5 CMS Trends for 2024 You Can’t Ignore

Mark Zuckerberg once said: “Figuring out what the next big trend is, tells us what we should focus on.”

This isn't just a statement; Zuckerberg has a track record of seeing things before they happen. Take Facebook's success in mobile ads – he saw that coming. In 2017, he called video a mega trend, and Facebook invested heavily in short-form video content. And he was right… again.

Zuckerberg's words resonate not only in the industry of social media but they extend to broader technological contexts. To be honest, they work everywhere. However, as our focus is on web development, let's bring his words back to our main interest—the CMS.

For about 25 years, Content Management Systems (CMSs) have been vital tools for organizations. They've proven indispensable, enabling users to easily create, manage, and modify digital content without needing to be tech experts. Now, the digital world is constantly changing and organizations must keep up with the latest trends in managing and delivering content. These content management trends can change really fast, so it's important to stay on top of what's new. Right now, there are a couple of big content management system trends that are making a difference in the industry. Let’s see what they are.

AI is making a big impact on content management trends

We can say it loud and clear. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is everywhere and has become an integral part of our everyday lives, influencing various industries. In healthcare, it helps with diagnostics and making drugs. In finance, AI spots fraud, assesses risks and improves investments. And we could go on forever.

Given its far-reaching impact, it's only natural that AI finds numerous applications in content management becoming one of the biggest CMS trends, making processes faster and more efficient.

First of all, AI is a big help for content translation, especially in today's globalized world, where businesses and content creators aim to expand their reach to diverse audiences. With AI-powered translation integrated into CMS platforms, translating content becomes faster and cheaper. And with advancements in machine learning, AI translations are becoming more accurate than ever. At Prepr, we were one of the first to use AI in our Headless CMS. We made it easier for content editors by adding features like AI translation for content items, reducing their workload.

We all know that tagging content is a tough but necessary job. AI makes it easier by automatically organizing and sorting large amounts of content. This helps improve search accuracy and ensures everything is in the right place. Using AI algorithms speeds up content creation, making the process more efficient. This helps content creators and marketers save time.

Another impact of AI is personalization. AI algorithms enable CMS systems to personalize content and experiences for each user based on their behavior, preferences, and historical interactions. This can lead to increased engagement, higher conversion rates, and improved customer satisfaction. For example, a CMS with AI can suggest articles based on the user’s interests.

AI also improves SEO by analyzing user behavior and suggesting content that's likely to rank well in search results. This information helps create content that is more likely to be found by search engines, increasing organic traffic to a website.

Personalization, one of the most important CMS trends impacting the digital experience

Lots of surveys and stats prove that personalization is a big deal, and we've shared some of these statistics in our articles about personalization as well. Putting effort into personalization pays off for brands; major companies such as Amazon and Spotify are experts at this—they use extreme personalization all the time.

This content management trend has gained significant traction in the CMS industry due to the growing challenge of capturing and retaining customer attention. Think that according to some research, you just have 15 seconds to convince visitors to stay on your website. Personalization helps with that, making sure users receive content and experiences aligned with their interests. This not only makes the digital experience more interesting, increasing how much users interact with a platform, but it also makes them more likely to take the desired actions like buy something or sign up for a service. Did you know that personalization can increase conversion rates by 30%?

Beyond basic personalization, CMS platforms are using smart algorithms and machine learning to personalize content based on what users do, like, and have done before. This way, users always get the most relevant and up-to-date info, keeping the digital experience exciting.

Enhanced security on the horizon of CMS trends

As cyber threats become more frequent and sophisticated, it’s not surprising that ensuring robust security has emerged as one of the crucial CMS trends. According to the State of CMS 2023 report, security issues ranked as the second most common reason for people to migrate to another CMS system. These security problems can really pose severe consequences for a company – they might lose money, have their data stolen, and people won't trust them anymore.

With strict data protection rules in place, maintaining online security is vital. Ensuring that your websites remain safe from hacking attempts is crucial to prevent content and data theft. That's why CMS platforms are incorporating features that prioritize data security in order to stay ahead of potential risks.

Separating the content from the presentation: The headless CMS trends

Okay, headless CMS has been around since 2010. While it might not fit the traditional definition of one of the new content management trends, it's still a big deal, as many companies are yet to transition to the Headless model.

In the old days, content was confined to a single website or application. The innovative approach of headless CMS separates the content creation and storage process from the presentation layer. This gives a lot of freedom to share content on different platforms and devices, ensuring a consistent and responsive user experience.

A recent report says that 72% of content professionals surveyed are using a headless CMS this year. Respondents highlighted key advantages of headless CMS, including flexibility in using any front-end framework (43%), delivering content to any channel or device (40%), and using any programming language (37%).

Despite WordPress being the most commonly used CMS platform, headless CMS usage went up by about 1% while the use of monolithic CMS went down by about 2% compared to last year.

The evolution continues: Data-driven content management is one of the essential headless CMS trends

You might have heard about "data-driven content" a lot lately as a pivotal aspect of current CMS trends, and it's for a good reason. In today's competitive world, you can't just guess or rely on your instincts. To truly connect with your audience on a personal level, you need to incorporate data-driven insights into your content management process.

Data tells you what users like, identifies what content works and provides insights to continually improve your content. CMS platforms are catching on to this need. They're adding analytics tools so users can track and analyze things like user engagement and content performance.

This data-driven approach helps make smart decisions about your content strategy. By looking at user behavior, content performance, and engagement, you can make strategic improvements in how you create and deliver content, and in the overall user experience. That's why having a data-driven CMS is crucial for all content teams.

At Prepr, we always say great content gets you noticed, but it's data that keeps you ahead. A data-driven headless CMS, like Prepr, uses smart technology to gather data, including behavioral data. This data helps create personalized experiences across the web, mobile devices, or any channel, making it easier for marketers to personalize content.

Well, we're definitely not Zuckerberg, but we know for sure that each of these CMS trends plays a key role in the industry of content management systems right now. At Prepr, our commitment to CMS innovation mirrors Mark's forward-thinking approach, since our goal is to provide easy-to-use solutions that stay ahead of the game.