Content management systems have made it easier for marketers to create, manage, and optimize digital experiences, but they have also created a need for more personalized, creative, and immersive content and experiences. In fact, 63% of companies say delivering this type of experience is their highest priority.
So, how can marketers meet these new demands while still using a CMS? The answer is to customize it.
Your CMS is the foundation of your marketing technology stack and the central place where you manage all of your digital experiences and content, so it must be flexible and customizable to meet your company’s needs.
To help you do just that, we’ve created this guide. It covers everything you need to know about customizing your CMS, including what it is, the benefits of doing it, and how to do it.
1. Choose the Best CMS for Your Needs
It’s impossible to overstate the importance of choosing the right CMS. It’s the foundation of your website, and it will impact your ability to customize the site, as well as the user experience you can provide.
There are many CMS options available, and the right one for you will depend on your business and website needs. However, some of the most popular options include WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, Magento, Wix, and Squarespace. You may also consider an AI website builder, which can streamline the website creation process with automation and intelligent design recommendations.
When choosing a CMS, consider factors such as your technical expertise, the size of your website, your budget, and what you want to accomplish with your site. For example, if you’re creating an online store, you’ll need a CMS with robust e-commerce features. If your business involves managing an ecommerce warehouse, you should look for a CMS that integrates seamlessly with inventory management and fulfillment systems to streamline logistics and order processing. If you’re creating a blog, you’ll need a CMS that makes it easy to publish and organize content.
2. Prioritize User-Friendly Features
In addition to the design of your CMS, you’ll also want to consider the specific features and tools you’ll include in your custom platform.
You’ll want to prioritize the tools that are most important for your team and their workflows. For example, if your team includes many content creators, you’ll want to prioritize tools that make it easy to upload, edit, and publish new content.
If your team includes many developers, you’ll want to include tools that make it easy to manage code, version control, and deployment.
By prioritizing user-friendly features, you can ensure that your team will be able to work more efficiently and effectively.
3. Create a Custom Dashboard
If you’re using a CMS to manage multiple websites, you can create a custom dashboard that gives you an overview of all your websites in one place.
Even if you only have one website, you can create a custom dashboard that gives you an overview of your website’s performance. This can include things like your website traffic, top-performing content, and more.
Creating a custom dashboard is a great way to get a quick overview of your website or websites, and it can help you stay organized.
4. Simplify Content Creation
Complexity is the enemy of productivity. That’s why your CMS should make it as easy as possible for your team to create and publish content.
One way to do this is by providing your team with templates that they can use to create different types of content. For example, you could create a template for blog posts, one for landing pages, and one for product pages.
This will help to ensure that all of your content is consistent and on-brand, and it will also make the content creation process much faster and more efficient.
You can also use the CMS to set up a workflow that requires content to be reviewed and approved before it is published. This will help to prevent any mistakes from slipping through the cracks and being published on your website.
5. Customize Your CMS for Mobile
The use of mobile devices to access content online is growing at a rapid pace. If your CMS isn’t mobile-friendly, then you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to connect with users.
Customizing your CMS for mobile is a great way to improve the user experience. You can do this by using a responsive design, creating a mobile app, or using a mobile-friendly theme.
Whatever method you choose, make sure that your mobile content is just as easy to navigate and interact with as your desktop content.
6. Add a Search Function
Most CMS platforms come with a built-in search function, but it’s not always the best. If your website is a blog or news site, you may want to consider adding a more advanced search function to help users find what they’re looking for.
For example, you can add a search function that allows users to filter their results by date, category, and more. This can be a great way to help users find the content they want more quickly.
If you have an e-commerce website, you’ll want to make sure your search function is as advanced as possible. In addition to allowing users to filter their results, you may also want to consider adding a predictive search feature, which will help users find products as they type.
7. Optimize for SEO
In order for your target audience to have a good user experience, they need to be able to find your website. That’s where search engine optimization (SEO) comes in.
SEO is the process of making your website more visible and attractive to search engines like Google. When you optimize your website for search, you can increase your chances of ranking higher in search results and getting more traffic. If you’re running an online marketplace, marketplace SEO becomes even more critical, as optimizing product listings, vendor pages, and category structures can significantly impact your visibility and sales.
Your CMS should include tools and features that make it easy to optimize your website for search. This might include the ability to add meta titles and meta descriptions to your web pages, create keyword-optimized content, and add alt text to your images.
The more SEO tools and features your CMS includes, the easier it will be to improve your website’s visibility and attract more traffic, leads, and customers.
8. Use a Custom Domain
Lastly, you’ll want to make sure your CMS is set up with a custom domain. This is the web address that users will type in to find your website. If you’re using a free domain that comes with your CMS, it will look something like this: yourwebsite.cms.com.
That’s not a good look for your business.
Instead, you’ll want to use a custom domain that reflects your business’s name. For example, if your business is called “ABC Widgets,” then you’ll want your domain to be abcwidgets.com.
Using a custom domain is a great way to make your website look more professional and to build trust with your audience. It’s also an important part of your overall branding strategy.
9. Enable Social Media Integration
Social media is a great way to connect with your audience and promote your content. But if your website and social media profiles are not well integrated, you could be missing out on a lot of potential traffic and engagement.
With a custom CMS, you can easily add social media buttons, feeds, and more to your website. This will make it easy for users to follow you on social media, share your content, and engage with your brand.
In addition, you can also use social media integration to display user-generated content on your website, such as reviews and testimonials. This can help to build trust with your audience and increase conversions.
10. Add a FAQ Section
FAQs are a great way to reduce the burden on your customer service team. If you find that you’re answering the same questions over and over, you can create an FAQ section to address them.
You can also use your FAQ section to address any concerns or objections that potential customers might have. This can help you build trust and credibility and make it more likely that they’ll convert.
FAQs can take many forms, including written content, videos, infographics, and more. You can organize your FAQs by topic or category and make them easy to find using a search bar or a dropdown menu.
The Bottom Line
The bottom line is that your CMS should be as unique as your business. By leveraging the customization options within your CMS, you can ensure that your website is user-friendly and optimized for success.
Not sure where to start? Our team of experts at New North can help you take the first steps toward a customized CMS that will help you stand out from your competition. Book a free consultation today.
Conclusion
In the end, the key to customizing your CMS for a superior user experience is to put your users first. Your CMS should be designed to help your team work more effectively and efficiently, and to help you grow better. By following the tips and best practices we’ve outlined in this post, you’ll be well on your way to doing just that.