Articles - Page 131

Agentic AI for Agencies in 2026

bmckeiver

2022: The CMS Critic Year in Review

cms-critic-staff

2022 Year in Review graphic with text and fireworks in the background

Are you a fan of Umbraco? Then you'll be glad to know they've had a new release of the popular open-source CMS.
Umbraco 7.1.0 was just released and it comes with a score of new features.
Let's take a look at what's new in this release.
<h2>Image Cropping</h2>
Image cropping has been added to the core of the CMS but it's not just any cropping tool, it also doubles as an upload field, meaning you can replace any upload field with a cropper field and your previously uploaded file is still there but become croppable. Of course, without a file, you get the option of uploading one.
<img style="max-width:473px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/umbraco_image_scaling473x0.png" alt="Umbraco Image Cropping" />
<h2>Breadcrumbs and Warnings</h2>
New warnings have been added to the CMS to alert you when you are about to navigate away from a page without saving changes as well as breadcrumbs to let you know where you are within the CMS.
<img style="max-width:411px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/umbraco_breadcrumbs_and_warnings.png" alt="umbraco breadcrumbs and warnings" />
<h2>Changing Content / Document Types</h2>
In those instances where you start filling a page with content and then realize you are using the wrong content type, you can now switch the content types and remap the fields without losing your content.
<img style="max-width:469px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/umbraco_content_types_switching.png" alt="umbraco content types switching" />
<h2>Members</h2>
Last but not least, the members API has been reworked and MemberService is now available and completely in line with ContentService and Media Service.
In addition, they've attempted to make working with members easier by providing snippets for Register, Login, Login Status, and Edit Profile when you create a new Particle View.
<img style="max-width:479px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/umbraco_members.png" alt="umbraco members" />
And there you have it.
Would you like more information on Umbraco? Check them out in our <a href="/products/umbraco/">CMS Products Directory</a> or <a href="https://umbraco.com/">visit them on the web.</a>

Umbraco CMS 7.1.0 is out with lots of new features

mike-johnston

3dcart, the popular eCommerce platform, has unveiled a Point of Sale App that is compatible with the Apple iPad. With it, merchants using 3dcart for their online stores can now present their products and process sales from their physical outlets, pop-up stalls, and while on the move. Here's a video explaining how it all works.<figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPUE-Xo3NYA"><div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:56.2493%"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZPUE-Xo3NYA" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;left:0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div></figure><h2>A Fully Integrated Retail System</h2>3dcart users can make use of the POS App as an additional arm of their retail business.The cloud-based app synchronises all sales and activity for online and offline sales, keeping everything under one roof for easier management.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/grow-and-expand511x0-is.png" />Features include:<ul><li>Presenting products and catalogs to customers via the iPad</li><li>Accepting card, cash and cheque payments</li><li>Processing refunds</li><li>Sending email receipts</li><li>Discount code generation and application</li></ul>3dCart provides the hardware in the form of a card reader, and other optionals like a barcode scanner, a register drawer and/or a printer.Not many of the world's leading eCommerce platforms offer a native Point of Sale app, so this is definitely a noteworthy win for 3dcart and its users. There's no word on how much the extra hardware costs, although I'm guessing it won't be cheap.3dcart's website <a target="_blank" href="https://www.shift4shop.com/">also sheds more light on their new app</a>.

