Articles - Page 98

Bland Brands Beware: Optimizely’s New Identity Brings Human Creativity to its Agentic AI and AEO Ambitions

matt-garrepy

Ah, the bliss of early autumn. Can you feel it in the air?
As September ends and nature's majestic foliage blooms across the Northern hemisphere, our editorial staff is catching its collective breath. It's been a summer like no other, with a pandemic still stoking uncertainty in most parts of the world. But one thing is still certain: digital transformation is exploding – and shows no signs of slowing down. 
In the CMS and DXP territories, we've been following the continuous saga of consolidation and the rabid race to expand features. This month alone, we saw <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/adobe-acquires-video-collaboration-platform-frame-io/" target="_blank">Adobe acquire Frame.io</a>, <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/sitecore-acquires-ai-powered-search-platform-reflektion/" target="_blank">Sitecore purchase Reflektion</a>, <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/duda-snaps-up-snipcart-to-boost-e-commerce-capabilities-qa-with-ceo-itai-sadan/" target="_blank">Duda snap up Snipcart</a>, and <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/acquia-widens-its-dxp-stack-with-widen-acquires-dam-and-pim-capabilities/" target="_blank">Acquia buy Widen</a>. The game is getting tight at the enterprise level, and we'll be monitoring activity across our sector as we approach the end of the year. 
In the meantime, here are some other snippets we've been following in September. 
 
