Content Management System
Website content creation, management, and publishing.
Key Functions
| Function | Description | AI Opportunity |
|---|---|---|
| Content Editing | WYSIWYG, blocks, rich text | AI writing assistance |
| Media Management | Images, videos, files | Auto-tagging, optimization |
| Page Building | Templates, layouts, components | Auto-layout |
| Publishing | Drafts, scheduling, versioning | Smart scheduling |
| Taxonomy | Categories, tags, custom fields | Auto-categorization |
| Multi-language | Translations, localization | Auto-translation |
| Permissions | Roles, workflows, approvals | — |
| SEO | Meta, structured data, sitemaps | Auto-optimization |
| Preview | Draft preview, device simulation | — |
| API/Headless | Content delivery, omnichannel | — |
Data Footprint
Core Entities
| Entity | Fields | Volume | Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pages/Posts | content, status, author, dates | High | Low |
| Media | files, metadata, alt text | High | Low |
| Users | roles, permissions, activity | Low | Medium |
| Taxonomies | terms, hierarchies | Low | Low |
| Revisions | content versions, timestamps | High | Low |
| Comments | content, author, moderation status | Medium | Medium |
| Custom Fields | structured data per content type | High | Variable |
| Templates | layouts, components, styles | Low | Low |
Integration Points
| System | Data Flow | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| CDN | Asset delivery | Outbound |
| Search | Content indexing | Outbound |
| Analytics | Page views, engagement | Inbound |
| Marketing | Forms, personalization | Bi-directional |
| Ecommerce | Product content | Bi-directional |
| DAM | Asset management | Bi-directional |
| Translation | Localization workflows | Bi-directional |
Data Retention
| Data Type | Typical Retention | Compliance Driver |
|---|---|---|
| Published content | Indefinite | Business value |
| Revisions | 30 days - indefinite | Audit trail |
| Media | Until deleted | Storage costs |
| User activity | 90 days - 1 year | Security audit |
Evaluation Criteria
| Criteria | Weight | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Editing experience | High | Content team adoption |
| Developer flexibility | High | Customization needs |
| Performance | High | Page speed matters |
| Headless capability | Medium | Multi-channel needs |
| Hosting model | Medium | SaaS vs self-hosted |
| Ecosystem | Medium | Plugins, themes |
| Pricing | Medium | Scale economics |
Market Leaders
| Product | Strength | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| WordPress | Ecosystem, flexibility | Most use cases |
| Contentful | Headless, developer-first | Multi-channel |
| Sanity | Real-time, customizable | Custom experiences |
| Webflow | Visual builder, hosting | Designer-led |
| Strapi | Open source, headless | Self-hosted |
| Ghost | Publishing focus, clean | Blogs, newsletters |
AI Disruption Potential
| Function | Current State | 2027 Projection |
|---|---|---|
| Content creation | Manual + AI assist | Full generation |
| Image handling | Manual upload | Auto-generation, optimization |
| SEO | Manual meta | Auto-optimization |
| Translation | Manual or MT | Real-time AI |
| Personalization | Rules-based | AI-driven |
| Layout | Templates | Auto-design |
Build vs Buy: Buy (or use open source). CMS is solved infrastructure. Build only the custom parts. WordPress covers 80% of use cases.