A Look at 3dcart's New POS App

As our featured coverage of <a href="http://www.sitefinity.com/" target="_blank">Telerik Sitefinity</a> continues, I’m taking a look at Sitefinity as an eCommerce solution.
Recently acquired by <a href="https://www.progress.com/" target="_blank">Progress</a>, Telerik Sitefinity is an ASP.NET web content management system, a marketing platform and an eCommerce solution. A CMS powerhouse, to say the least.
<img style="max-width:400px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sitefinitylogo_wtagline_rgb_400x0.png" />
Over 200 brands worldwide trust Sitefinity to power their online retailing systems. Recently, the platform received the <a href="/2014-critics-choice-award-winner-best-enterprise-net-cms/">2014 Critics' Choice CMS Award for Best Enterprise .NET CMS</a>.
During the recent CMS Critic North American Tour, Mike Johnston had the chance to interview Robert Mattson, Telerik's Director of Product Marketing. Mike also had the pleasure of witnessing a detailed Sitefinity walkthrough delivered by Telerik’s Product Marketing Manager, Svetla Yankova.
Recently, I touched on <a href="/designed-to-engage-convert-retain-a-look-at-sitefinitys-content-management-philosophy/">Sitefinity’s extensive content management features</a>, as well as the platform's <a href="/an-overview-of-sitefinitys-content-management-digital-experience-features/">digital marketing functions</a>.
Let’s now delve into Sitefinity’s enterprise-grade eCommerce features.
<h2>Personalized Product Catalogs &amp; Multi-store Management</h2>
The Sitefinity CMS platform provides everything an online retailer expects and needs, before offering a little more.
With personalization already being such a large part of the Sitefinity CMS story, let’s first take a look at the solution’s personalized product catalogs.
Marketers can easily set up and manage all necessary product catalogs and departments from a central system, promoting the right product for a specific customer more easily than ever before.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/product-catalogs.jpg" />Sitefinity CMS also gives merchants an avenue into improving sales in regional markets through multi-store management.
Differing storefronts, shopping carts and checkout processes are easy to configure, catering for localized markets in any language or currency.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/multiple-storefronts.jpg" />
Furthermore, automatic updates of real-time exchange rates from XE or ECB help to reduce currency risk on localized pricing. A massive time and money saving feature if there ever was one.
<h2>Targeted Offers, Powerful Order Management &amp; More</h2>
The personalization features seep further into the Sitefinity CMS eCommerce offering with targeted offers, designed to help merchants appeal to the right audiences.
For example, retailers can offer special promotions, discounts and custom pricing targeted at specific customer and partner segments, defined by none other than themselves.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/targeted-offers.jpg" />
Marketing teams can also schedule and run promotions easily, set pricing tiers and have more control over campaigns across multiple channels, including web, mobile, email and social media.
As for order management, Sitefinity CMS enables merchants to easily process online and offline orders and manage their pending, paid, shipped or returned status.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/order-management.jpg" />
Sitefinity CMS also helps marketers monitor sales trends with an order reporting dashboard.
Merchants also have the ability to offer customers a wide range of popular payment gateways. These include PayPal, Authorize.Net, SagePay, PayFlow Pro, eWAY and more.
Meanwhile, real-time rates from FedEx, UPS or USPS make up the shipping options.
Learn more about <a href="http://www.sitefinity.com/ecommerce">Sitefinity CMS as an eCommerce solution</a>.
For more details on Sitefinity CMS <a href="http://www.sitefinity.com/" target="_blank">visit their website</a>. You can also explore more of <a href="/products/sitefinity">Sitefinity via our CMS Directory</a>.

Getting to Know Sitefinity as an eCommerce Solution

The final release of Drupal 8 is drawing closer, as the first release candidate becomes available for users to tinker with.
<a href="http://www.drupal.org/" target="_blank">Drupal</a> is a widely popular open source platform, used and maintained by a community that's nearly 700,000 strong. During the 2014 CMS Awards, Drupal was named the <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/cms-critic-awards/">People's Choice Best Enterprise PHP CMS</a>.
<img style="max-width:400px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/drupal_logo-blue-1_400x0.png" /> 
There's no sign of a release date yet, though. Drupal have simply said that they will continue releasing release candidates twice a month until they are confident in the project's stability.
That's a fair stance to take, although I'm sure Drupal users are growing impatient. After all, <a href="https://www.drupal.org/core/dev-cycle" target="_blank">Drupal 8 has been in development since 2011</a>, with the <a href="/drupal-8.0.0-first-beta-released/" target="_blank">first beta releasing over a year ago</a>.
<h2>WYSIWYG Editing, Improved Mobile Support &amp; More</h2>
Drupal 8 is going to bring web development closer to the average web user, thanks to a revamped user interface that boasts WYSIWYG and in-place editing.
“Significantly improved mobile support” is also on the cards, along with added and improved modules including Views, Date, and more. I suppose that means an easier ride for those making edits on smartphones and tablets.
Further enhancements include:
<ul>
<li>New object-oriented backend leveraging <a href="https://symfony.com/">Symfony</a> components</li>
<li>revamped configuration management</li>
<li>improved multilingual support</li>
</ul>
Plus hundreds of other improvements, <a href="https://www.drupal.org/drupal-8.0">many of which are detailed here</a>.
<h2>Ready for Action</h2>
According to the Drupal team, Drupal 8 in its current form is highly functional straight out of the box, and boasts many of the top Drupal 7 modules. They're confident that, for most standard website projects, Drupal 8 has everything needed built into its core already.
It'll be interesting to see how the final stages of Drupal 8 pan out. According to Drupal, there are no known issues with this latest version – as far as they know.
So, let's hope nobody finds anything major, enabling Drupal to get this show on the road for real, sooner rather than later.
The official announcement for this release candidate <a href="https://www.drupal.org/drupal-8.0.0-rc1" target="_blank">can be found here</a>. Also, be sure to check out <a href="/products/drupal/" target="_blank">Drupal via our CMS directory</a>.

