How to make the right decision when choosing a CMS?

In the digital era, where content plays a key role in building customer relationships, choosing the right CMS becomes a strategically important decision. Drawing on the extensive experience of Sii experts and insights shared by Adobe, the creator of Adobe Experience Manager and one of the most advanced content management systems on the market, Sii experts present the most important aspects to consider when selecting the ideal platform.

Why does choosing a CMS matter? 

Today, organizations operate across multiple channels: websites, mobile apps, social media, IoT devices, voice assistants, and more. A CMS is no longer just a tool for a webmaster; it has become the foundation of a content strategy. It enables the creation, management, and publication of content in various places and formats while maintaining consistency.

The wrong CMS can slow down publication processes, make scaling difficult, worsen user experience (e.g., longer page loading times), which translates into lower conversion rates and reduced marketing effectiveness.

6 key capabilities of a CMS  

Adobe’s guide highlights six essential features every good CMS should have. 

1. High performance and fast page loading 

Page load time has a direct impact on user engagement and conversions – even a 0.1 second delay can lead to significant losses. A good CMS should be optimized for performance: caching, priority rendering, load-time monitoring, and edge-network architecture. 

For example, Adobe reports that Volvo Trucks company improved its mobile performance score from 35 to 100 thanks to Edge Delivery Services, which is available in AEM. 

2. Fast and scalable content creation 

The system should enable marketing and content teams to operate independently from the IT department– allowing quick creation, publishing, and editing of text.

The more intuitive the editing tools, the fewer dependencies on developers and the faster the time-to-market for new content.

3. Support for omnichannel 

Users interact with a brand through various touchpoints: not only the website but also apps, IoT devices, digital kiosks, and voice assistants.

A CMS should enable content management regardless of the channel, separating the content layer from the presentation layer (e.g., “headless” or “hybrid” architecture). 

4. Managing multiple markets, locations, and content versions 

Global or multilingual organizations need a CMS that can handle regional editions, language versions, locations, and different markets. It’s important that the system offers translation workflows, content versioning, metadata management, and permissions.

5. Integrations and technological flexibility 

A CMS does not operate in isolation – it often needs to work with CRM, e-commerce systems, product catalogs, analytics, and marketing automation platforms.

The system’s architecture also matters, whether it’s a monolithic CMS or headless/hybrid — depending on the organization’s needs.

6. Security, reliability, and operational support 

Although Adobe’s guide does not emphasize this as a separate point in the same list (or at least not as clearly), these are critical aspects of any CMS: updates, user management, permissions, resistance to attacks, SLA.

They cannot be overlooked when evaluating a solution.

CMS technologies – traditional vs headless vs hybrid 

The guide highlights three CMS architecture models: traditional, headless, and hybrid. 

• Traditional CMS: manages both content and presentation layer in one technology stack – often limited to, for example, a website. 
• Headless CMS: separates the presentation layer (“head”) from the content layer – content is delivered via API to various channels (mobile apps, IoT, wearables). 
• Hybrid CMS: combines the advantages of both – supports traditional website management while also enabling content delivery via API to other channels.

The choice of the right model depends on the organization’s strategy. If reaching multiple channels is necessary, headless or hybrid may be better. 

The CMS selection process – practical guidelines 

• Define your needs: which channels you operate in, the markets you cover, how many language versions you require, which teams create content, and what your KPI goals are (e.g., time to publish, conversions, performance).
• Engage stakeholders: marketing, IT, and content operations – all teams should have a voice to ensure the system meets real organizational needs. 
• Establish evaluation criteria: including website performance, time to publish content, ease of editing, team productivity, integration capabilities, and total cost of ownership. 
• Compare solutions and review use cases: what results have other companies achieved after implementing a given CMS? (e.g., faster page load, reduced content creation time) 
• Run a pilot project or Proof of Concept: it is worthwhile to test the selected system on a limited scale before committing to a full budget and migration. 
• Define a migration and change-management plan: a CMS is not just a technology — it represents a shift in processes, work culture, and cross-department collaboration.

Summary 

Choosing the right CMS can significantly impact an organization’s ability to effectively create and publish content in a dynamic digital environment. Adobe’s guide highlights that the key factors include performance, flexibility, multi-channel support, ease of use for content teams, integration capabilities, and an architecture model tailored to your needs.

When making a decision, it is worth relying on clearly defined criteria and real-world use cases — this ensures the CMS investment brings measurable value rather than becoming an additional burden.

Sii has many years of experience in designing, implementing, and developing CMS solutions, particularly Adobe Experience Manager, supported by numerous projects for organizations of various scales and industries. The team of Sii experts combines technological and business competencies, enabling them to recommend solutions precisely aligned with your needs.

Article based on: Choose the right CMS for your business | Thank you | Adobe UK