<h2>Cloudways releases Top 9 WordPress page builders based on performance</h2>
<img style="max-width:750px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/09/best-wordpress-page-builders-banner.jpg" alt="Best WordPress Page Builders Banner" />
<a href="https://www.cloudways.com/en/" target="_blank">Cloudways</a>, the managed cloud hosting platform, has selected the top 9 WordPress page builders based on active installations and positive user reviews. The company vetted each entry through a rigorous testing and review process, giving us their top choices based on a variety of criteria. 
So what is a WordPress page builder, anyway? Quite simply, it's a plugin that replaces the classic WordPress editor with a third-party UI. In most cases, this interface lets you drag and drop elements like buttons, social icons, galleries, and images onto a template. There's no code or complexity involved, and almost any user can be successful without a steep learning curve. 
That said, most drag-and-drop builders do bring a modicum of frustration and compromises to the experience (translation: you don't always get exactly what you want). There's often more complexity than you bargain for, and page builders do lock users into their own unique, non-standardized code - so you're stuck with it. They also have a tendency to <a href="https://pagely.com/blog/wordpress-page-builders/" target="_blank">slow down a website</a> with added bloat.
Then why use page builders? Well, in the early days of the web, deep development expertise was needed to build almost any kind of website. Although WordPress was initially designed to give people the ability to publish websites without creating and coding from scratch, the leading open source content management system has become more and more complex over the years – evolving into a platform that is vastly different from its origins. 
Today, it's getting easier to design and develop websites thanks to the evolution of more reliable website builders, and that's why Cloudways has invested in their assessment. And without further ado, here are their top 9 picks:
<ol>
<li><a href="https://www.brizy.io/" target="_blank">Brizy</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.wpbeaverbuilder.com/" target="_blank">Beaver Builder</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/10-best-plugins-for-elementor-page-builder/" target="_blank">Elementor</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.seedprod.com/" target="_blank">SeedProd</a></li>
<li><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-pagebuilder/" target="_blank">WP Page Builder</a></li>
<li><a href="https://siteorigin.com/" target="_blank">SiteOrigin</a></li>
<li><a href="https://oxygenbuilder.com/" target="_blank">Oxygen</a></li>
<li><a href="https://zionbuilder.io/" target="_blank">Zion</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.boldgrid.com/" target="_blank">BoldGrid</a></li>
</ol>
The Cloudways page builder review is jampacked with information, including which speed testing tools they used, the number of active installations and star ratings of each page builder, and their performance analysis results according to GTmetrix, PageSpeed Insight Performance Analysis, Pingdom Performance Analysis, and K6.io Performance Analysis. Click here to <a href="https://www.cloudways.com/blog/wordpress-page-builders" target="_blank">read the review</a> and dig into the details. 
<h2>UserWay and Duda partner to make professional websites more accessible</h2>
<img style="max-width:800px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/09/usw_duda-60460a9263e4c180db740dd2b08cfba0.jpg" alt="UserWay and Duda logos" />
<a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/duda-snaps-up-snipcart-to-boost-e-commerce-capabilities-qa-with-ceo-itai-sadan/" target="_blank">Duda</a>, the professional website builder, announced the addition of <a href="https://userway.org/" target="_blank">UserWay's</a> AI-powered accessibility widget to their Duda App Store. 
A nearly ubiquitous fixture on websites, Userway's cloud-based widget provides accessibility solutions without refactoring your website's existing code – helping to ensure a comprehensive legal and regulatory compliance framework covering ADA, Section 508, WCAG 2.1 AA, and much more.
There are currently <a href="https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/disability-and-health" target="_blank">one billion people</a> living with disabilities worldwide, and over the last decade, digital accessibility has become one of <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/why-your-website-has-to-be-just-as-ada-compliant-as-your-office-building/" target="_blank">the most important and talked-about issues</a> in the web and digital industries. UserWay is helping to address that with a simple, elegant solution that makes accessibility more attainable. For Duda, adding the UserWay feature helps provide their customers with more assurance that their digital experiences are more accessible. 
"We are constantly looking for ways to better serve our customers," said Itai Sadan, Duda's founder and CEO. "Adding UserWay's accessibility technology to our platform allows web professionals the freedom to design their websites without having to worry about the effects their choices have on accessibility. Some web professionals fear that being accessible will be limiting, but UserWay's solutions change that. We're proud that sites created on our platform will now be more accessible for those with disabilities."
Duda customers will be able to quickly strengthen the accessibility of their websites by quickly and easily installing UserWay's Accessibility Widget – which works perfectly out-of-the-box on any website built with Duda. This includes both purchased and premade templates as well as hand-crafted templates and designs.
You can learn more about it on Duda's website at <a href="https://www.duda.co/signup" target="_blank">https://www.duda.co</a>
<h2>Hyland launches OnBase in AWS Marketplace</h2>
<img style="max-width:720px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/09/e0030_thumb_big_media.png" alt="Hyland OnBase" />
<a href="http://www.hyland.com/" target="_blank">Hyland</a>, a leading enterprise content management (ECM) and process management provider, is now offering their <a href="https://aws.amazon.com/marketplace/pp/prodview-pt2svfcpfgiga?sr=0-1&amp;ref_=beagle&amp;applicationId=AWSMPContessa" target="_blank">OnBase platform in the AWS Marketplace</a>, supporting the evolving needs of organizations to better manage digital information from anywhere and support their shifting work environments.
Hyland is best known for its <a href="https://www.onbase.com/en" target="_blank">Onbase</a> and <a href="https://www.hyland.com/en/perceptive" target="_blank">Perceptive</a> content management products, which securely centralize enterprise content and deliver relevant information to users across a wide variety of industries – including healthcare, finance, insurance, higher education, and manufacturing. Hyland commands the second-place position in the Leader Quadrant of <a href="https://www.hyland.com/en/explore/gartner-magic-quadrant-for-content-services-platforms" target="_blank">Gartner's 2020 Magic Quadrant for Content Services Platforms</a> and has been <a href="https://www.hyland.com/en/learn/it-programs/forrester-wave-content-services-Q2-2021" target="_blank">named a content platform leader</a> in the Forrester Wave Report for Content Platforms, Q2 2021.
Designed to efficiently manage content, processes, and cases, OnBase connects and centralizes business-critical content in one secure location. As more organizations choose cloud technology to run their operations, Hyland's cloud-first vision and development methodology set the foundation to support evolving business practices – delivering relevant information when and where users need it to increase productivity, improve customer experience, and reduce risk across the enterprise. 
The addition of OnBase in AWS Marketplace with further Hyland's cloud-first vision – providing organizations across the globe with the business dexterity they need, leveraging content management, business process management, and intelligent automation solutions with the scalability, reliability, and security of Amazon Web Services (AWS).
"Our <a href="https://www.hyland.com/en/company/partner-program/strategic-alliance-partners/aws" target="_blank">work with AWS</a> has never been stronger, and we're proud to leverage its infrastructure to power OnBase in the Hyland Cloud," said Ed McQuiston, EVP and Chief Commercial Officer at Hyland. "With joint customer success stories spanning the healthcare, government, insurance, and financial services industries, Hyland and AWS are better together, providing leading cloud-based content services solutions to help organizations thrive in the next normal."
Hyland had been on a buying spree in the past few years, acquiring both <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/hyland-acquires-alfresco-focuses-on-cloud-and-global-expansion-of-enterprise-cms/" target="_blank">Alfresco</a>, an open-source content services platform, and <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/hyland-enters-agreement-to-acquire-nuxeo/" target="_blank">Nuxeo</a>, a content services and digital asset management (DAM) platform.
<h2>WordPress Gutenberg 11.5 achieves a full site editing milestone</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/09/headings-framecap-2048x1152-1.jpg" alt="WordPress Headings framecap" />
Did Gutenberg ever take a break from his printing press? Not likely. Once books could be printed at scale, the demand was never-ending. 
 The same holds true for the folks at WordPress – who seem to never pause on their updates and improvements the <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/gutenberg-2-years-later-is-wordpress-better-off/" target="_blank">Gutenberg editor</a>. Just two weeks after releasing 11.4, <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2021/09/17/whats-new-in-gutenberg-11-5-16-september/" target="_blank">11.5</a> hit the streets with a host of new features. Busy bees to be sure.
Here are a few noteworthy additions:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/33991" target="_blank">Block Gap support</a> now provides opt-in to control for users to choose the distance between items within a block. This feature has also been added to the <a href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/34456" target="_blank">Columns</a>, <a href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/34570" target="_blank">Title</a>, and <a href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/32367" target="_blank">Navigation</a> blocks.</li>
<li>Following the <a href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/33359" target="_blank">introduction of Flex Layout</a> in <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2021/08/05/whats-new-in-gutenberg-11-2-0-4-august/" target="_blank">11.2.0</a>, now Flex Layouts are supported within the <a href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/34493" target="_blank">Social Links</a> and <a href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/34535" target="_blank">Group</a> blocks. </li>
<li>The Social Links block now has a "Flex" justification option for automatic best-fit. </li>
<li>There's a <a href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/34535" target="_blank">new variation of the Group block</a> that allows for Flex Layout. You can try it by choosing "Row" from the block inserter.</li>
<li>The Heading Levels menu has been redesigned to a vertical orientation, making it easier to visualize the hierarchy.</li>
<li>There's also a new setting to <a href="https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/pull/33656" target="_blank">customize the Next and Previous Page indicators</a> in the Query Pagination block, allowing the addition of an arrow or a chevron to your designs.</li>
</ul>
To see the full list of updates and fixes, check out the <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2021/09/17/whats-new-in-gutenberg-11-5-16-september/" target="_blank">WordPress 11.5 release notes</a>.
<h2>Canva Raises $200 million at $40 Billion valuation, fueled by the global demand for visual communication</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/09/canva_cofounders_ltr_cliff_obrecht_melanie_perkins_cameron_adams-scaled.jpg" alt="Canva cofounders" />
<a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/canva-button-gives-cms-users-integrated-graphic-design-tools-for-visual-content/" target="_blank">Canva</a>, the graphic design and collaboration platform, is now officially a "unicorn" valued at $40 billion. This comes after the company raised another $200 million in funding led by the investment management firm <a href="https://www.axios.com/canva-200-million-billion-valuation-t-rowe-price-8ace330a-2b17-403f-9d9f-97efdc223885.html" target="_blank">T.Rowe Price</a>.
Melanie Perkins, the CEO and the co-founder of Canva, launched the first version of the platform in 2013 to make graphic design accessible to everyone. The Canva platform can be used for many things, from designing resumes to creating a wide array of marketing materials including social media images, logos, posters, business cards, presentations, cards, reports, reports, infographics, and more. 
With 60 million monthly active users across 190 countries, there are now 7 billion total designs created on Canva at a rate of more than 120 designs every second. Canva also boasts over 500,000 paying teams on their platform, with their latest release catering to large teams and enterprises across the globe.
The latest funding round will be used to expand Canva's team of more than 2,000 employees, which the company expects to double in the year ahead.