First Release Candidate For Drupal 8 Now Available

Canadian <a href="https://www.shopify.com/" target="_blank"> Shopify</a> customers were in for a treat yesterday, as the Shopify Card Reader was made available in Canada for the first time.
Shopify is a world-renowned e-commerce solution powering over 90,000 stores and was the winner of our <a href="/2013-people-s-choice-winner-for-best-ecommerce-solution/#.Uz0_hfldXvU" target="_blank"> 2013 People's Choice for Best Ecommerce Solution</a> award.
The Shopify card reader is a free device that allows Shopify merchants to accept credit card payments on the go using the Shopify Mobile iPhone app, or in-store using  Shopify POS, Shopify's iPad-based point of sale system.
<h2>Sell Anywhere with the Shopify Mobile App</h2>
Using the Shopify Card Reader, merchants can accept all major credit cards from their offline stores. These cards include Visa, MasterCard and American Express all at one flat rate based on your Shopify plan, as shown below.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/chart_1c12954b-ec07-4fd2-9512-2096d6d9f98b700x0.jpg" alt="Shopify POS Plans" />
This means that Canadian Shopify merchants who also sell offline can now accept credit card payments using the Shopify Mobile iPhone app. You can sell your existing products or even create custom sales on the spot.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/shopify-mobile-payments_7b9f3468-1b0a-47e6-93c7-3f120e8296d3.png" alt="Shopify Mobile App" />
If you’re in Canada or the U.S., you can order your free Shopify mobile card reader by logging into the app, navigating to the ‘Accept Payments’ screen, and confirming your mailing address.
Shopify Mobile is free for all existing Shopify merchants and can be downloaded in the Apple App Store.
<h2>Sell From Your Physical Store</h2>
As well as mobile selling, Shopify enables you to sell easily and professionally from your physical retail store using Shopify POS.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/shopify_pos_online_and_in_store.jpg" alt="Shopify POS " /> 
Shopify POS is a fully integrated point of sale system that bridges the gap between your offline retail location  and your online store. Canadian merchants can now use the Shopify card reader to accept credit card payments with Shopify POS, which works seamlessly with the Apple iPad.
Furthermore, Shopify has also opened their Canadian <a href="http://hardware.shopify.ca/" target="_blank">hardware store</a> which means you can order Shopify POS hardware kits and other optional accessories like receipt printers and bar code scanners.
If you'd prefer to get a closer look before purchasing, you can head down to Shopify's Toronto pop-up store from April 1st to April 4th to get a free mobile card reader or buy Shopify POS hardware kits.
To find out more about the Canadian Shopify Card Reader release, check out the official blog announcement.
Also, don't forget to check out <a href="/products/shopify/" target="_blank">Shopify via our CMS Directory</a>.

Shopify Card Reader Launches in Canada

Best Video Experience

Give your audience the best video experience

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<a href="https://www.ucraft.com/" target="_blank">ucraft</a> is a new entry in the website builder market. It's touted as being simple and easy to use with a user interface that is unique. Today, I'm going to take a look at it in this Ucraft Review.
Before we begin, I'd highly recommend watching this quick video which gives an excellent overview of the interface and how easy it is to use. It's not a long video but well worth the time to watch and I'm going to assume you've watched this before you start reading below:
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/179479422?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
You can get started for free as ucraft also offers a free plan for those in need of a simple 1 page website.
<h2>ucraft Pricing</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/download_fssucs.png" />
ucraft offers a host of features including:
<ul>
<li>1 Website</li>
<li>Unlimited Pages</li>
<li>Edit Content</li>
<li>Add Content</li>
<li>Custom Domain</li>
<li>Articles App</li>
<li>SEO App</li>
<li>Call your team</li>
<li>Free Hosting</li>
<li>24/7 Support</li>
<li>Your Brand</li>
</ul>
When you first log into ucraft, you'll be greeted with your homepage. Along the left side of the browser is the menu which consists of a number of icons that expand to display menus as you click on them.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ucraft-review-11556x0-is.png" />Let's take a look through some of them now. The first menu item lets you preview your website as it would appear on desktop, tablet and phone.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ucraft-review-5.png" />
Moving down, the next icon allows you to launch new apps:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ucraft-review-2-1.png" />Pages allows you to manage and add pages to your website, designer tools lets you design and create buttons, typography and layout options, media lets you manage your media library and so on.
Next in line is the blocks icon which allows you to drag and drop predefined blocks of content (sliders, hero content, etc) into your website to make building something out incredibly quick and efficient.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ucraft-review-31117x0-is.png" />
The blocks of content that are available are pretty extensive and should serve the majority of users. I found the experience of adding them to a page pretty seamless and they were all quite easy to edit.
Next comes elements. Elements are things such as images, titles and other chunks of content which can be quickly dragged and dropped wherever you want on your new site. There's a very solid selection of options here that you can work with.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ucraft-review-61140x0-is.png" />
It's funny how if you make something simple, it makes it more fun to use. For some reason, I'm in love with the simple drag and drop color icon which is next in line on the sidebar. The fact that you can pre-select a bunch of colours to match your scheme and then simple drag and drop them onto any element to change it instantly is simply brilliant and one of my favourite features of ucraft.
Last but not least is the FX button which lets you drag and drop special effects onto your content blocks such as fade in and other animations.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ucraft-review-81067x0-is.png" /> 
UI wise, the developers have done a great job of giving the system powerful capabilities without overwhelming the user. The entire experience of using ucraft screams ease of use and somehow, makes building your website fun to do. Sure, this isn't something you'd use for an insanely huge website but that's also not the target audience of most website builders. They are there to give you all of the tools you need to get online efficiently and at a low price point and ucraft does just that and more.
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
My experience with ucraft just in writing this review and going through the various elements of the builder was nothing but positive. This is truly an excellent tool and I'm very excited by how simple and easy to use it is. Things feel like they were put together given a lot of thought and the user interface is one of the best I've seen to date. It's quick, easy and fluid while at the same time staying out of your way so you can get what you need done.
In fact, given how simple it is, I was surprised by how extensive the features are. The logo design tools that are integrated do the job nicely and the ability to use UiKit to build out buttons very easily is brilliant.
I highly recommend checking out ucraft and giving it a try for your next website, I'd be surprised if you didn't fall in love with it like I have. If I was going to give this a rating out of 10, I'd probably give it a 9 which is not something I do very often and the only reason I'd give it a 9 is because there isn't an easy way to get to their knowledge base from within the interface. To access it, you have to go to their home page and then to their menu to find it. While there is a live help feature, it makes more sense to have the knowledge base easy to get to from the interface. In my opinion, it should be linked as one of the icons within the left menu.
Aside from this small gripe, I think this literally is one of the best tools and interfaces I've seen in a long time and I've been reviewing these things since 2008. It's just that good. Give it a try for yourself, I'll be surprised if you don't end up falling in love as well.
Check it out for yourself here: <a href="/ucraft-cms" target="_blank">ucraft.com</a>.

