Articles - Page 49

The Top 10 AI Tools for Small Business: From Automation to a Coordinated Team of AI Agents

matt-garrepy

<a href="https://wpengine.com/">WP Engine</a>, a WordPress hosting company, has announced the introduction of <a href="https://wpengine.com/support/best-practices-using-wp-engine-page-performance/">Page Performance</a>, which will focus on delivering actionable insights for websites across its 47,000 customers and agency partners in 133 countries.
<img style="max-width:432px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/wp_engine_logo_bb.png" alt="wp_engine_logo_bb" />
Impressively, this product launch makes WP Engine the first managed WordPress platform to offer a web page speed performance tool integrated into the user dashboard through which customers can quickly improve the speed of their websites.
<h2>WP Engine Page Performace</h2>
Here's a breakdown of the benefits brought forth by WP Engine's newest project:
<ul>
<li>Access to Key Metrics on Any Page with Report History to See Improvements Over Time. Report includes such metrics as cacheability, render start, visitor complete, render complete and other data.</li>
<li>Actionable Recommendations with Rich Context including links to a library of support material enable users to make fast, significant, measurable impact to site performance.</li>
<li>Integrated into WP Engine User Portal to support developer workflow.</li>
</ul>
<h2>“Helping Out Customers Win Online”</h2>
Website speed is a major part of Search Engine Optimization, and WP Engine have recognized this with this release, as Heather Brunner, CEO of WP Engine, states:
<blockquote>“WP Engine Performance Intelligence is our ongoing commitment to develop tools and insights to help our customers win online.
A website’s speed affects nearly every metric a brand or agency might care about from page views to conversion rates. Our Page Performance product gives you specific recommendations to do just that.”</blockquote>
According to a recent study published on <a href="https://blog.kissmetrics.com/speed-is-a-killer/">KISSmetrics</a>, a one-second delay in page load time results in 11 percent fewer page views; a 16 percent decrease in customer satisfaction; and a 7 percent drop in conversion. Thus proving that site performance can make or break a brand and a customer’s digital experience.
The aim of WP Engine’s Page Performance feature is to gives site owners a detailed site speed report and actionable recommendations to solve for technical issues impacting digital business.
I think WP Engine has made a strong move with this project. It's well established that site speed plays a big role in SEO and overall user experience, and a WordPress-integrated performance checker will surely play into the hands of SEO specialists who work with WordPress.
To find out more about WP Engine's new Page Performance features, <a href="https://wpengine.com/support/best-practices-using-wp-engine-page-performance/">check out their website</a>.
And as per usual, you can explore and review this product through the <a href="/products/wp-engine/">WP Engine hub</a> on our Hosting Directory.

WP Engine Rolls Out WordPress Integrated Page Performance Tool

mike-johnston

The Washington Post’s Arc Publishing has signed an agreement with <a href="http://www.leparisien.fr/">Le Parisien </a>to power the publication’s digital presence. Founded by the French underground during World War II, Le Parisien is known outside Paris as Aujourd’hui en France (“Today in France”) and is one of the largest newspapers in the country, reaching more than 20 million monthly unique visitors and with the largest general national news daily print circulation of more than 320,000.
“We are so pleased Le Parisien has chosen Arc to realize their digital ambitions and help position them for future success, ” said Scot Gillespie, CTO at The Post. “With this partnership, Arc will power sites on four continents and operate in multiple languages. We look forward to another year of tremendous growth and continued investment in the platform.”
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/download.png" />
The Arc engineering team will migrate Le Parisien to the Arc platform, building a new site for them and integrating Arc tools including PageBuilder and Websked into their newsroom’s day-to-day workflow.
“Le Parisien is choosing Arc for offering a complete publishing platform solution which will support and enable significant site performance improvements,” said Sophie Gourmelen, General Manager of Le Parisien. “The many capabilities of Arc will furthermore allow us to focus our time and the efforts of our teams on product innovation.”
About The Washington Post’s Arc Publishing Arc Publishing (<a href="https://www.arcpublishing.com/">https://www.arcpublishing.com/</a>) is an award-winning, state-of-the-art digital platform and suite of tools that’s engineered to meet the needs of modern publishers. Built by engineers and designers at The Washington Post, Arc technology solves complex publishing needs, including video, mobile web and apps, syndication to distributed platforms, automatic content testing, data mining and monetization. Arc has powered the digital transformation of clients both large and small across the globe. At its core, Arc is about speed and innovation: for readers, the newsroom, brands, advertisers and developers.