CMS Monthly Recap: Canva Raises $200 million at $40 Billion Valuation, Hyland Launches OnBase in AWS Marketplace, and More

paris-tuzun

CMS Monthly Recap text lockup with image of autumn trees and foliage

When it comes to increasing your website sales, your focus is most likely on building a visually appealing and responsive site that will attract visitors and make it easy for them to make a purchase.
However, there is so much you can do internally to increase your conversions; after all, how you manage your business will have a direct impact on what you are able to deliver to your customers. By optimizing your internal business processes, you can significantly speed up your backend workflows and have a positive impact on your users’ experience by delivering sales faster.
In this article, we go through the main two elements involved in this process.
<h2>1. Think about your content architecture</h2>
The most important element when designing your website is your content architecture, which refers to the way all your site content is organized and structured. The best content architectures are set up according to an organization’s unique goals and objectives. This is a truly important and yet often overlooked step of building a website, and will have an immense impact on your future internal processes and user journeys, giving you much more flexibility and efficiency.
When designing your content architecture, think about what your key objectives are (in this case, selling more), and map out your top five or ten user workflows. Once you do this, you can plan your entire content architecture around them, to make it as easy and efficient as possible for those particular workflows to be delivered.
Also try and make your content architecture as intuitive as possible and avoid hard-coding content as much as you can, so that any non-technical users, such as content editors, can easily update the site whenever needed.
The same applies to integrations. With time, you will undoubtedly need to update and add new integrations to your site, so ensure that your content architecture allows for the flexibility and scalability needed to accommodate this.
A well-planned content architecture will not only deliver a better user flow for your customers, but it will also make it as easy as possible for your content editors to build, edit and populate the site. This will increase efficiency both internally and externally, ensuring that products are delivered as quickly as possible.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/pablo206.png" alt="eCommerce business process" />
<h2>2. Leverage data insights</h2>
Paying attention to your metrics will also give you insight into how your site is performing and, most importantly, how your sales are performing. Despite this, <a href="http://www.skyword.com/contentstandard/marketing/data-driven-marketing-becomes-a-focal-point-for-executives-according-to-study/">87% of marketers consider data their organization’s most underutilized asset</a>. If you are among this 87%, you are missing out one of your most valuable resources.
Sales data will offer you a good understanding of what improvements are needed to make it as easy as possible for your customers to make a purchase. Data analysis is an incredibly important step when optimizing your strategy, and is most effective when done consistently, whether that is daily, weekly or monthly.
On the design side, tools such as Google Analytics can give you key insights into the sorts of user flows customers are taking through your site; do these align with the user flows you would like them to take? Are users able to easily find content? Do any of your landing pages have higher-than-normal bounce rates and, if so, why? Are users leaving your site without converting, and if so, where?
You should also be able to generate and analyze data relating to all sales, so if your Ecommerce solution doesn’t provide this you could be missing out on key insights. What products are performing best? How are your special promotions performing? What’s your average order size? Could you provide any special offers based on this insight to encourage higher-revenue sales?
There are many metrics you could track according to your specific workflows and strategies, but some key ones are:
<h3>Conversion rate by landing page</h3>
Looking at your conversions by landing page will show you what pages are performing best; is there a particular product or promotion page that is highly effective? Has any page’s performance increased or decreased over time, and why? Could the success of high-performing pages be replicated on low-performing pages?
<h3>Per-session value</h3>
Knowing your average session value is a great way of establishing which of your products are most saleable based on their price. It is also a good metric to keep in mind when running promotions; you could set up a promotion at a value higher than the average sales value, encouraging visitors to spend a little more and increasing your overall sales revenue.
<h3>Bounce rate</h3>
Your bounce rate will give you insight into how individual pages or products on your website are performing. If a particular page has a very high bounce rate, there is most likely something you can do to improve it. Does the page title accurately describe its content or product? Or could the page design be unattractive? Is page content clearly organized and is information easy to find? Do you need to encourage users to remain on the site through additional call-to-actions (CTAs) or internal linking?
<h3>Top 10 pages (by Pageviews)</h3>
By looking at the ten pages with the highest pageviews, you can determine which of your site pages and products are most popular and see if these meet your expectations. Is there a particular page or product that should have more pageviews? Check to see if there is anything you can do to improve it, such as optimizing the design or changing the copy. On the other hand, if there is a particular product page with a high volume of pageviews but very few conversions, check to see if you can make the page more attractive or better describe the product.
Do you have any tips for improving Ecommerce business processes? Let us know in the comments!
If you would like to find out more about how Agility CMS can help you, <a href="http://agilitycms.com/home#request-a-demo">request a free demo</a> now.

