CrownPeak Study Finds Need for Change in Current Content Management
Approaches for Web Sites
Ability to Make More Web Content Changes Necessary
to Better Support Business; Users of Hosted Content Management Systems Cited as
Most Satisfied With Their CMS Solution
CrownPeak, the company defining the
future of content management, today announced the results of a study conducted
with King Research, a leading marketing research and consulting company. Based
on a September 2006 survey of the current state of content management for large
Web sites, the CrownPeak-sponsored research examines approaches and preferences
for Web content management as well as common issues with existing processes for
implementing content changes.
The study found that significant improvements are needed in
content management approaches for large Web sites; most notably, 73 percent of
participants believe in order to better support their business, an increase in
their ability to make changes to Web content is essential. While the benefits of
using a Content Management System (CMS) were widely embraced, respondents that
use a hosted content management system were more satisfied with their content
management systems than any other participant category. The overall research
findings provide organizations with a strategic road map for planning their Web
content management initiatives.
As for who's responsible for implementing changes to the Web site,
the study found that the only consistency was that there was none. Most cited
"marketing" as the group responsible for implementing changes, but the wide
range of responses points to the lack of a centralized web management function
within most organizations. Instead, what exists in 2006 is still a hodgepodge of
IT, marketing and other functional departments. Consequently, and perhaps
unsurprisingly, what most organizations do have in common is the significant
time it takes to implement changes on their site. Seventy-eight percent of
participants reported needing more than a day to post any new web page, and
almost half of all participants reported that it typically took a week or more
to post a new page.
"Creating, editing and publishing Web site content is an ongoing
challenge for any organization trying to make the most of limited budgets and
resources. Our survey showed that defining and implementing a process that
enables content providers -- no matter what their technical savvy -- to quickly
and efficiently manage content has proven very problematic to marketing, IT and
other groups with ownership of dynamically changing Web sites," said Diane
Hagglund of King Research.
When asked what approach to content management they would take if
starting from scratch, 96 percent indicated they would use a content management
system but only 11 percent would choose to build their own in-house. Ease-of-use
topped the list of considerations by both IT and marketing when evaluating a
content management system. The groups were also aligned in their ranking of the
additional CMS purchase considerations, citing ease of
implementation/integration, product features and cost as key determinants.
Participants who currently use a hosted content management system to manage
their Web site content were significantly happier with their content management
solution. Sadly, only 54 percent of participants said they were happy with their
existing approach to content management, compared to 79 percent of participants
who used hosted content management solutions.
"It is not surprising that organizations continue to look for ways
to streamline their approach to Web content management in order to better
support their business. But with so many Web content management system options
available in the marketplace -- not just in terms of products, but delivery
methods as well -- the choice of which is right for your organization is often a
challenge," said Jim Howard, CEO of CrownPeak. "We find the results of the King
Research study extremely encouraging, as they point to the customer benefits and
competitive differentiation of CrownPeak's product offering and
software-as-a-service delivery model."
An executive summary of the full study including its methodology
is available for download in the InfoCenter.
About CrownPeak
CrownPeak is defining the future of content management with its
cost-effective, easy-to-implement software services for enterprise-level Web
content management and site search. As the only solution to offer best-of-breed
integration with ExactTarget, salesforce.com and WebTrends, CrownPeak's 360°
Site Management gives Web site managers complete control over the critical
functions involved in delivering a successful, revenue-driving Web site.
Enterprises and vertical organizations such as Crain
Communications, Trek Bicycles, Hyundai Motors, the State of Virginia and the
University of Southern California have realized the value in CrownPeak's 24x7
customer support and guaranteed response times. CrownPeak has been named to
EContent's 100 most influential companies list, has won eWeek's prestigious
Analysts Choice Award and InfoWorld's Product of the Year Award and has been
named an SIIA Codie Award finalist for Best Content Management System every year
since 2003.
About King Research
King Research provides marketing research and consulting services
in the high-tech and enterprise computing markets using proven research
methodology combined with in-depth technical expertise. Our projects result in
our clients gaining a clear understanding of opportunities, priorities,
perceptions, motivations & requirements in markets in which they wish to
build their business. For more information see www.kingres.com.
Brian Gendron
SHIFT Communications
(415) 591-8403
bgendron@shiftcomm.com