The Washington Post’s Arc Publishing signs Le Parisien

<a href="http://liferay.com/" target="_blank">Liferay, Inc.</a>, has announced the release of its Audience Targeting app for Liferay Portal.
Liferay offers <a href="http://liferay.com">open source portals</a> fit for enterprising companies and orgnizations, including Fortune 500 companies such as Allianz, Siemens, Toyota and the United Nations.
Through Liferay's new Audicence Targeting app, companies can show the right content at the right time to their visitors to create the most relevant, engaging web experience for the people they want to reach.
<h2>The Big Three Audience Engagement Questions</h2>
Marketers across the world are constantly in search of ways to connect with their audiences and have online conversations through valuable, interesting content. Using Liferay's Audience Targeting app, businesses can make authentic connections with their customers, partners, employees and any other individuals visiting their sites.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/liferay_-_audience_targeting_config_admin700x0.png" />
The app, which is now <a href="https://www.liferay.com/marketplace/-/mp/application/43707691">available on the Liferay Marketplace</a>, offers the ability to tailor specific content for audiences based on user behavior on the site, user information such as age and gender, social media attributes, and more. Marketers can also create targeted campaigns, track user actions and generate reports on the effectiveness of the campaigns.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/liferay_-_audience_targeting_user_rules700x0.png" />
Edwin Chung, VP of Product Development for Liferay, made these comments:
<blockquote>“Getting audience engagement right comes down to solving three questions. Who are you trying to engage, what information is important to that person, and what is the best way to display the targeted content on your site? Whether it’s your customers, your partners, or your employees, personalized audience engagement is quickly becoming an expected part of their interactions with your company.
We recognize this and continue to evolve our solutions for audience engagement and content targeting to give our customers the tools they need to provide better, more customized user experiences across the board.”</blockquote>
According to Liferay, their position as a portal provider gives them a uniquely advantageous position to serve the entire customer lifecycle, from prospecting to deal closing to ongoing customer service interaction.
To learn more about how you can use Liferay Portal to engage audiences, visit <a href="http://www.liferay.com/engage">www.liferay.com/engage</a>. You can also find out more about Liferay's new Audience Targeting app via their recent blog post.
Additionally, be sure to check out <a href="/products/liferay/" target="_blank">Liferay through our CMS Directory</a>.

Liferay Unveils Audience Targeting App For Liferay Portal

Purchasing a content management system is a big investment. There are a lot of people who will be affected by the purchase, there’s a lot of research to do, and you’ll need to plan for the implementation, not to mention the actual cost of whatever system you choose. You may also want to audit your existing site content before migrating to the new system. Needless to say, there’s a lot to think about. The last thing you want to slow you down is colleagues or bosses standing in the way of a more efficient, more powerful content management system because they aren’t on the same page as you.
Based on our extensive experience with organizations buying content management systems, the best way to address the issue of organizational buy-in is to consider all your stakeholders from the beginning.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/url930x0.jpg" alt="company buy in" />
Make a list of each person (or department) at your organization who will be impacted by your selection, and consider their needs and desires. Depending on your role, this may include any or all of the following:
 MarComm 
As marketers become increasingly tech-savvy and analytics-driven, they are making more and more of the tech decisions at companies. Regardless of who the final decision-maker is at your company, the marketing and communications folks will be heavily invested in the final outcome. We recommend speaking with them before you get too far in your search in order to find out their needs. Are they concerned with in-context analytics, branding consistency, fresh and SEO-friendly content, converting visitors to leads, sharing content across pages and sites, and/or having a mobile-friendly or responsive site design? What are their top priorities and biggest pain points?
 Information Technology (IT) 
Even if you choose a CMS-provider that can handle your content migration, CMS implementation and hosting of your CMS server, your IT department will still need to be involved to an extent in getting the CMS up and running for your organization. Additionally, you’ll probably need to have at least one or two people responsible for maintaining users in the system, adjusting permissions and access levels, and serving as the first level of support. If you choose to do the content migration, CMS hosting, backups and software upgrades in-house, then they’ll be even more involved. Speak with this team early on, and be sure to consider their technical abilities and existing time commitments, as this will help determine what types of services you’ll need to look for in conjunction with your software purchase.
 Content Contributors 
These are any social media marketers, bloggers, journalists, writers, photographers, interns, administrative assistants or others who will be updating content on your site. Some of them will be using the system daily while others may only use it every six months. Technical abilities may vary greatly from company to company and within a single company. In order to get buy-in from this group, we recommend asking them about their current pain points during your research phase and having them test your top 2-3 systems. Another crucial step to getting buy-in and participation from this group is to provide training and on-going internal support to these users post-purchase. Some end user-focused features you may want to look for are in-context editing, spell-checking, non-HTML content editing, hidden links on the live site to jump into the system for editing, image and link management, and drag and drop functionality.
 Web Developers and Designers 
If you’re redesigning your site along with upgrading to a new CMS, you may choose to outsource the design to an agency. However, once the initial design has been implemented, you will probably still have an ongoing need for web development and design work. If you’ve got in-house developers, make sure you discuss their needs and let them demo your top finalist systems. Content management systems come with a wide array of different developer tools, and a single feature, such as a code editor, could make a big difference in how easy or difficult it is to get your developers on board. Ask your developers how much weight they place on having an advanced code editor, the ability to use unlimited templates, support for mobile and responsive technologies, an active community of other users, and sample templates that can be customized for your company.
 The Higher-ups 
Your CIO, CTO and/or CMO may never spend a single minute working directly with your new content management system, but that doesn’t mean that they won’t have opinions on the technology they want you to use or what results they’d like to see from the implementation of a new system. This group may hold the purse strings as well, so it’s important to seek out their opinions early. Talk to them about your overall web content strategy and your goals, so you can be sure the product you select can help you achieve those goals. If your opinions regarding technology differ, the conversation doesn’t have to end there; however, it’s good to know where they stand ahead of time, so you can be prepared to make the case for your favorite CMS later down the road.
This is not an exclusive list of potential stakeholders, so make sure you consider all angles at your organization and write down their different (and potentially conflicting) goals and pain points early on. The best way to get buy-in is to let your stakeholders be part of your team and by making sure their needs are represented in your search. Does this mean everyone is going to be happy with your final decision? Maybe not at first. But by working together, providing on-going training, and informing all your stakeholders of the most influential factors in your decision, you can minimize the grumbling and have a smooth transition to your new CMS.
Like this article? Read more in this free Intro to Content Management Whitepaper. 
[[hannon2]]