How To Optimize Your Business Processes To Increase Online Sales

mike-johnston

Bitrix, Inc have this week extended the functionality of their Intranet and Extranet solution, <a href="http://www.bitrix24.com/" target="_blank"> Bitrix24 </a> , with a mobile Intranet portal coming in the form of an iOS &amp; Android app, both of which are free to use for up to 12 users. 
 Bitrix24 is a Bitrix, Inc product which seeks to help revolutionize the way that employees work, share and interact within their company via their very own <a href="http://www.bitrix24.com/features/" target="_blank">Bitrix powered social Intranet</a>. Bitrix currently supports organizations ranging from small sized, to Fortune 500 companies including well-known enterprises like Xerox, Samsung, Volkswagen. 
 Now, with their free to use mobile Intranet portal, smaller companies can begin to modernize the way they get work done by organizing staff, projects and company interactions under one, feature extensive digital roof.
<h2>Moving With The Mobile Workforce</h2>
With today's world of entertainment, socialising and business going crazy for mobile, Bitrix's move to provide an Intranet portal for small businesses owners on the move can be considered a smart one. The Bitrix CEO, Dmitry Valyanov, had this to say on the subject:
<blockquote>
“A large portion of workforce is now mobile. The BYOD crowd wants full access to their company intranet and collaboration tools from their mobile devices. Last year, it became clear that people wanted an app that would function as a fully functional mobile intranet portal and does not require access to PC. It took us a year and a half of continuous work and improvements, but we finally did it and we did it right. Bitrix24 is currently the fourth most popular mobile intranet solution, only behind billion dollar companies like Yammer, Salesforce and Citrix, according to GooglePlay statistics.”
</blockquote>
 <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/1.png" alt="Bitrix, Inc" />
The Bitrix24 mobile app will run seamlessly on all iOS &amp; Android devices, from smart phones, to tablets and everything in between. The application combines the looks and mechanics of social networking, such as liking and following, which naturally increases employee engagement, and can even serve as a team bonding tool.
More importantly however,  traditional intranet portal features are also incorporated, including searchable employee directories, activity streams, individual and group tasks, calendars, file sharing, work groups, instant messaging, group chat and even a CRM.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/2.png" alt="Bitrix, Inc" />
Push notifications are used by the app to alert intranet users when they receive a new messages, whilst tasks and calendar events can be created, accessed and modified directly from the Bitrix24 app. Users can even view  personal or shared documents stored on the company's intranet. 
Additionally, as well as being available as a cloud service, Bitrix24 mobile intranet can be hosted on a company server for added security and peace of mind.
<h2>Fighting App-Fatigue</h2>
As well as helping to create a friendly, social atmosphere within organizations, the Bitrix24 mobile app can also provide a solution to what the Mr Valanov calls “App-Fatigue”:
<blockquote>
“Most businesses suffer from ‘app-fatigue’. People may be using Dropbox for file sharing, Google Calendars for shared calendars, WhatsApp for group messages, Outlook for contact management and RememberTheMilk as their to-do list. Not only do these apps not ‘talk’ to each other, some iOS apps aren’t available for Android and vice versa. The Bitrix24 intranet portal is essentially an one-stop solution with all communication and collaboration tools that typical business uses equally efficiently inside the office and out. It’s your office outside your office.”
</blockquote>
Essentially, instead of employees spreading work related content across a myriad of applications in a disorganized fashion, Bitrix24 can be the place where everything work related can be stored, shared and discussed. 
Bitrix24's mobile Intranet Portal is available as freemium cloud service, whilst $99 and $199 monthly plans exist to allow unlimited users along with added featured such as greater storage and personal logo incorporation. Additionally, the portal is available as a server hosted software,starting at $2299 for a lifetime license.
To find out more about Bitrix24's mobile Intranet app, <a href="http://www.bitrix24.com/" target="_blank">visit their official website</a>. Alternatively, the app can be downloaded right now from <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/US/app/id561683423?mt=8&amp;ign-mpt=uo%3D4" target="_blank"> Apple  iTunes </a> , as well as from the <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bitrix24.android" target="_blank"> Google Play Store </a> .

Bitrix, Inc Releases Free Mobile Intranet Portal for Small Businesses

Nothing is better than announcing winners and one of the most popular categories this year was the Best Open Source PHP CMS Category within the People's Choice CMS awards.
This year, the contenders were Joomla, eZ Publish and MODx and the competition between all three was quite fierce. Having said that, in the end, a winner became clear and we're pleased to announce that this year's deserving winner is none other than <a href="http://www.joomla.org">Joomla!</a>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/original.jpg" />
Joomla! came to the awards this year with a mission to win and their community rallied behind them in an amazing way with huge votes and nominations in their favor pushing them to the forefront as the People's Choice.
The runner up this year was <a href="http://ez.no/">eZ Publish</a>. Congratulations to both projects and their communities! You've done an amazing job rallying for your favorites.
Head over to our forum and share your thoughts on the winners: Discuss the Winners of the People's Choice Awards

