Tag
CMS
29 posts with this tag.
Draft mode means someone else will publish it
If you're the only person working on your site, draft mode might be hiding a workflow problem you don't actually have.
Write the redirect before you delete the page
Deleting a page without planning the redirect means broken links and lost traffic. Decide where visitors should land before you hit delete.
Set character limits before users hit them
Field-length constraints aren't validation failures. They're decisions you make visible while someone is still typing.
Tag taxonomy before you tag a single post
Your CMS will let you create tags on the fly. That doesn't mean you should.
Write error messages before the error happens
You can't write a decent error message in the moment someone breaks something. Draft them during setup, when your head is clear.
Decide what happens when users leave a field blank
Every form field on your site needs a plan for what happens when someone skips it. That plan is content work, not a developer problem.
Empty states are instructions, not decoration
What your CMS shows when a field or section is empty shapes how people use it. Write those moments like documentation.
Batch upload your images once you've named them all
Upload one image, name eight more, upload the next one — you're wasting time on context switching. Name everything first, then upload the set.
Image file names before you upload them
Your image management problem starts when you click 'choose file' with a filename like IMG_3847.jpg. Name it right the first time.
Placeholder text is a prompt, not an example
What you put in empty fields shapes what people type. Most placeholder text just wastes the opportunity.
Revision dates remind you who changed what when
Adding a simple last-updated field to your CMS catches stale content before readers do and gives your team a shared reference point.
Default sort order is an editorial decision
How you order lists, tables, and archives shapes what users think matters. Set defaults deliberately, not by accident.
Version control for content isn't just for developers
Track what changed, when, and why — without learning Git or relying on CMS revision logs that expire.
Publish schedules reveal how you actually work
Your editorial calendar isn't aspirational decoration. It's infrastructure that either matches your team's real capacity or creates friction you'll blame on laziness.
File names matter before you upload
Your image file names become part of your site's structure. Name them clearly once instead of renaming them later in the CMS.
Choose your default publish state and stick to it
Your CMS offers draft and published states for a reason. Pick which one new content starts in, make it consistent across your site, and stop creating confusion.
Preview mode is for checking your work, not doing it
If you're writing in preview mode, you're letting visual polish interrupt your thinking. Draft with the CMS tools that keep structure visible.
Your style guide doesn't need a tone section
Most small sites waste time documenting voice when they need usage rules. Write down decisions that prevent inconsistency, not aspirations.
Stop resizing images by eye
Guessing at image dimensions wastes time and produces inconsistent layouts. Define your sizes once, then enforce them at upload or in templates.
Field-level help text that prevents mistakes
Most CMS help text just repeats the field label. Effective help text shows format expectations, gives examples, and stops errors before they happen.
Draft in plain text, format in the CMS
Separating writing from formatting reduces friction and produces cleaner content. Write first, structure second, style never.
Content templates aren't forms to fill in
Templates should guide decisions, not replace them. Here's how to build content templates that actually improve consistency without flattening everything into Mad Libs.
Redirects are documentation your future self will need
Every redirect you set up is a tiny piece of institutional memory. Treat them like the load-bearing infrastructure they are, not cleanup tasks.
Metadata inheritance saves hours you're currently wasting
Stop filling the same fields on every page. Let parent pages pass values down and override only what changes.
Taxonomy before taxonomy: name your buckets once
Most sites drown in overlapping categories because no one sat down first. Define your buckets before you file a single page.
URL structure you can maintain for ten years
Good URL patterns survive redesigns and organizational changes. Plan them with durability, not cleverness.
Alt text audit in fifteen minutes
A systematic sweep through image descriptions that actually helps search and screen readers, without overthinking or AI slop.
CMS guardrails for staff who should not design
Editors need power over words and images — not over the gravity of the layout.
Information architecture before voice
Personality is paint. IA is the load-bearing walls. Paint the walls after they stand.