friendly Licensing
Service and Support
Register to download the white paper:
http://www.dnnsoftware.com/About/Resources/Whitepapers/view/whitepaper/cid/300
729

25. “A good CMS can have a dramatic
impact on your SEO performance and
conversely, a bad CMS can kill your SEO
program and any hope you have of
success.”
-- An article in Search Engine Watch

26. 10 SEO Considerations for Your CMS
1. Must be Able to Customize Page Titles, Meta Data
2. Drop-Down Navigation Menus Built in CSS
3. URL Structure
4. Support for the rel=canonical Tag
5. XML Sitemap Creation Function
6. No Frames / Iframes
7. 301 Redirects, Not 302
8. Pagination
9. Custom Alt Tags
10. Breadcrumb Navigation
Source: Search Engine Watch, "10 SEO Considerations for a Content Management
System" by Ray "Catfish" Comstock

27. Summary
1. When do you need a CMS?
2. Map out your current and future use cases.
3. Consider "soft skills" as much as the features and
capabilities.
4. Leverage the insights shared within your industry.
5. Apply filters to eliminate some vendors up front.
6. Don't forget about SEO.

28. Learn more about our CMS:
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