How to Get Company-wide Buy-in for a New CMS

<a href="https://www.ecwid.com/" target="_blank">Ecwid</a> has rolled out a brand new API platform to encourage developers to get creative in lieu of the <a href="https://www.ecwid.com/apps/Featured" target="_blank">Ecwid App Market's</a> imminent expansion.
Well over 600,000 online stores are powered by Ecwid, which is well known for its excellent integration options for platforms such as WordPress and Drupal.
The brand new <a href="http://api.ecwid.com/" target="_blank">Ecwid API</a> enables any third-party developer to extend, modify and customize nearly every aspect of an Ecwid store. It’s now easier than ever to create an application for Ecwid and become a part of the upcoming Ecwid App market.
<h2>A Milestone for Ecwid Third-party Apps</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/update_combo_docs700x0.png" alt="Ecwid API" />
Third-party application developers can now have more fun with Ecwid than ever before.
Ecwid’s new API is a RESTful API with oAuth2 authentication. Any developer can use it to manage store data, add new interfaces to the Ecwid Control Panel, and even customize the storefront from an external application.
Ecwid developers can also now create embeddable applications which can find a place within the Ecwid control panel. In fact, depending on the nature of the application (and it's role in the control panel), developers can now customize the control panel to a degree, applying their own custom styles, widgets and more.
The new API specs and documentation provide examples and even a playground tool, all of which are available via the <a href="http://api.ecwid.com" target="_blank">Ecwid API page</a>.
<h2>Ecwid App Market Due for Expansion</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-1700x0.png" alt="Ecwid App Marketplace" />
Naturally, the release of this new API will lead to an app marketplace that's bigger, better, and more useful to the average Ecwid user.
According to Ecwid, when the App Market matures and “officially launches”, Apps on this page will be categorized to allow merchants to easily find a service they need, install apps, and more. However, the App Market does exist right now, and it contains a healthy range of apps already. So, the introduction of third-part apps should make things interesting for Ecwid's 600,000 users.
To find out more about the new Ecwid's new API, check out the official announcement, as well as the <a href="http://api.ecwid.com/" target="_blank">Ecwid API page</a>.