The Winner of the 2014 People's Choice CMS Award for Best Open Source PHP CMS

I review a lot of Web Content Management Systems but I've never done a review of a Document Management System (something that I've been meaning to do for some time) until today. Ademero is one such vendor and produces a browser based document management platform called Content Central. Today, I'm going to take you on a tour of this powerful but easy to use system.
Before I dig into the software itself, it's relevant to point out that anyone can test out the software by simply visiting their website at <a href="http://www.ademero.com/">http://www.ademero.com/</a> and downloading a trial version. Ademero works on any Windows machine but, once installed, can be access from browsers on any platform.
Let's dive into the interface shall we?
First, I'm going to show you the interface as seen by the average non-administrative user.
When you first connect to the system through your web browser, you'll be prompted to log in. Once you've done that, you'll be taken to the dashboard where you are treated to a quick overview of all of your queue's and messages from within the system.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen-shot-2012-01-21-at-1_25_01-pm-450x189.png" alt="Content Central - 1" />
Let's assume you're looking for a specific document within the system. Clicking on the search button at the top of the screen takes you to a full context search screen where you can create a fine grained search for the document in question.
Once found, you simply click on the document and it's shown the screen below allowing you to quickly confirm that it's the one you are indeed looking for.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen-shot-2012-01-21-at-1_26_04-pm-450x305.png" alt="Content Central - 2" />
Perhaps you need to share the document, download a copy or email it to a colleague? Clicking on the File menu will present you with a number of options for working with the document.
Choosing email brings up a quick dialog allowing you to fire it off to whomever you need.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen-shot-2012-01-21-at-1_26_55-pm-450x317.png" alt="Content Central - 4" />
One thing I'd like to comment quickly on while we're on this screen is the ever present Help button the you see in the screenshot above. More often than not, I've found that in a large number of CMS I've reviewed, the Help just never seems to be quite good enough. In this case, however, it's excellent and caters to each specific screen. For instance, should you click it on this screen you'll see:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen-shot-2012-01-21-at-1_27_04-pm-450x262.png" alt="Content Central " />
What I especially like is the referenced document and click links to the full user guide. They didn't just stop there though, they even added a Get Live Help feature which, you guess it, connects you with their support team. Now, in the case of a full deployment,  the Live Help is always directly linked to Ademero but it could be changed if required, although it's rare to do so.
When attempting to work with documents, if you try to use a feature that you do not have access to, you will simply get a denial message such as this:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/07/screen-shot-2012-01-21-at-1_27_19-pm1-450x132_sly80x.png" alt="Content Central - 3" />
Any time you are viewing a list of documents and wish to see the history of the document, you can do so by clicking View, History which brings you to a screen such as this.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/pagespeed_ejgzha.png" />
Clicking on the Folders button on the menu bar along the top will take you to each section you have access to.
The Folders button takes you to the Personal Folders view where you can view messages, queues, and of course, browse the catalog of files available on the server.
From this view, the Catalog Browser will let you explore each file on the server and it's directories that you have access to.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/typo3-logo-webdesign-duisburg1-1_400x0_uq4pje.png" />
To add documents to the library, you would use the Capture button on the top bar. This will take you to a screen where you can choose which method you'd like to use from the configured ones for importing your document. You'll then be guided through the process of adding and classifying your document. This isn't something I can show in this review but trust me, the process is slick and very, very functional and easy to do.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen-shot-2012-01-21-at-2_06_33-pm.png" />
Let's take a look at some of the more administrative functions of the system now. To start off, once installed on your server, you'll have three icons from which you can access various components of Content Central.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/weebly_for_enterprise_img-scaled_cpwazt.jpg" />
First, we'll take a look at the Catalog Manager. Launching it will bring you to a screen such as this.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen-shot-2012-01-21-at-2_09_14-pm.png" />
From this dialog, you can manage each individual Catalog's configuration. Let's take a look at the Accounts Payable catalog..
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/reimagine4_ebr6zi.png" />
As you can see, we can set various options such as the location of Indexes, catalog description and much more. You can also set schedules as to how often the catalog is updated with new content.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen-shot-2012-01-21-at-2_09_46-pm.png" />
Now let's take a look at the Configuration Manager module and walk through what options it contains. At launch, you are presented with the following menu of available options.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ja_elastica_gbuzmi.jpg" />
From here, you can configure the majority of system options quickly and easily. Here is an example of what you can expect to find under the SQL Settings option.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/magazine_lxrxyo.jpg" />
That should give you a decent idea as to what you can expect to find under the configuration manager. We explored Content Central itself as a non-administrator user, so let's take a quick look at what options become available as an admin.
Once you log in as an administrator, you'll see a new button on the toolbar at the top called, you guessed it, admin. Clicking on this will present you with the following set of admin functions.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/meet_gavern_vxjlu8.jpg" />
One of the key items I wanted to show you here is the ability that Content Central gives you to add and manage fields for your documents. Once you enter the Global Fields menu, you can choose to modify the details of the fields and change formatting, types and more.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/radon_pjsqst.jpg" />
It doesn't stop there, however. There's simply too much to show and the best I can suggest is to try it out and see if it suits your needs or the needs of your organization.
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
Content Central is a complex piece of software that is both easy to use and feature filled. The fact that it functioned without issue in every browser I tried (Safari, Chrome, Firefox and IE) was a testament to the amount of work that the team at Ademero have put into it.
The layout of the system makes it incredibly user friendly and provides an interface that is both pleasing to use and fast while maintaining a high degree of functionality. The help system that Content Central provides is quite simply, perfectly implemented and provides just enough assistance to not be overwhelming while still giving you just what you need.
I highly recommend Content Central and would strongly advise you try it out if you are in the market for <a href="http://www.ademero.com">document management software</a>.