ucraft Review: Simple, Efficient Website Building with a Beautiful Interface

Kentico have released the latest version of their popular web content management solution.
Kentico 8 represents a significant improvement over previous releases with a completely redesigned and improved interface and a number of enhancements to their integrated marketing suite as well.
<blockquote>“Digital marketing today requires a unifying brand identity and faster level of responsiveness to the ever-changing needs of customers, wherever they might be,” said Kentico CEO and Founder Petr Palas. “With Kentico 8’s enhanced integrated marketing solution, our customers get a sophisticated but easy-to-use and affordable set of tools that allow them to quickly launch and manage highly personalized and integrated digital marketing activities across all digital mediums.”</blockquote>
Kentico has added quite a bit to this release and we'll go through them here to get you up to speed but first, here's a quick video showcasing the new version.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0vkTXiK9rn8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
<h2>The New Interface</h2>
The new interface of Kentico 8 has almost a Windows 8 Metro look and feel to it, as you can see below. Clean and clear buttons and typography make it very visually attractive.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/moodboard_ui.jpg" alt="Kentico 8 screenshot" />
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/dashboard.png" alt="Kentico 8 screenshot" />
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/applist.png" alt="kentico 8 screenshot" />
<h2>Reworked Help Section</h2>
Another very important change in this new release is the brand new help section. Completely reworked from previous versions, the new help provides special how-to instructions and tips &amp; tricks related to the application you are using. Take a look:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/help.png" alt="Kentico 8 Help" />
<h2>Marketing Suite Additions</h2>
The integrated marketing suite has also seen some cool new additions including:
<ul>
<li>Persona-based recommendations for boosted engagement and loyalty.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/users.png" alt="Kentico 8 personas" /></li>
<li>A/B Testing Improvements 
Test variants of pages on particular audience segments, for deeper insight and more targeted results.</li>
<li>Social marketing 
Post content on and get analytics from Facebook and Twitter all from within the UI.</li>
</ul>
These are just a few of the changes and improvements in this new release. To get the full experience, check out their website <a href="http://www.kentico.com/kentico8">http://www.kentico.com/kentico8</a>

Kentico 8 Introduces Slick new Interface and Improved Marketing Suite

My choice for Best Website Builder for 2012 (and the one that will be my #1 recommendation in this category until next year's awards) is the one and only, <a href="https://www.squarespace.com/">Squarespace</a>!
<img style="max-width:360px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/squarespace.png" />
Squarespace is an amazing product that has really proven its strength as a leader in the website builder market. With a well-laid-out interface and plenty of ways to get support when needed, SquareSpace is clearly the top choice. Now in version 6, it has become even more incredible. You can <a href="https://www.squarespace.com/templates">try out a demo for 14 days</a> with no credit card required to see what I mean.
As my choice for this year, when asked to offer suggestions for the best website builder, I will point to Squarespace. They will receive my recommendation from now until next year’s winner is announced.

Critic's Choice for Best Website Builder goes to...