Ecwid Releases New API Platform

Document management behavior is as crucial to ROI as document management software. When working in unison, the right behavior maximizes the software’s utility, and this is where document management software (DMS) is potentiated, advocated, and relied on as a bearing wall to an organization’s profits.
However, most organizations do not behaviorally adapt to new technologies (like DMS) – leaving operations in discord. But this discord isn’t about what organizations are doing, it’s about what they aren’t doing. If you’re a newly-minted DMS user, be sure to keep the following behavioral pointers in mind so your employees can behaviorally leverage the software to maximize its profit potential.
<h2>1. Utilize DMS in New Hire Training Processes</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/new-hire-e1464263561307.jpg" alt="New Hire" />
A one-time training directly after software implementation won’t suffice in ensuring ROI on any technology, let alone document management software. If your new-hire training process isn’t including at least one tutorial on how DMS can be utilized in relation to new hires’ roles, the training program needs overhauling. In fact, failing to utilize DMS in the new hire process will further decrease profits in industries relying on DMS, yet experiencing high turnover, such as the technology and food and beverage industries.
<h2>2. Dethrone the Shared Drive</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/shared-drive-e1464263602795.jpg" alt="shared drive" />
Many technologies ebb and flow, roll through troughs of inflated expectations and periods of disillusionment (as Gartner posits in its Hype Cycle), but some enterprise technologies are simply outdated, and the shared drive is one of them, especially if organizations continue to rely on both the shared drive and DMS to manage their information. However, the best DMS vendors will offer a feature that <a href="http://www.efilecabinet.com/efilecabinet-sidekick/">transubstantiates the shared drive</a>, aligning crucial business functions with the DMS itself, making it easier to forego use of the shared drive entirely.
However, employees are human beings, and human beings are creatures of behavioral habit. Since many of us have relied on the shared drive (network-attached storage) and similar outdated enterprise technologies for over two decades, understanding how the shared drive pales in comparison to document management software is difficult for many, and so reliance on the shared drive continues—even post-DMS implementation.
However, shared drives build information silos in organizations, breed unstructured content, have no compliance features, fail to ensure consistent file/folder structure, and make needless duplication of files an easy mistake to make. What’s more, the shared drive neglects organizations’ increasing need for sophisticated collaboration tools, including expedited, metadata-driven document search features. However, using DMS as a central repository in situ of the shared drive transcends the aforementioned issues with the shared drive, so long as employees remember to avoid using it post-DMS implementation. In addition to incentivizing employees from using the shared drive, managers can strengthen their arguments through this DMS-shared drive <a href="http://www.efilecabinet.com/infographic-document-management-software-vs-the-shared-drive/">side-by-side comparison</a>.
<h2>3. Enable Throughput Continuity</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/throughput-e1464263661211.jpg" alt="Throughput" />
Throughput, as it’s defined by <a href="http://dictionary.com" target="_blank">dictionary.com</a>, is ‘the quantity or amount of raw material processed within a given time, especially the work done by an electronic computer in a given period of time.’ So what does throughput have to do with employee behavior?
Well, there are three document management terms that pertain to this definition of throughput, and they all involve 3 employee behaviors necessary to document management ROI: scanning, uploading, and repeating.
Many DMS users, over the long haul, forget to continue scanning all incoming paper files, uploading them to the DMS, and repeating the process as mail and other paper items arrive at the point of business. This compromises the security, storage, and collaboration features DMS would otherwise offer these documents, resulting in untapped ROI, and at the hands of easily changed behavior. Enabling throughput continuity isn’t complicated. In many cases, it’s as simple as creating a roadmap for each department to follow, and incentivizing each department to follow this roadmap.
Although most organizations using DMS will soar in throughput during the initial post-implementation phase, they usually fail to ensure throughput over longer periods of time. Although this is likely because the greatest number of an organization’s documents are scanned and uploaded immediately after implementing DMS, (in order to go ‘paperless’), this phenomenon also occurs because organizations have not stimulated enduring, interdepartmental buy-in to the document management solution:
<h2>4. Create Organization-Wide Buy-In</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/buy-in-e1464263756725.jpg" alt="buy-in" />
Truth be told, once you’ve been sold on your document management software of choice, you’ll need to offer a bit of salesmanship to your organization about the product itself, but the rewards are as enormous as they are manifold: streamlined operational processes, reduced project completion times, happier employees, and great bottom-line profit margins are just a few of the proven boons DMS brings to the table.
Technology is useless unless its users set it in motion, and few will find reason to set it in motion if they do not buy-in to the value it brings them. This is why the buy-in conversation begins and ends with explaining how document management software can not only transform, but improve employees’ roles at work.
Simply put, your employees want to know what’s in it for them. No longer needing to shuffle through stacks of paperwork, spending less time searching for (and losing) information, are only a few of the opportunity costs DMS nixes. This frees up crucial time employees need to further their professional growth.
The argument to buy-in to DMS is not a difficult one to make, but it can go unheard and unimplemented if not divulged from the top down with strategy, poise, and conviction. For instance, an executive merely buying and resolving to use DMS is not enough to stimulate organization-wide buy-in: Rather, buy-in and use of the software must be incentivized at the IT, accounting, marketing, and sales departments by explaining what’s in it for each of these departments. For instance, as a selling point, a sales executive may tell his sales team that the new DMS presents a new selling angle to win over potential clients—one which ensures security of client information or a ‘paperless,’ eco-friendly office.
<h2>5. Taking the Time to Learn DMS Integrations and Features</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/integrations-and-features-e1464263815790.jpg" alt="Integrations and Features" />
There are many DMS features, (workflow and role-based user permissions), that many organizations don’t utilize in their DMS’s entirety. This can make the aforementioned objectives (organizational buy-in to DMS, for instance) difficult to cultivate and obtain. In a worst case scenario, a misunderstanding of features can result in a post installation fallout, where buy-in and throughput continuity tend to quickly decline, and, therefore, render a fully potentiated shot at ROI on DMS improbable. The same goes for DMS integrations, which although increasingly streamlined from a development perspective, are yet to be fully utilized in industry-specific practice.
In conclusion, these 5 behavioral tidbits are not roadblocks that should prevent organizations from buying-in to DMS, but rather behavioral caveats designed to help readers generate the biggest ROI possible on their document management software investment.
* * *
This post is <a href="/advertising/">sponsored</a> by eFileCabinet. Find out more at <a href="http://www.efilecabinet.com/">efilecabinet.com</a>.

5 Behavioral Keys to Document Management Software ROI

One year ago, Sitecore and Microsoft announced a partnership with the goal of offering the best of experience marketing and commerce in the same package. That goal has now been met, with the release of Sitecore Commerce 8 powered by Microsoft Dynamics.
<a href="http://s.bl-1.com/h/lMcnXgM?url=http://www.sitecore.net/" target="_blank">Sitecore</a>, the global leader in customer experience management, has officially announced the availability of the new Sitecore Commerce 8 powered by Microsoft Dynamics, which integrates the leading experience management capabilities of the <a href="http://s.bl-1.com/h/lMcohSR?url=http://www.sitecore.net/Learn/Resources-Library/Brochures/Sitecore-Experience-Platform.aspx" target="_blank">Sitecore Experience Platform</a> with the omni-channel commerce capabilities of <a href="http://s.bl-1.com/h/lMconrT?url=http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics/retail.aspx" target="_blank">Microsoft Dynamics for Retail</a>,
Sitecore Commerce 8 powered by Microsoft Dynamics aims to enable enterprises to bridge the gap between in-store and digital experiences.
<img style="max-width:400px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sitecore_logo_400x0.gif" />
<h2>Omni-Channel, Synchronization &amp; Publishing Capabilities Enhanced</h2>
Key features of Sitecore Commerce 8 powered by Microsoft Dynamics include:
●   Shared Services Between Online and Brick-and-Mortar: All aspects of order capture (like pricing, tax &amp; discounts) are shared between digital and brick and mortar channels, supporting a consistent experience regardless of channel.
●   Additional Omni-Channel Capabilities: Microsoft Dynamics’ comprehensive features in the areas of loyalty programs; store location with real-time inventory; buy online, pickup in store; order management, including returns; customer service and call center are all enabled in digital experiences built using Sitecore.
●   Synchronization and Publishing: Synchronization service to aggregate catalog data from Dynamics and Sitecore’s Commerce Catalog to facilitate very high traffic digital experiences.
●   Storefront Solutions: Support for multiple storefronts representing different countries and legal entities in the same deployment. A reference storefront is provided to accelerate customer deployments.
Sitecore and Microsoft have developed this new version of Sitecore Commerce over the last year. They co-designed its architecture to capitalize on the strengths of both Sitecore and Microsoft Dynamics. The combined solution allows businesses to create seamlessly connected customer experiences optimized for visitors’ digital behaviors, devices and preferences, complete with real-time order management across any channel.
Darren Guarnaccia, the Chief Strategy Officer at Sitecore, made these comments:
<blockquote>“Businesses, until now, haven’t had a unified way to connect the customer experience between the worlds of online and brick-and-mortar. This partnership fills a real customer need by marrying the expertise and technology of two trusted global enterprise solutions. You can expect to hear more about the success of significant implementations over the coming months.”</blockquote>
The new solution further diversifies Sitecore’s commerce offering. The release offers significant opportunities for customers with a retail presence to aggregate their content across all sales channels, particularly for those customers already using or evaluating Microsoft Dynamics for Retail.
Microsoft's General Manager of Commerce &amp; Retail Solutions, Ashvin Mathew, also shared his take:
<blockquote>“Retailers want to create a connected experience as they look to extend engagement beyond point-of-sale. The new solution combines the rich commerce capabilities of Dynamics with Sitecore’s experience platform and represents a significant step in our partnership and commitment to deliver innovative and personalized solutions for our mutual customers.”</blockquote>
To find out more about Sitecore Commerce 8 powered by Microsoft Dynamics, <a href="http://www.sitecore.net/commerce" target="_blank">check out the Sitecore website</a>.
Furthermore, you can explore <a href="/products/sitecore/" target="_blank">Sitecore via our CMS Directory</a>.

