How to Compare Content Management Systems Before You Choose One
Most CMS comparisons start with a feature list. That is useful, but it can hide the questions that matter once a site is live. Who can publish? Who fixes it when an update breaks something? Can people using a screen reader get around it?
A good way to cut through the sales talk is to borrow a checklist someone else has already tested. The Australian Government publishes a web content management standard for its own agencies. It sets out what a CMS must do and what it should do. Most of it applies just as well to a small business or community group choosing a platform.
Start with what the site has to do
The standard tells agencies to define business requirements before they buy or build anything. That sounds obvious, yet plenty of sites are chosen simply because a developer likes a platform. Write down what the site is for, who will update it and how often. List the content types you need, such as news posts, service pages, events or products. A short brief like this makes every later comparison fairer.
It also helps to think about the people behind the content. A sole trader who edits one page a month has very different needs from a team of ten writers. The standard asks for a workflow that suits the roles involved in managing content. If your CMS cannot match how your team actually works, people will find ways around it.
Access control and publishing workflow
One of the firm requirements in the standard is role based access control. In plain terms, each person gets only the permissions their job needs. A writer can draft, an editor can approve and only a small number of people can change settings or install extensions. Most mainstream platforms offer user roles, but they differ in how fine the controls are.
The standard also expects a CMS to support creating, editing, revising, auditing and publishing content. For agencies that is tied to the Archives Act 1983. A business has its own reasons to care. Revision history lets you roll back a bad edit, and an audit trail shows who changed what and when.
When you trial a platform, test these things with real tasks. Ask a staff member to draft a page and send it for approval. Then try to restore an older version. If any step feels clumsy in a trial, it will feel worse on a busy week.
Accessibility is a requirement, not an extra
Agencies must meet WCAG 2.2 Level AA under the standard. The standard also says sites should work with keyboards, voice commands and screen readers. It recommends automated accessibility testing alongside testing with real people. That mix catches problems a scanner alone will miss.
Two parts of a CMS affect accessibility. The first is the front end, meaning the themes and templates visitors see. The second is the editing screen, because a platform that makes it hard to add headings or image descriptions will produce weaker pages over time. Check both before you commit.
If you are comparing hosted website builders, look at how much control you have over page structure. Some tools that build pages automatically make quick work of a launch but limit later fixes. The same trade off comes up in the debate about automatically generated websites. The same questions apply to accessibility.
Security updates and ongoing support
Another firm requirement is that the CMS receives ongoing security updates and patches. This is one of the best ways to compare open source and commercial options. Ask how long each version is supported and how updates are delivered. Ask who applies them on your site and how quickly.
The standard also says to keep custom work to a minimum. Every custom module is one more thing someone must maintain when the core software changes. Where agencies do build something new, they are asked to share it with other agencies. For a business the lesson is simpler: favour well supported features over one off code.
Integration, search and reporting
The standard asks agencies to design for integration, using APIs or other ways of connecting systems. That matters if your site needs to talk to a booking tool, a customer database or an online shop. A CMS with a good API also gives you more options later. You can move to a different front end or feed content to an app without starting again.
Search engine optimisation is on the list too. The standard points to SEO guidelines, a structured taxonomy and routine website audits. In a CMS, look for control over page titles, descriptions, clean web addresses and categories. These features are common in WordPress for small business websites, which is one reason that platform is so widely used.
Integrated reporting and analytics are also named as criteria. Check whether the CMS can report on content age, broken links or pages that have not been reviewed. Those small reports make the content maintenance process the standard recommends far easier to keep. They also support your wider online marketing for your firm, since stale pages are easy to spot.
Hosted software or a platform you manage
GovCMS is the Australian Government’s shared website service. It is built on the open source Drupal content management system and launched in March 2015, according to the GovCMS about page. Under the standard, agencies must assess whether GovCMS suits them before buying anything else. They are told to consider the Software as a Service option first.
Platform as a Service is the alternative where needs are distinct. The standard adds a condition that the team must be able to handle maintenance and security. That is the same choice a business faces between a fully hosted builder and a self managed install. One gives you less control and less work, while the other gives you more of both.
Neither path is right for everyone. A small team with no technical help may be better off with a hosted service that handles updates. A business that wants to grow its site, add features and keep control of its content may prefer an open platform. Our article on choosing WordPress for your website covers that argument in more detail.
A simple comparison checklist
Once you have a shortlist, score each platform against the same points. Keep the list short enough that you will actually use it. The points below come straight from the criteria in the government standard.
- A clear purpose and written business requirements.
- Role based access with audit and publishing tools.
- A workflow that fits the people who manage content.
- Ongoing security updates and support.
- Built in reporting and analytics.
- An API or other integration options.
- SEO features and content categories.
- Support for your content types, performance needs and privacy needs.
The full list sits in the Australian Government web content management standard. It also names the laws agencies must meet, including the Privacy Act 1988 and the Disability Discrimination Act 1992. Keep those in mind for any site that collects personal details or serves the public.
Frequently asked questions
Is open source CMS software less secure than a commercial product?
Not by default. The government standard focuses on whether a CMS receives ongoing security updates, not on how it is licensed. GovCMS itself runs on the open source Drupal system. What matters most is how well the software is supported and how quickly updates are applied.
What accessibility level should a CMS support?
Australian Government agencies must meet WCAG 2.2 Level AA. That is a sensible target for most organisations too. Check both the templates visitors see and the editing tools your team uses. A platform can only help if both parts support good page structure.
Should a small business use a hosted builder or a self managed CMS?
It depends on who will look after the site. The standard only suggests the platform option when the team can handle maintenance and security. A hosted service suits teams without that support. A self managed CMS suits those who want more control and have help on hand.
What should I test during a free trial?
Test real tasks rather than reading feature lists. Draft a page, send it for approval and restore an older version. Add an image with a description and check the page using only a keyboard. Then ask how updates are applied and who is responsible for them.