GoDaddy is one of the biggest hosting and domain providers in the world and with millions of customers worldwide, they offer a huge array of services to keep their customers happy. One such service is the <a href="/products/godaddy">GoDaddy Online Store</a> which is a quick and easy way to get an online store up and running with minimal effort. Today, we're going to take a look at how it holds up.Here's a quick video overview of the GoDaddy Online Store Builder: Getting started is quick and easy, just sign up on the GoDaddy website. GoDaddy offers a free trial followed by a price tag of around $30 / month for their online store solution.Once you've signed up for a free trial, you'll select a name for your online store and come to this screen:<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/godaddy_online_store_review_-_1-11119x0-is.png" alt="godaddy online store review" />Here you will fill in some information about your business, add some products, set up your paypal information, shipping info and more. Once you've completed filling in the basic information section, it will be time to add your first product.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/godaddy_online_store_review_-_21031x0-is.png" alt="godaddy online store review" />Filling this in is incredibly straight forward, you can add individual product or import a list of products from a CSV file. For those with a large list of products, this is incredibly handy and to their credit, GoDaddy provides you with a starter template so you know how the CSV file should look before importing.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/godaddy_online_store_review_-_3.png" alt="godaddy online store review" />Once you've added your products, you can move on to the next stage which is setting up how you'd like to be paid. GoDaddy's online store builder has integrations with Stripe (for credit card payments), PayPal and other (bank transfer, etc) which should be adequate for the majority of people.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/godaddy_online_store_review_-_4.png" />You will then configure your shipping options (if needed):<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/godaddy_online_store_review_-_5.png" />Last but not least, you'll set up your tax options and then you get to move on to the fun part, selecting a design to begin with. By default, there is already a theme applied which incorporate a header, drop down navigation and a slider on the home page. To configure, just go through the options on the store design page.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/godaddy_online_store_review_-_6792x0-is.png" />You aren't stuck with this particular theme though. GoDaddy offers approximately 20 or so themes all of which are easy on the eyes and visually appealing.Now it's time to go live. Just click the green “Go Live” button and your store will be launched and accessible to everyone.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/godaddy_online_store_review_-_7778x0-is.png" />You will then be able to access your dashboard which, once you start receiving orders and getting traffic, will give you a basic overview of how well your store is performing.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/godaddy_online_store_review_-_81085x0-is.png" />There are numerous ways you can promote your store now that you have launched. A handy “Promote your Store” link on your dashboard will allow you to set up the following:<ul><li>Sell on Facebook Automatically sync your store with Facebook and sell your products to the masses. Powered by Shopial.</li><li>Like and Share Buttons Add social media buttons to let happy customers like, share, or email about your store in just one click! Powered by AddThis.</li><li>Social Follow Buttons Let customers follow you on social networks to keep them informed about store news and promotions. Powered by AddThis.</li><li>Product Reviews Trust customers to post shining reviews telling the world just how great your store is. Powered by Yotpo.</li><li>Email Signups Collect email addresses so you can market to your customers. Powered by GoDaddy Email Marketing.</li></ul>Of course, in typical GoDaddy fashion, there are tons of upsells buried in here including the email signups piece (once you get over 50 customers anyway) so expect to pay extra for a large number of these options but to their credit, they do provide you with the basics, at least, for free.<h3>Conclusion</h3>For those who are looking for a basic online store solution that is easy to set up and get running with minimal effort, GoDaddy's solution is a decent one to consider, especially if you are tied to them for hosting and a domain. However, when compared with other solutions like <a href="/products/shopify">Shopify</a> or <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ecwid.com/">Ecwid</a> (which is far more extensive feature wise), it doesn't hold up. The biggest reason is the price. At $30 / month it just isn't something that I can recommend when there are far more feature rich options available for less, unless of course you prefer to stick with one company for all of your needs.Interested in trying it for yourself? Check it out here: <a href="/products/godaddy">GoDaddy Online Store Builder</a>