Sitecore & Microsoft Team Up to Improve In-store and Digital Customer Experiences

If there's one thing that I've learned in my many years covering the CMS space, it's that I will never truly know about every single CMS out there, no matter how hard I try. Every day, it seems, a new content management system hits the ‘net and while some of the developers of these systems are good at marketing and pushing their product, many aren't.
That's one of the reasons I started CMS Critic in the first place over 6 years ago. I wanted to share my experiences with each CMS (including the lesser known ones) and help people find the real hidden gems.
Finding the perfect CMS is not an easy thing to accomplish. So today, I'm going to share with you some suggestions and tips I've learned over my many years of consulting and providing advice.
<h2>Don't be wowed by the interface.</h2>
There are some beautiful and stunning interfaces within a large number of content management systems out there but one important thing to keep in mind is that, just like choosing a partner, you don't always want to make your selection based on looks. The adage “it's what's on the inside that counts” couldn't possibly be more true and applies to far more than just dating and relationships. I've seen a significant number of CMS with beautiful interfaces but little to no functionality or they are chock full of bugs. That's not to say there aren't the exceptions to the rule but it's definitely something to keep in mind. It's easy to make something pretty, it's hard to make it pretty AND functionally useful.
Don't always be quick to dismiss the system with the simple interface. More often than not, these are the first ones you should look at. Usually, it's a sign that the developer prefers less bloat and is more focused on the code and functionality. In some cases, it's the flip-side and simple literally means simple but it's important to always thoroughly explore all options before you write something off as “too plain” or “too fancy”.
<h2>Do make a list of of needs and wants.</h2>
Another important item people tend to overlook when searching for a CMS is the requirement for a clear and concise need / want list. This list should be very straight forward and easy to compile. I recommend getting together with members of each functional area that will be using the CMS (or supporting it) and listing out items that absolutely MUST be in the new CMS and items that would simply be ‘nice to have'.
Some examples of needs might be:
<ul>
<li>Strong workflow functionality.</li>
<li>Integration with existing ecommerce suite.</li>
<li>Multilingual capabilities</li>
</ul>
An example of a want might be:
<ul>
<li>Workflow Notification by SMS (system may have email notification but no SMS in which case, you could make do fine if it fit your other requirements).</li>
</ul>
I recommend always making sure you involve all of the business units that will be in some way touching the system. This helps eliminate frustration amongst all parties and allows everyone to feel like they've had a chance to offer their input.
Don't forget to think about what you already have (if you are currently using a homegrown system or another CMS) and what you couldn't live without during a change.
<h2>Do check out each vendors support groups / forums / Twitter accounts (if available).</h2>
It's vital that you always check out how a vendor treats their existing customers before you go spending money with them. I recommend checking out their Twitter accounts thoroughly (if they have them).
<ul>
<li>Do they reply to queries from existing and potential customers?</li>
<li>Are they helpful when doing so?</li>
<li>How active are they on each platform?</li>
</ul>
Forums are another excellent way to see how people are reacting to a certain product. If the company you are considering is not active and assisting those with questions, steer clear as it's a sure sign of nightmares down the road.
<h2>Do contact each vendor you are considering and ask lots of questions.</h2>
Don't be afraid to grill each vendor you are considering. A good vendor will be happy to answer your questions and if they want your business, they will do their best to give you thorough and complete answers. This is another great way to guage how much value the vendor places on acquiring you as a customer. A good vendor will work hard for your business, answering your questions and directing you to the correct resources.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/questions_to_ask_when_chosing_a_cloud_vendor1.jpg" />
This is also a good way to guage how quickly a vendor can respond with accurate answers. If it takes them a long time and you get bounced from person to person, this could be a good indicator as to how easy or hard it might be to get support down the road if you became their customer.
<h2>Do not let the vendor lead the demo for you.</h2>
Now, this might seem a little bit odd but I've seen a number of demos where the customer has simply sat back and let the vendor lead the demo showcasing all of the great stuff within their product. Here's the problem with letting the vendor lead the demo, they will only show you the stuff that works and works well. 
I always recommend making a list of what you expect from the demo, what do you want to see, what you do not care about and telling the vendor how to proceed. Don't be afraid to throw in curveball questions during the demo to see how they react. Can they answer your question? Are they lost and stammering? These things are important as well as they make the vendor think how they would use their system to accomplish your specific tasks and since you are on a demo, you can visualize how easy it might be for you as a customer as well.
This is a critical one and can be the a significant deciding factor when choosing a product so don't be afraid to take charge! It's your money after all.
—
I hope these few items help you in your search for the perfect CMS. Do you have other things you think are important that you'd like to share? Please do so in the comments below

