Tag
CMS
54 posts with this tag.
Hardcode your footer links in the template
Footer links change once a year, if that. Stop treating them like editable content.
Publish status labels need unambiguous verbs
Draft, pending, and scheduled sound like they mean something—until three people interpret them three different ways.
Run a content audit before you change your CMS
Migrating platforms without knowing what you have means migrating problems. Audit first, then decide what moves.
Conditional field display breaks your content model
Hiding fields based on other field values creates phantom dependencies that break bulk editing, API calls, and future migrations.
Field labels need a verb when the field isn't obvious
A noun alone works for "Email" or "Phone." Everything else requires instruction.
Tag taxonomies fail when you can't explain the difference
If two tags overlap enough that you pause before choosing, you don't have a taxonomy—you have a list of synonyms slowing down your workflow.
Error messages need specific recovery instructions
Generic error copy forces users to guess what went wrong and how to fix it. Your error message should tell them exactly what to do next.
Empty states need their own interface copy
When a page has no content to display yet, what you show matters more than the layout waiting to be filled.
Disable comments field-by-field, not site-wide
Turning off comments globally wastes the structure you already built. Control it where the content model decides.
Date metadata shapes how users filter your content
Publication dates aren't just timestamps. They determine how people navigate archives, sort results, and decide what's current.
Placeholder text teaches users to ignore your interface
When every field shows example content before anyone types, people stop reading what's actually there. Placeholder text becomes invisible faster than you think.
Write captions for images when you add them
A caption field left empty at upload time stays empty. Write it when the context is still in your head.
Version numbers belong in your file names
If you're saving files as final-FINAL-v3-actual.jpg, you've already lost. Name versions so you can find the current one without opening twelve candidates.
Scheduled publish dates require a rollback plan
Setting content to go live at a specific time isn't just a calendar event. You need a documented process for pulling it back if something changes.
Archive pages need their own navigation rules
Pagination, filters, and sort controls follow different patterns than your main menu. Decide how users move through lists before you template them.
Reusable content blocks need names users recognize
When you create modular content components, label them for the people who'll actually pick them from a dropdown, not for your internal architecture diagram.
Image dimensions belong in your content model
If you're resizing uploaded images on the fly, you've already made decisions about aspect ratio and display context. Codify them before the next upload.
Define your content types before you write content
A content type is a template for similar pages. Decide what fields each type needs before anyone starts filling them in.
Field order is the first draft of your content hierarchy
The sequence you build your CMS fields in trains users where to look first. Don't let alphabetical sorting or feature creep decide that for you.
Pick one publication date field and stick with it
Multiple date fields in your CMS create confusion about which one matters. Choose the field that governs visibility, then make everything else follow it.
Log when you publish, not just what you publish
A timestamped record of what went live—and when—gives you a reference layer that CMS change logs and analytics timestamps can't replace.
Decide your URL structure before you create content
Your URL pattern shapes how users navigate, how search engines index, and how you maintain your site. Choose it once, early, and stick to it.
Breadcrumb trails need a consistent depth model
Your breadcrumb navigation only works if you've already decided what counts as a level. Bolt the hierarchy first, then surface it.
Decide which fields are searchable before you build search
Search indexes don't magically know what matters. You decide which fields users can search, and which they can't.
Your CMS rich text editor isn't a word processor
Stop treating the WYSIWYG editor like Microsoft Word. The formatting buttons you ignore now determine whether your content survives template changes, mobile layouts, and CMS migrations.
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.