Ademero Review - An exploration of Content Central Document Management Software

<a href="http://www.telerik.com/" target="_blank">Telerik</a>, the company behind <a href="/products/sitefinity/" target="_blank">Sitefinity</a>, have just released an update for <a href="http://www.telerik.com/devcraft" target="_blank">DevCraft</a>, their suite of UI tools.
According to Telerik, this new update enhances, “the most complete .NET toolbox for web, mobile and desktop development”. In particular, this update focuses on DevCraft's approach to mobile development.
It's being called the Q3 2014 DevCraft release. Let's take a look at what it's all about.
<h2>Enhanced iOS, Android &amp; Windows App Development</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sitefinitylogo_wtagline_rgb_200x0-1.png" alt="Telerik" />
As part of the Q3 2014 DevCraft release, Telerik focused on ensuring .NET developers have all of the tools necessary to develop mobile apps for iOS, Android and Windows Phone within their familiar coding language.
Below is an insight into how they did that, and more.
Telerik UI for Xamarin: The UI controls for Xamarin include native iOS, Android™, and Windows® Phone UI controls for cross-platform native mobile development with the Xamarin framework. Telerik controls enable developers to easily add various data visualization scenarios in Xamarin. Forms apps to enhance the creation of compelling cross-platform native mobile experiences, using a single shared C# codebase.
Telerik UI for Windows Universal: Built from the ground up, Telerik has released native UI controls for building Universal Windows apps. Telerik UI for Windows Universal is not a port from another platform, but a brand new offering that runs on both Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1, utilizing all of the new features of both operating systems. This enables developers to build apps once and deploy on all Windows devices.
Adaptive RadGrid for <a href="http://asp.net/" target="_blank">ASP.NET</a> AJAX: Specifically built for mobile, this control is a lightweight version of the popular Telerik RadGrid for <a href="http://asp.net/" target="_blank">ASP.NET</a>AJAX, but loads fewer resources and delivers new touch zones, gestures and interactions, matching the mobile experience users have come to expect. The Adaptive RadGrid for <a href="http://asp.net/" target="_blank">ASP.NET</a> AJAX is designed for use on tablets and smartphones for iOS and Android.
<h2>Desktop &amp; Web Not Forgotten</h2>
All this talk of mobile has probably left desktop and web developers scratching their heads. Thankfully though, Telerik hasn't forgotten to include desktop and web development enhancements in this Q3 2014 DevCraft release.
On top of the new mobile capabilities, Telerik has also enhanced desktop and web UI controls, productivity tools, and data tools – all with the aim to create high-performance, enterprise-ready business applications.
Telerik has added the ability to process the most common text, spreadsheet, and PDF file formats without needing Microsoft® Office or other third-party libraries installed. Application users are able to create, load, and modify documents in formats, including DOCX, RTF, TXT, HTML, PDF, XLSX, CSV, and Tab-delimited, as well as enable seamless export and import of documents or conversion from one format to another.
Further improvements found within this release include data validation, support for lists, and mail merge functionality.
Upon the release of Q3 2014 DevCraft, Aaron Mahimainathan, Telerik's Chief Product Officer, made these comments:
<blockquote>“The .NET audience remains a vital element of the Telerik community, and we want to ensure we make their lives as easy, efficient and productive as possible. As the mobile world rapidly evolves, we’re driven to ensure the .NET community evolves with it.
The latest release of Telerik DevCraft includes new UI tools and upgrades to the existing product suite that directly address the mobile needs of our 1.4-million-strong developer community.”</blockquote>
For more details on the latest release of Telerik DevCraft, <a href="http://www.telerik.com/devcraft" target="_blank">check out the Telerik website</a>. Also, be sure to register for the <a href="http://www.telerik.com/campaigns/devcraft/october-2014-release." target="_blank">October 29 webinar</a>.<a href="http://www.telerik.com/campaigns/devcraft/october-2014-release" target="_blank"> 
</a>

Telerik Evolves Mobile Development Approach With Latest DevCraft Release

Power your CMS on AWS

Manage your websites & apps in the most trusted cloud.

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A new <a href="https://selz.com/" target="_blank">Selz</a> update means that user's eCommerce data can now be sent to their Google Analytics account.
Selz is a growing online-payment and eCommerce platform that can be integrated into an existing website. Or, you can set up your free Selz store and begin selling immediately. 
With this update, Selz helps to empower your Google Analytics data even more, giving users a better chance to make the right decisions about their business.
<h2>Better Insights, Better Decisions</h2>
Selz are aiming to give their users a better insight into their eCommerce reports in Google Analytics, giving them a deeper understanding of total sales, individual product sales, conversion rate and average order value.
The reports – which can now be viewed in Google Analytics – will also display things like which sources of traffic bring the most valuable customers and the ROI on any paid campaigns.
Integrating Selz with Google Analytics is as simple as copying and pasting your Google Analytics ID into the Google Analytics field under your Store Settings in Selz.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/store-selz-google-id700x0.png" alt="Selz" /> And that's about it. Give it a day or so for Google to catch up with the data, and then enjoy the view from your Google Analytics dashboard.
To find out more about Selz' new Google Analytics integration, <a href="https://selz.com/blog/new-feature-google-analytics-ecommerce-reporting/" target="_blank">read their official blog announcement</a>.
For more information on Selz, <a href="https://selz.com/" target="_blank">check out their website</a>.

Selz Steps Up Google Analytics Integration

This year, we had a large list of content management systems fighting to be in the nominees for Best Open Source CMS and considering how successful this category was last year, it's no surprise we've got a solid list of contenders for the award in 2013.
Last year, <a href="/products/concrete5/">Concrete5 </a>took home the People's Choice award but this year, we've got a whole new list of nominees to choose from. Remember, YOU chose this list of nominees and YOU chose who won with your votes. We're just happy that each year, we've got some fresh faces in these nominations.
As a refresher, here's the list of nominees for this year's People's Choice Award for Best Open Source CMS:
<ol>
<li><a href="/products/modx/"> MODX </a></li>
<li><a href="/products/dnn-platform/"> DNN Platform </a></li>
<li><a href="/products/liferay/"> Liferay </a></li>
<li><a href="/products/processwire/"> Processwire </a></li>
<li><a href="/cms-critic-awards/"> e107 </a></li>
</ol>
And the winner of the 2013 People's Choice Award for Best Open Source CMS won by a huge margin thanks to your votes. The winner is…
<img style="max-width:150px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/best-open-source-cms150x0.png" />
MODX!
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.
Congratulations to the MODX development team and to all those CMS that were nominated this year.
Learn more about <a href="/products/modx/">MODX </a>or visit them <a href="http://www.modx.com">on the web</a>.
Don't forget, we have the Critic's Choice portion underway now, where a panel of judges select the winner of the Critics Choice awards so check back to see who gets picked as the cream of the crop by the Critics.