How to Find the Perfect CMS

Shopify - The global commerce platform

Build your business with Shopify to sell online, offline, and everywhere in between.

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#ffffff

Emails were once considered the quickest and most efficient form of digital communication – of course, this was when digital communications were young.
Now there are multiple chat platforms for both personal and professional use. Social media sites, apps, and enterprise resource management suites all give people the chance to communicate quickly and reliably across multiple devices.
Does this mean the email is dead? Not by any means.
But it does mean the email has moved toward a certain format. What it lacks in speed and convenience, it makes up for in formality. It’s the digital world’s version of a letter – but just like real mail, there’s usually a mix of good content and junk floating around.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/adobestock_91528736761x0-is.jpeg" />
Email marketing is still a popular field. Even beyond things like search engine marketing and social media marketing, emails can be very effective at presenting offers. So how do successful email marketers avoid the junk folder and make their campaigns a success?
<h2>Good Email Marketers Send Good Content</h2>
The best way to stay out of the junk folder? Don’t send junk.
There’s a fine line between presenting someone with a professional offer at an address set up for these inquiries and spamming their inbox with cash-grabbing schemes.
Good email marketers don’t target inboxes where they aren’t welcomed. This isn’t just a matter of character – there’s some strategy involved as well. Once an address or a brand gets a bad reputation for spamming, it can be hard to shake it. While it could take seconds to switch to a new email, it could take much longer for a brand to recover.
Looking professional is a big part of the task. A reader will be much more at ease, and thus much more receptive to inbox inquiries that look like they have something realistic to offer.
<h2>Use Recognizable Brand Names and Email Service Providers</h2>
If a business or entrepreneur is at the point where they’re sending out emails to clients and trying to implement a marketing campaign, they should have an established brand.
This could be conveyed in the form of a nice title, which ties into things like the email signature, an included website, and other sources that further show the sender is trustworthy. This also shows the sender, who is marketing their services, has likely delivered these same services (successfully) to other clients in the past.
It can be tempting to make custom email addresses that use the business’s title. While it is possible to get certifications that tie into an associated website and mark the email address as secure, using a more common email service provider is often a better idea. It’s safer, and seeing Gmail, Yahoo!, or Hotmail may be less likely to arouse suspicion in a reader.
If you must use a custom email address, look into solutions like ReturnPath to get certified as a trusted sender. And as always, test your ideas first. If your email marketing campaign looks fishy to you, it will likely end up in spam – either automatically or by the recipient’s own hand.

How Successful Email Marketers Avoid the Spam Folder

I'm a huge fan of simplicity and elegance and I was very excited when I first saw a new Linux distribution called <a href="https://budgie-remix.org/">Budgie Remix</a> hit the news. For those who are unaware, Budgie Remix is a distribution featuring the beautiful Budgie Desktop.
Here's a screenshot of my desktop as I write this:
<img alt="Screenshot from 2016-04-26 16-31-25" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screenshot-from-2016-04-26-16-31-25.png" />
Yes, I'm a bit of a gamer and Budgie Remix does a great job of getting out of the way and looking good doing it. For those who are curious, the bottom panel is <a href="https://launchpad.net/plank">Plank</a> which is installed as part of the desktop. Some may not be fans but I think the overall look is pretty sweet and I've found myself preferring it over Gnome and Unity.
Based on Ubuntu 16.04, Budgie Remix is aiming to be an official Ubuntu flavor, specifically, Ubuntu Budgie and needs your help to get there. If you are a fan of the Budgie Desktop, don't hesitate to head on over to their <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/BudgieRemix/">subreddit</a> or <a href="https://plus.google.com/communities/106822666079268690759">Google Plus community</a> and get involved with testing, development, etc.
Obviously, the advantage to being based off of Ubuntu is the amazing amount of software and support from various vendors. Furthermore, most game makers tend to favor Ubuntu as a testing ground for their latest releases and as much as I love Archlinux as well, Ubuntu is just a more commonly supported distro.
For those who are interested in learning more about Budgie Remix or grabbing a copy to play with, head on over to <a href="https://sourceforge.net/projects/budgie-remix/files/">Sourceforge</a> and start downloading your today. I'd love to hear about your experiences in the comments below as well.