GoDaddy Online Store Review

In business, it can take years to make up for mistakes that could have been easily avoided.
While some mistakes are easier to recover from than others, it is always far more advantageous to prevent easily-avoidable mistakes by learning from those made by others that were once in your position.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/mistake_1594x0-is.jpg" />
Since you’re here reading this article, one thing is clear: you’re considering a CMS for your business to get the most out of your content. That being said, you don’t want to make a choice that could cost you and your business money, and more importantly, time.
After all, choosing the right CMS should help you to improve your efficiency when creating and delivering content, as well as improve your customer experience, and ultimately boost revenue.
In order to help alleviate the stress that comes with choosing the right CMS for your business, we’ve put together 7 common mistakes made by businesses during the selection process, as well as some tried and true suggestions to help you avoid them.
<h2>1. Going Steady with All-Rounders</h2>
If you’re picking out such an important piece of software, it’s natural to want to get as much bang for your buck as possible. That’s why many business owners try to find a CMS that’s much more than just a content management system – they also want it to be a customer relationship management system, an email marketing platform, an analytics powerhouse, and so much more.
While it’s great to find a CMS that’s versatile, the problem with this approach is that many owners end up paying top-dollar for a system that’s a jack of all trades – and a master of none. You’re far better off choosing a software that can brilliantly do the one or two things your business needs most than trying to find a unicorn that can fulfill every need you could possibly think of.
When searching for your CMS, pick one that’s outstanding at managing content – and then, if you still want it to do more, make sure it’s able to integrate with other platforms and apps. It’s much easier to “build” a do-it-all system than it is to find one ready right out of the box.
<h2>2. Failing to Recognize How a CMS Can and Should Benefit Your Business</h2>
Even the most successful business owners can get caught up in the “what.” That is, what features the CMS has to offer. They hear about all the amazing features that a CMS has to offer, and they never stop to think about how those features can benefit their business.
In fact, it’s so easy to get caught up in all those features that it’s no surprise that most business owners forget to even consider how their business could benefit from using a CMS. The truth is that purchasing a CMS without considering how it could help your business is a lot like buying a car before you have an idea as to how you’ll use it. For example, if you’re going to need to go off-roading, for example, it’s good to know that before you buy yourself a brand new Tesla Model S.
Of course, it’s always a good idea to know what a CMS Is and does before you start shopping (and the fact that you’re here means that you at least have some background knowledge of what a CMS is and what it can do for your business.
Once you’ve established that, it’s time to think about how you and your business can ultimately benefit from utilizing a CMS. Decide what you want your CMS to do for you, and how you want it to do just that. Looking back at our car example, the fact that a Tesla Model S is a poor choice for off-roading doesn’t mean that it’s a bad car overall. It’s all about finding a CMS that’s the proper fit for your needs.
Before you narrow your shopping list for a CMS, sit down and consider what business needs you’d like your CMS to address. Try to figure out ways you can increase your efficiency or broaden your reach with a CMS – and decide if the benefits will be worth the cost. Otherwise, you’re shooting in the dark when you go shopping.
<h2>3. Letting Your Budget Dictate Which CMS You Choose for Your Business</h2>
Once you’ve got a good idea of the impact a CMS can have on your business, you’ll have a better idea of what you should spend. Too often, businesses choose a CMS strictly based on their budget.
In effect, they’re basing their budget on what they’re willing to spend now, while failing to consider how much they could increase their profitability down the road by choosing the proper CMS. This can lead them to buying a bargain-basement CMS that doesn’t really meet their needs, and that can be an extremely expensive mistake.
When shopping for the right CMS, keep your needs in mind rather than your budget. Now, this doesn’t mean that the most expensive option is the best – again, it’s all dependent on your business and your needs. You might set a huge budget for your CMS, only to find that a free, open-source option works best for you. Likewise, you may realize that an enterprise-level CMS can take your company to the next level, even if your budget is limited today.
Instead, try to figure out where the right CMS could take you – and then budget for that.
<h2>4. Choosing a CMS before Fully Assessing the Needs of Your Business</h2>
It’s easy to hear about all the good features a CMS has to offer, and then opt to purchase it without actually considering if those features actually fit your business’s needs. The cold hard truth is that you can’t know what you want your CMS to do if you haven’t fully considered what you want your business to do. Are you looking for a CMS because it meets existing needs, or because it can help you attain projected growth, or both? You need an answer to that question before you buy.
By failing to examine the current and potential future needs of your business, you may put yourself in a position where you purchase a CMS that fails to live up to expectations because it doesn’t fit the particular needs of your business.
Likewise, don’t just look at what your business does now when choosing your CMS. Maybe you don’t do a lot of blogging at the moment, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider what kind of impact increasing your content marketing could have on your business, and budgeting accordingly.
Figure out what needs are most important to your business now, and then what you would need to take your business to the next level. Then choose your CMS accordingly – otherwise, you’ll be missing out on a lot of potential value.
<h2>5. Picking a CMS Solely Based on the Recommendation of Someone Else</h2>
No matter what you’re shopping for, a recommendation is always nice – just don’t let it be your only consideration when shopping for a CMS.
After all, every business is unique, with different needs and challenges. Just because your buddies (or main competitor) got great results from their CMS doesn’t mean it would work for you – their needs could be completely different from yours, which could mean that their CMS is a terrible fit for your business.
Of course, it’s always a good idea to solicit and consider recommendations from trusted sources, but look past the recommendation itself and consider why they’ve recommended it. After all, just because someone else claims to use the <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/wordpress-joomla-and-drupal-are-not-the-best-cms/">best CMS</a>, that doesn’t mean it’s the best option for the needs of your business.
<h2>6. Getting the Wrong People Involved in the CMS Selection Process</h2>
This one’s a little tricky, so it’s no wonder it trips up so many business owners. If you’re buying a software solution, who should you trust to guide you in the process?
If you said your IT department, you’d be like thousands of other business owners out there – and you’d be dead wrong.
The fact is, a good CMS will have an enormous impact on all facets of your business, and as a result, you should get multiple departments involved in the decision. The IT department will be working with it, yes – but if you consider only their input, you’re liable to find yourself with a CMS that’s easy to manage… and fairly useless otherwise.
If you have departments such as sales, marketing, management, and yes, IT involved and working together, you can discuss how the CMS will affect each department specifically. Then, you can balance your decision on which option impacts each department, while also considering which trade-offs you’re willing to make.
<h2>7. Not Being Realistic about What a CMS Can and Should Do for Your Business</h2>
While a good CMS can be one of your most powerful assets, that doesn’t mean that it’s a miracle worker. Try to have a good idea of what a CMS can realistically accomplish before you buy and implement it, or else you could be setting yourself up for disappointment.
Many owners expect their CMS to completely revolutionize their business, especially if it’s on the pricey side. Then, when they don’t see immediate and dramatic change, they tend to lose faith in the software and abandon it – leaving a ton of value on the table.
While a CMS can have a powerful impact on your bottom line, it often takes time to get going – and effort to monitor. Be sure you know what you’re looking for before you make any rash decisions.
<h2>Find the Right CMS for Your Business</h2>
When you find a CMS that fits your business’s needs, chances are you’ll be impressed at the effect it will have on your company. Just make sure you consider all of your needs before you go shopping, and take care to avoid these 7 common mistakes. Your business will thank you.
CMS Critic also offers <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/contact/" target="_blank">CMS Consulting</a>, to help you find the best content management system for your next project.