2013 People's Choice Winner for Best Open Source CMS

Today, Telerik announced that their leading CMS solution Sitefinity is to be boosted by some direct improvements to the way users manage, view and interact with their own content, as well as analytical data.
<a href="http://www.sitefinity.com/" target="_blank">Sitefinity</a> is a powerful ASP.NET website management platform, primed to enable its 70,000 business users to execute quickly and independently. Thanks to the minimalist approach taken by Sitefinity, developers, marketing end-users and IT managers are able to work more effectively, helping to grow their business.
Currently, no less than 49 of the Fortune 500 companies currently trust Sitefinity with their web content. Now, Sitefinity 6.2 will seek to change the way everyday users interact with their websites, hoping to give those same enterprises a smoother, more user-friendly experience.
<h2>Inline Editing Introduced</h2>
The Sitefinity content management system now comes equipped with a browser-based HTML5 environment for creating and updating content. That means that authors can now edit title fields and body fields in a true WYSIWYG format.  Everything from headers, sub-heads, and body content and images can be created and modified in context of the webpage.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/4.png" alt="Sitefinity" />
This highly user-friendly method of updating content means that users will be able to tailor their content as they view it from the end-users perspective. This doesn't just simplify the content publishing process, but it also makes it a whole lot more efficient. The additional ‘Full Details Mode' allows users to edit all the pieces of a content node such as keyword tags, image alt tags, URL, and publication date.
Martin Kirov, the Executive Vice President of Telerik’s Sitefinity division, had this to say regarding the newly implemented inline editing feature:
<blockquote>“The ability to execute is becoming a bigger and bigger differentiator for the success of online marketing teams. Making digital marketers more effective by authoring content in the context of the presentation was the main driver behind the revolutionary inline content authoring experience we’re delivering with this release. Content is still in the center of the online customer experience and enriching it with context, coupled with amazing authoring experience will enable our customers to deliver compelling online experiences and grow their business.”</blockquote>
<h2>Google Analytics &amp; Admin Dashboard Enhanced</h2>
Sitefinity users will also notice that the Google Analytics web analytics service module has also been upgraded to HTML5. Based on this rich, standards-based environment, users can easily take full advantage of the Google Analytics service, in new, more effective ways.
For example, as users edit webpages, they can leverage analytic reports, including daily visits, visit duration, and unique visitors – all whilst making adjustments to the webpage for search engine optimization purposes.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/3.png" alt="Sitefinity" />
What's more, is, the Sitefinity CMS now offers its users a dynamic Administration Dashboard that gives business users visibility into areas such as website interactions, pending tasks and recent content added by either themselves or other users. This holistic overview of the website in question will almost certainly benefit enterprises and individuals alike to ascertain important information as soon as they log in to their admin panel.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/2.png" alt="Sitefinity" />
The dashboard also benefits from integration with Google Analytics. Users can personalize the display to present metrics such as daily visits, visit duration, bounce rate, traffic sources and more. Alternatively, the dashboard can be set to display content items last edited as well as type and status.
To find out more about Telerik's improvements to their popular CMS, you can have a read of the <a href="http://www.sitefinity.com/product/see-also/what's-new" target="_blank">official release notes for Sitefinity 6.2</a>.
Additionally, you can learn more about <a href="/products/sitefinity/" target="_blank"> Sitefinity via our CMS Directory</a>.

Telerik's Sitefinity 6.2 Arrives With a Host of Improvements

A new release of <a href="http://www.mojoportal.com">mojoPortal</a> has been made available. The major highlights of this release are support for Artisteer 3.1 and new Audio Player and Video Player features.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/mediaplayer-450x660.png" />
There are also a number smaller improvements and bug fixes for things reported in the forums since the last release, and there is a change in behavior when using SSL. The system no longer redirects out of SSL on pages marked as not requiring it for reasons discussed in the new document <a href="http://www.mojoportal.com/use-ssl">Use SSL</a>.

mojoPortal 2.3.7.6 Released

eZ Systems has released a new update to eZ Platform, their enterprise CMS. This release is heavily geared towards developers as most of the changes are aimed at them, however, there are a few small visible changes for content editors.
The first is the inclusion of tables within the content editor, meaning you can now insert and use them within content regions: <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/platformui-table_medium.gif" /> For developers, the changes include items such as:
<ul>
<li>The public API is now much simpler to use when trying to access and use translated content </li>
<li>For those who use Solr, you can now use the Solr bundle to create search facets on Content Types, Sections and Users</li>
<li>Developers now have the ability to configure index time boosting within Solr, which lets them tune search results to provide more relevant results to users</li>
<li>New Design System – The new design system allows developers to better manage the designs (meaning templates and design assets) they want to apply to their sites. It lets them define Themes and build Designs from those themes with the ability to share and override themes. It’s a great feature for those building multisite solutions with eZ Platform.
	<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen-shot-2017-06-27-at-5_12_26-pm_customers_line.png" /></li>
</ul>
Additional changes can be found here: <a href="https://doc.ez.no/x/CwcIAg" target="_blank">https://doc.ez.no/x/CwcIAg</a> so be sure to take a read through.

