A Fair Review and Choosing the Best CMS for Your Business
In the way that comparing sedans to sports cars is impractical, showcasing one platform better known for
its digital marketing capabilities against another with a clear strength in the eCommerce space seems to only add to the confusion facing consumers in the software market. It is for this reason, our Fair Review series was created. It began as a way to showcase and compare platforms in a given market that were more closely related in capabilities than other reviews we were seeing, with the intention that consumers could use it as a guide to help them find the best fit solution for their needs.
Our first edition, A Fair Review of the Top .NET CMS Platforms quickly became not only one of the most viewed content items on our site, but was also the most shared with the individual reviews for each vendor enjoying high placement in Google search rankings.
We followed up in August of 2017 with A Fair Review of the Top .NET eCommerce Platforms and now, to kick off 2018, we will be showcasing the Top Web CMS Platforms in the market today.
What to Expect
For this new edition, we chose to listen to the feedback from our original review and make this new version much more informative and robust with the following points still covered:
- Company information
- Position in the market
- CEO and tenure
- Latest software version, licensing types & base price
- Features list
- Pros and cons of platform
- Differentiators
The new additions will be:
- Integration partner information & commentary
- Exclusive customer feedback & comments
- A video interview with a member of the leadership team
- Outlook for the future of the organization and platform
The Value of Commentary
The value of vendor commentary goes without saying, as does the opinions of customers but the third party perspective of integration partners was important for us to highlight as we see a huge value in their experience.
They tend to go deepest into the trenches of a platform, and really see the nuts and bolts of how it works, how well it can execute capabilities and compliment business strategy from the conception of a project, through to completion and beyond with results, updates, maintenance etc. Integration agencies often work with more than one vendor as well, comparing systems for every single client to find the best fit, weighing the pros and cons of various platforms monthly if not on a weekly basis.
Some also offer a lengthy experience, even having been in the integration game for 20+ years, seeing certain platforms evolve throughout their entire lifespan in the market, working with systems that were then acquired and built into other platforms, how capabilities and customers are accommodated etc. They’ve seen organizations through thick and thin, and can tell you the hidden challenges, strengths and pitfalls only those highly familiar with seeing hundreds of projects from start to finish would know.
Choosing the Best CMS for Your Business
Venus and I will also be adding a short video series, discussing an introduction of WCM and guide on what the evaluation points should be for consumers just entering the sometimes daunting and confusing landscape of choosing a content management system for their organization. Many are plagued with questions like, what are the elements I really need? Is it better or worse to take a best-of-breed approach? What are the benefits of an open source CMS?
Working with integration partners and closely with the vendor is important but we feel it is equally important to empower the consumer with knowledge on system capabilities and advantages not only to ensure they are choosing the right system but also getting the maximum ROI from their investment in the long run.
Most of all, we aren’t trying to pit our review up against the many other, thorough and well done platform reviews in the space today. Rather, we want to compliment them by offering a unique, reliable information set to round out the education available.
Update: Released May 2018!
On May 3, 2018 our Fair Review of the Top Web CMS Platforms - 2018 Edition went live, complete with exclusive reviews of the following vendors:
If you want to stay in the know for our future editions of the Fair Review series, feel free to sign-up below for immediate access upon their release or, if it is just more CMS-Connected content you're after, you can sign-up for our monthly newsletter here!
Laura Myers
A digital business, marketing and social media enthusiast, Laura thrives on asking unique, insightful questions to ignite conversation. At an event or remotely, she enjoys any opportunity to connect with like-minded people in the industry.