CMS Evaluation Criteria Checklist
IntermediateQuick Answer
TL;DR
A CMS evaluation checklist should cover eight categories: content modeling, editorial experience, developer experience, API and integrations, performance and scalability, security and compliance, pricing and TCO, and vendor stability. Score each criterion as Must Have, Should Have, or Nice to Have before talking to vendors — this prevents demo-driven decisions.
Key Takeaways
- Define your criteria before vendor demos to avoid being swayed by impressive but irrelevant features
- Weight criteria by your organization's priorities — a media company weights editorial UX higher than an e-commerce team
- Include both technical and non-technical stakeholders in the evaluation process
- Always test with your actual content model and integrations, not vendor-provided demos