eZ Systems releases eZ Platform 1.10

The People's Choice CMS Awards have come to a close and it is with great pleasure that we announce that voting in this year's awards reached record highs.
This year, we had a hard fought battle in the Best Cloud CMS for Enterprise category between contenders; Acquia, Clickability and CrownPeak.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/best-hosted-cloud-cms.png" />
As always, only one can be the final winner and I am pleased to announce that the 2014 People's Choice CMS Award for Best Cloud CMS for Enterprise award goes to:
<a href="http://www.acquia.com"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/acquia.png" /></a><a href="http://www.acquia.com">Acquia</a> fought hard and managed to hold off runner-up <a href="http://www.clickability.com">Clickability</a> to maintain the lead this year.
Congratulations to everyone at Acquia on their win!

The Winner of the 2014 People's Choice CMS Award for Best Cloud CMS for Enterprise

As someone with a natural deficiency in design, I can testify to the necessity of pre-built themes.
WordPress has thousands of pre-made themes readily available just for people like me. And the best part is, the vast majority of WordPress themes on offer can turn a dull web page into one with great web traffic potential.
To save you time and effort though, I've picked out nine themes that cater to; business, news, and even personal blogging purposes. All you have to do is pick your favorite.
<h2>News</h2>
<h4>Colormag – Themegrill</h4>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/colormag.png" alt="colormag" />
Colormag is a theme on WordPress made popular by it’s great forum support.
It’s ideal for anyone trying to display multiple news topics on any variety of topics. It’s simplicity and elegance in design are merely bonus.
Check out more at: <a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/colormag/">https://wordpress.org/themes/colormag/</a>
<h4>Hueman – Nikeo</h4>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/hueman.png" alt="hueman" />
If you’re looking for a fantastic theme with great accent colors and even better functionality then this theme by Nikeo is the way to go.
Hueman comes with two scrolling side bars that makes displaying multiple breaking stories a breeze and the front page along with limitless links and headings gives great direction to any visitors of your site.
Check out more at: <a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/hueman/">https://wordpress.org/themes/hueman/</a>
<h4>Afford – MudThemes</h4>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/afford-1.png" alt="afford (1)" />
Just because news headlines have to be attention grabbing, that doesn’t necessarily mean your web page does too. With this simple theme you can allow your headlines to do the talking for you.
This theme goes especially well for those looking to display news related to business and politics
Check more out at: <a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/afford/">https://wordpress.org/themes/afford/</a>
<h2>Business &amp; Entrepreneurial</h2>
<h4>Blackoot Lite – Iceable Themes</h4>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/blackoot-1.png" alt="blackoot (1)" />
If you really want your web page to stand out from the crop then you have to do something different. This web page really drew my eye with its darker colors and very formal layout.
It would make a great candidate for anyone looking to sell a product or to project a serious demeanor.
Check more out at: <a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/blackoot-lite/">https://wordpress.org/themes/blackoot-lite/</a>
<h4>Matrix – Webhunt Infotech</h4>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/matrix.png" alt="matrix" />
WebHunt Infotech has really provided a quality theme here. ‘Matrix’, no not the movie, is a terrific theme for those looking for a minimalistic feel with maximum customization.
It gives a great front page to display any number of products on. With a compelling front page and as many links as you could possibly need to provide additional detail, this theme is well in the running to becoming my favorite.
Check more out at: <a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/matrix/">https://wordpress.org/themes/matrix/</a>
<h4>Build Lite – SKTThemes</h4>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/build-lite.png" alt="build lite" />
This theme does a great job at filling the niche for industrial or construction businesses. It’s flexible and customizable and nothing says ‘we can build it’ quite like a soaring skyscraper.
With plenty of interactive links and space to display text this theme can allow even an amateur to hammer (he-he word puns) together a solid web page.
Check more out at: <a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/build-lite/">https://wordpress.org/themes/build-lite/</a>
<h3>Personal &amp; Blogging Themes</h3>
<h4>Story- Alex27</h4>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/story.png" alt="story" />
Story, is a theme by a traveling blogger. So naturally, a blogger would know what other blogger want right?
Story gives a well structured way to share with anyone who visits just exactly what you’ve been getting into lately. Play a round of disc golf today? Why not post the picture on the front page!
(P.S. I’m always looking for more disc golf buddies)
Check more out at: <a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/story/">https://wordpress.org/themes/story/</a>
<h4>Freak – Rohit Tripathi</h4>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/freak.png" alt="freak" />
Freak is the sort of theme I would recommend for travelling or even deep seated topics such as philosophy or emotional quotes.
The layout of the page along with the tone it sets really stimulates an open thought process. A myriad of customization options makes this choice a no brainer for bloggers anywhere.
Check more out at: <a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/freak/">https://wordpress.org/themes/freak/</a>
<h4>Pro Blogg – DessignThemes</h4>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/problogg.png" alt="problogg" />
ProBlogg does an excellent job with this multi-blog theme. It’s open layout allows any blogger a variety of places to write about their various interests.
It includes a bar to social media widgets at the top right and it offers plenty of space for multiple photos on the front page. Hope you like photography!
Check more out at: <a href="https://wordpress.org/themes/pro-blogg/">https://wordpress.org/themes/pro-blogg/</a>
<h2>Spice Up Your Site</h2>
A new theme can spice up a website to really set the tone and direction you want visitors to go upon arriving.
Don’t forget to tell us what other themes you’d like talked about and post a comment below about any themes worth mentioning below.

9 Great WordPress Themes for Blogging, Business & News Sites

Best Video Experience

Give your audience the best video experience

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