7 Mistakes to Avoid When Selecting a CMS for Your Business

It’s happened to all of us: an online ad piques our interest in an item, and suddenly we’re debating a purchase.
Then, you link to the product’s <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/netlify-to-host-headless-commerce-summit-for-talks-on-building-world-class-e-commerce-experiences/">e-commerce</a> store, only to find that it’s slow, unresponsive, or just bad. You refresh a few times and pray for a digital miracle. Maybe you browse a bit, holding your nose. But if you’re like many people, you give up and head to a competitor's site.
Many outside factors can impact an online purchase decision. Even if an item is lucky enough to make it to a cart, it’s frequently left for dead. You could chalk some of this up to pre-buyer’s remorse or other real-world distractions, but a new study from <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/netlify-to-host-headless-commerce-summit-for-talks-on-building-world-class-e-commerce-experiences/">Storyblok</a> – a <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/top-free-headless-cms-platforms/">headless CMS</a> provider – suggests that poor website design could be the culprit.
According to the company’s survey published this week, 60% of consumers estimated that on average, they abandon five purchases per year just due to poor website performance.
Five purchases may not seem like a lot, but collectively it adds up to billions in unrealized revenue, all due to a less-than-stellar website experience.
<h2>Bad websites mean big business losses</h2>
As Einstein once theorized, time = money. Or was that <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/350999364678568583/" target="_blank">Gary Larson</a>?
Time is indeed the enemy of all websites, particularly those with transactional e-commerce experiences. It starts with performance, and according to the <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/lighthouse/blipmdconlkpinefehnmjammfjpmpbjk?hl=en" target="_blank">Lighthouse</a> keepers at Google, pages should ideally load on mobile and desktop in <a href="https://seattlewebsearch.com/2020/11/your-website-needs-to-be-faster-than-3-seconds/" target="_blank">less than three seconds</a>.
Storyblok’s study takes the time conundrum a step further, digging into a user’s behavior on a web page and how the design experience might further impact their likelihood of sticking around. Based on the survey, 42% of participants said they decide whether to remain on a page in less than 10 seconds, while 20% decide in less than five. That means websites don’t have a lot of time to impress shoppers and convert interest into purchases.
And what about those “extra” features some sites make a point to have? Well, put earmuffs on those chatbots because ease of navigation, faster loading speeds, and a simple web design matter a lot more to shoppers.
“Consumers want easy-to-navigate, intuitively designed, and fast-loading websites,” said Storyblok CEO and co-founder <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominikangerer/" target="_blank">Dominik Angerer</a>. “However, a lot of e-commerce websites are falling short. Five purchases per shopper in missed sales may not seem like a lot, but when you scale this up to the number of potential new customers businesses are missing out on, it becomes a very significant amount of money.”
<h2>Avoiding “website embarrassment”</h2>
A great UI/UX can significantly impact a website’s <a href="https://raoinformationtechnology.com/blog/importance-of-ui-ux-design-for-your-website/#:~:text=A%20high%2Dquality%20UI%2FUX,brand's%20offered%20items%20and%20services." target="_blank">trust and credibility</a>. That’s why leading brands invest significantly in design and usability testing, as well as enhancing accessibility to ensure digital equality.
Still, getting the digital gum off your shoes can prove daunting in a world littered with bad UX. Let’s say a consumer actually decides to proceed with a purchase on a poorly functioning website. It turns out that experience still gives them the “ick”– and they would rather forget about it.
According to Storyblok’s survey, 42% of Americans and 18% of Europeans revealed that on at least one occasion, they were too embarrassed to say where they purchased a product – all because the website was so poorly designed.
Maybe we call this… digital shame?
Kudos to Storyblok for uncovering this data point, which is both entertaining and alarming. All jokes aside, any company that might be the target of this shame isn’t just missing out on sales – it's damaging the reputation of its brand.
<h2>Leveraging headless CMS and composable commerce to improve website experiences</h2>
As talk elevates around a <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/02/business/global-recession-fears-explained/index.html" target="_blank">looming economic recession</a>, online shopping continues to be the gem in an otherwise rusting crown of retail. Outlooks are still trending upward, with 23% of those surveyed anticipating more holiday purchases online this year. Meanwhile, 51% of respondents are planning to make the same number of online purchases as last year.