First Look at Budgie Remix

<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/intranet-development.jpg" />
You’ve been chasing the client for months. Bringing on this account would mean the world to your firm, and you’d get all the glory. Countless proposals and presentations to try and get them across the line, and finally—you get the phone call. They want to start doing business.
But it’s not your usual request. They want you to build them an office intranet.
Developing a bespoke intranet can be a long and arduous process, with no guarantees at the end of your finished product. This is not your firm’s specialty—how do you select the right <a href="https://www.myhubintranet.com/intranet-development">intranet development</a> option to meet the client’s needs, without committing too much time and resource, or even worse, flunking the opportunity you’ve been given?
We’ve got good news. There’s another way, and it’s faster, cheaper and safer. Introducing: pre-built CMS intranet systems. Read on to learn how this can be a viable option for your customers, and the answer to all your intranet development worries.
<h2>A World Without Pre-Built CMS Intranet Systems</h2>
To truly understand the value of a pre-built CMS intranet system, it pays to first look at the other side of the coin. What does it typically take to build a bespoke intranet from scratch? Here are the standard steps:
<h3>1. Requirements Analysis</h3>
Firstly, detailed information needs to be gathered from your client around their requirements. What are they hoping to use the intranet for? Are there any particular activities they will be using it for, and any special tools they may require? What baseline requirements do they have around data and security? All of this information is gathered as a needs analysis, and typically involves staff questionnaires, workshops and focus groups. No surprises that it takes a while to complete! 
<h3>2. Documentation</h3>
Following the needs analysis comes documenting—essentially detailing all the information gathered. This involves the mapping out of the necessary business processes, data flow diagrams and information, including an initial site map. Again, a slow and labor intensive process.
<h3>3. Development</h3>
Next, a prototype must be developed to give your client a feel for the solution you’re proposing. This not only allows your client to see what the end product will look like, but enables you to move forward with confidence, knowing that your intranet will be the right fit. Creating a prototype can be a lengthy ordeal, particularly as it is an important point in the process from the customer’s point of view—show them a mediocre prototype, and they might pull the pin altogether.
<h3>4. Testing</h3>
Once your intranet is completely developed, the final step is testing. No one wants to present a solution only to find out it’s full of glitches that undermine your credibility immediately! Testing should cover functionality, ease of use, device compatibility, end user appeal, speed, reliability, user load and ongoing management. As well as this, it’s important to step back from the practical perspective, and look at the intranet’s visual appeal—after all, it’s being used by humans, not machines.
It goes without saying that developing a bespoke intranet is not a straightforward process. The potential for the process to quickly suck up time and money is very real—it’s a significant investment, not to be taken lightly. This holds a degree of risk to you as a developer. Too often the journey is embarked on optimistically, only to end in high costs due to unforeseen changes and labor intensive design. 
We’ve seen what it’s like building your own intranet. Now, let’s look at a pre-built CMS intranet. 
<h2>A Better World: Pre-Built CMS Intranet</h2>
When you need to drive to work, you don’t build the road to get there. You use a pre-built road. Why? Because it’s simpler, cheaper, faster.
Intranet is much the same—using a pre-built CMS intranet negates many of the issues we’ve seen in building a bespoke intranet. Here’s a quick look at how a pre-built intranet can save you time, money and hassle along each step of the development process.
<h3>1. Requirements Analysis</h3>
No more starting from scratch. Conducting a needs analysis looks very different with a pre-built intranet. Essentially, it involves walking your client through all of the already available functions and features within the CMS intranet software, and noting down which ones are needed for their particular business. This inverted approach is fantastic because it shifts the client’s perspective—they choose from what’s available initially, rather than dreaming up a plethora of potentially unrealistic options. Risk is also reduced for you as the developer, as the pre-set options mean you’re more likely to end up creating an intranet well suited to your client’s needs.
<h3>2. Documentation</h3>
Implementing a template approach means extensive documentation is no longer required. Your pre-built intranet comes already equipped with a site map, and modules which can easily be customized. Pre-planning becomes unnecessary, as adding or editing pages is straightforward.
<h3>3. Development</h3>
Say goodbye to tedious prototype creation, and hello to simple free trials. The majority of CMS intranet providers offer the option of ‘try before you buy’, meaning, as a developer, there’s no need to build a prototype or even go through the process of installing intranet software. Simply use the step-by-step building process, utilizing the flexible page options and design. 
<h3>4. Testing</h3>
Again—no need for any testing with a pre-built CMS intranet. All the pre-testing has been performed in advance, meaning functionality can be assured from day one. In fact, this aspect of a pre-built intranet is an easy sell to your clients—there are hundreds of users out there already using the product, who can attest to its usability. 
Clearly, pre-built CMS intranet systems offer huge benefits, with very little downside compared to bespoke intranets. As well as saving time and money in the needs analysis and documentation phases, a pre-built intranet is able to be customized to meet the requirements of the majority of companies, with all the development and testing already completed and proven. 
<h2>The Cherry On Top: Cloud Intranet Hosting</h2>
As if the benefits of saved time and money aren’t enough, cloud-hosted CMS intranets offer even more benefit for your customers. Instead of having to purchase additional servers, then hosting and maintaining the intranet themselves, customers are able to outsource it to a hosting company. What this means is:
<ul>
<li>Automatic backups</li>
<li>Fixed low monthly costs</li>
<li>Up-to-date security features</li>
<li>Unlimited users</li>
<li>Automatic updates </li>
<li>Managed storage</li>
</ul>
At MyHub, we firmly believe that configuration, as opposed to development, is the best approach when implementing a new intranet. Uncertainty is lowered and return on investment is maximized. From the developer’s perspective, this means more time to focus on what you do best: understand customers, and deliver requirements. Instead of spending the time and money necessary to become proficient in intranet development, market yourself as having a competitive edge over other developers when it comes to responsiveness and understanding.
Ultimately, CMS intranets can both meet your customers’ needs, and those of your web development agency. <a href="https://www.myhubintranet.com/book-demo/">Contact us at MyHub</a> for a free consultation on how a cloud intranet can make intranet development a much easier task.

