A website content management system is used to publish a wide range of content. These can be simple pages, complex pages dynamic information sourced from databases, training materials, online manuals, and general business documents. The websites can range from large ecommerce sites to personal blogs, from school lessons to corporate sites. There can be thousands of pages with extensive linking between pages.

Prior to deciding which website content management system to use, it is advised that you should evaluate what are your needs and what would you would like to accomplish. It should be noted that there isn't a universal checklist available that spans everyone's interests. Each person and each organization differs in that each have different standards and concerns.

To make the process easier, the requirements can be classified into groups: Content creation; Content management; Publishing; Presentation; and Contract & business. This list covers the full life cycle of a website content management system, from initially creating the content, through to delivering it to end users.

Content creation is functionality required by authors who are creating the material that shows up on websites. For a system to be successful, it must be easy to create and maintain content. The core of a system is content management, which is a central repository supported by a range of tools for manipulating and managing the content. Key parameters are version control and archiving, workflow, security, integration with external systems and reporting.

The final web pages are generated by the publishing engine, which uses content that has been stored in the repository. Stylesheets and page templates are key requirements for this process. Other requirements may include the ability to support multiple page formats (such as print, pdf, html, and wap). The webmaster may wish to also use personalization and usage statistics for larger sites.

An important element of a web page includes the appearance of the subject matter. This greatly influences the overall design and look of the web page. Several particular standards appeal to users and the presentation of the web page must adhere to the users' expectations. The most important requirements include usability, speed, convenience, cross-browser support, metadata, and navigation.

Contract and business is the final requirement. It covers project management and business procedures when the system is executed by a third party or vendor. When the system is turned over to another party, issue such as the use of cms, required operation and maintenance skills, documentation, hardware/software or database resource requirements, cost, scalability etc. will need to be addressed.

Selecting a website content management system is often something which is going to decide the success of the website which the system produces. It may be a multi-million-dollar exercise in case of an enterprise-wide system. It is therefore critical that the system meets your current and projected needs. The single most important activity is to identify your goals and requirements and this process must involve all the relevant stakeholders.