To meet the shifting demands of online consumers, Storyblok sees technology as a key activator for improving the digital experience in an omnichannel world. This is crystallized by the rise of composable commerce and the need to meet consumers anywhere, anytime, on any device or form factor.
“Additional functionality is still an important factor in attracting customers, but it’s critical to get the basics right first,” said Angerer. “For example, by investing in a headless, composable commerce tech infrastructure, companies can set the foundation for a great, fast-performing user experience.” 
<h2>Shopping in a metaverse marketplace</h2>
<a href="https://www.solodev.com/metaverse/" target="_blank">The metaverse</a> has become all the rage in 2022, with leading brands investing heavily in AR/VR strategies – particularly when it comes to e-commerce. According to Storyblok’s survey, transactions in virtual and augmented reality environments might be gathering more attention.
In fact, 42% of respondents said they would be encouraged to make more purchases with an AR or VR experience. Surprisingly, that percentage rose to a whopping 57% when filtered to the U.S. market. That’s big news for retailers who are struggling to find new opportunities for growth.
The results of this study echo what we’ve heard over and over for years: consumers don’t just want products. They want experiences – and giving them what they want isn’t as hard as it might seem. New features aside, brands that provide a great UX with an easy-to-use, easy-to-navigate website and an abundance of payment options will make it hard for shoppers to say no, even if the storefront is in a virtual world. 
If e-commerce sites can KISS (keep it simple, stupid) and make up with shoppers, they’ll likely feel less “ick” at the bottom line. And investing in quality design and the right technology stack – including <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/the-future-is-composable-a-conversation-with-new-mach-alliance-president-casper-rasmussen/">composable, MACH-ready solutions</a> – can help keep the gum off everyone’s shoes.
<h2>About Storyblok</h2>
Storyblok is a headless CMS that enables developers and marketers to deliver powerful content experiences on any digital platform. Developers create flexible components that are independently managed by content teams through a collaborative visual editor and customizable workflow. Published content is delivered through an API, so changes are made once and will appear everywhere: websites, mobile, IoT, the metaverse, and beyond. This approach reduces maintenance and makes content management more efficient. Leading brands such as Adidas, Renault, and Marc O’Polo use Storyblok to manage and share their content with the world. Storyblok was named the #1 CMS for 2022 by G2.
 
<a href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff23/program" target="_blank"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2022/12/cms-kickoff-2023-banner-1024x151.jpg" alt="CMS Kickoff 2023 banner" /></a>
<h2>Join CMS Industry Leaders, Digital Agencies, and Users at CMS Kickoff 2023</h2>
January 17-18 in St. Petersburg, FL
Don't miss the only conference tailored for everyone working with content management systems, from beginners to experts! Featuring two packed days with a carefully curated mixture of talks, workshops, activities, world-class facilitators, thought provokers, speakers, and session leads. Mingle with CMS experts, system integrators, and users from around the globe at this exclusive event in beautiful St. Petersburg. 
Register today at the <a href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff23/program" target="_blank">CMS Kickoff 2023 website</a>.

Storyblok Study Reveals Poor Website Performance Costs E-Commerce Companies Billions

mk-patterson

My choice for Best Open Source CMS for this year (and the one that will be my #1 recommendation in this category until next years awards) is the one and only, <a href="http://modx.com/">MODX CMS</a>!
<img style="max-width:285px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/modx-logo-color1.png" />
MODX is an incredible CMS that offers an abundance of features for those looking for quality software for free. MODX Revolution starts as a completely blank slate. Start from scratch, or use the Package Manager to download and install Add-ons, Core Extensions, Templates or even Content Pack Distributions.
As my choice for this year, when asked to offer suggestions for the best open source CMS, I will point to MODX. They will receive my recommendation from now until next year’s winner is announced.

Critic's Choice for Best Open Source CMS goes to...

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