Never Stress About Intranet Development Again

SiteExecutive 2012 promises to treat your content with care allowing you simple and complete content control. Since content needs to look as beautiful on the small screens as it does on the larger displays, SE2012 introduces responsive support.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/siteexecutive_whatsnew.png" alt="SiteExecutive_whatsnew" />
<h3>Structured Content – Web Content Creation Simplified</h3>
The process of creating, correlating and distributing content can be simplified with the separation of content and presentation. Structured content enables users to define content types, presentation layers and collection methods not only in SiteExecutive, but for other devices as well. Through REST, a form of API, external systems are able to consume the data directly from structured content and deploy that content on their own devices.
Predefined fields allow for simplified content creation, requiring less time and effort. Content types are defined and created specific to organizations’ content strategy and goals using a variety of field types including WYSIWYG, Dates, Text, Numerical, Picklist/Selectors (populators), Image, and Video. Presentation layouts define how the content gathered from the content fields should display on the website, while URL interpreters and Viewlets determine what data to display in which channel (i.e. web, mobile, social media, etc.)
<h3>Enhanced Mobile Delivery Processes</h3>
The ability to reach all users regardless of device is crucial. Bridging the gap between mobile and desktop devices is easy in the latest version of SiteExecutive, which introduces support for Responsive Web Design using external style sheets. Responsive Web Design uses CSS media queries to detect the browser screen size and capabilities to deliver a tailored experience regardless of screen size.
MediaExecutive, (hosted online video service) now simplifies the delivery of video to mobile devices via streaming video support for Apple and Android products. Video is automatically encoded to the optimal format for mobile delivery using HTML5 video encoding, ensuring an optimal viewing experience across multiple device types.
For more information visit: <a href="http://www.siteexecutive.com" target="_blank">siteexecutive.com</a>

SiteExecutive 2012 release

<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/episerver_partner_portal_2-01.png" alt="Episerver_partner_portal_2-01" />
According to <a href="http://www.channelpartnersonline.com/">channelpartersonline.com</a>, 80% of partner portals don’t live up to channel partners’ expectations, as employees don’t regard them as effective everyday tools to sell their vendors’ products.
Usually, partner portals fail because they:
<ul>
<li>Are not user-friendly, i.e. navigation or search is so complicated that a vendor management might seek help from support to find the needed page.</li>
<li>Don’t engage partners through communication and help, e.g. do not encourage them to ask questions on business-related issues or share insights on the community board.</li>
<li>Don’t offer useful tools that can help salespeople to support sales, e.g. generate a customized proposal or calculate ROI.</li>
</ul>
In my <a href="https://www.scnsoft.com/blog/how-to-engage-channel-partners-with-a-portal">recent blog post</a>, I outlined several tips on how to reverse these flaws and start engaging partners for better sales.
Now, let’s get to the technical aspect of creating an actionable partner portal, which first of all boils down to choosing a capable CMS.
Serving established enterprises that seek to increase sales through partnerships, we at <a href="https://www.scnsoft.com/">ScienceSoft</a> prefer the commercial <a href="https://www.scnsoft.com/episerver">Episerver</a> platform, and here’s why.
<h2>Engage Multiple Employees in One Company</h2>
To encourage the existing partners to sell more through your partner portal, you should engage not only their vendor managers but also other employees who can influence an end customer’s purchase decision, i.e. sales reps, marketing specialists and tech people.
Episerver allows adding to a company account multiple employees as users with predefined roles, including an administrator who will be able to manage members (create, edit or delete).
<h2>Tailor Content to Every Employee</h2>
With Episerver, you can personalize virtually any type of content – from on-page information such as a text, image or block to a set of pages or sections to be shown to a visitor depending on their role.
This way, you will make sure that a sales rep and a tech specialist will find their shortest ways to the required information without wading through tons of generic content.
<h2>Improve Your Portal on the Go</h2>
Episerver offers an open and layered architecture so that you won’t need to go through a full-blown portal redesign while changing or expanding your information structure, be it introducing a community board or building advanced search-based navigation.
<h2>Offer Handy Interactive Tools</h2>
Working with multiple partner portals, employees will naturally stick to the most convenient ones. The Episerver CMS will help you to stand out from your competitors by implementing useful tools such as:
<ul>
<li>Marketing material customizer to change logos, prices and contacts</li>
<li>Configurators and calculators for products with options</li>
<li>Reports on sales, and others</li>
</ul>
<h2>Winding It Up</h2>
A convenient partner portal that serves relevant content to all of your partners’ employees engaged in sales becomes an everyday helper and eventually boosts sales.
The question is, can your CMS ensure the necessary level of personalization and usability? If you are only thinking about creating a partner portal or willing to redesign the existing solution, we recommend to consider Episerver as a proven option.

A Look at Episerver as a Partner Portal Platform

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