Choosing the Best CMS for News Websites
Discover essential features and integrations for a scalable, fast, and user-friendly news website system.
Every website you visit today is built on a custom or off-the-shelf content management system (CMS). However, some websites are built differently. The CMS for news websites needs to be scalable, fast, able to handle many users with different roles, and much more.
If you run a news website, you’ll need a CMS that supports your unique requirements without custom coding or complex setup but with all the publisher-friendly features.
Today, we’ll show you the best news website system for publishers and discuss key features to look for and the key integrations these systems need to support.
What is a news website system?
A news website system is a specialized content management system (CMS) built for new websites, magazines, and online publications.
It’s a platform where publishers can publish their articles, manage their multimedia, share content across different platforms, and support a high traffic volume with features specific to the news publishing industry.
But this begs the question…
Why can’t publishers use regular content management systems?
Simply put, new websites have different requirements than run-of-the-mill eCommerce or SaaS websites. While you could launch a website on a popular CMS such as WordPress, this would be a compromise at best.
Here are some reasons why publishers can’t use traditional content management systems.
They are not built for high traffic: news websites can have millions of monthly visits, requiring super-fast page loading speeds, robust caching mechanisms, a solid CDN, and more.
They don’t support a large number of users with different roles: typical CMS platforms don’t support hierarchies of creators, editors, administrators, and moderators in large numbers.
They don’t have built-in SEO tools: Not all CMS platforms come with built-in features such as schema markups, sitemaps, metadata management, and more.
They don’t have editorial workflow management: approvals, version control, and multiple contributors for one article are all features the typical CMS lacks.
They don’t have responsive, multi-channel publishing: news website systems allow you to easily manage a page's web and mobile versions and make changes to them, one at a time.
They don’t come with built-in monetization support: while you can install plugins, the average CMS does not come pre-packed with various monetization methods such as ads.
They don’t support localization and multiple languages for one page: news CMS platforms allow you to easily create multiple versions of one page in different languages in a way that supports SEO best practices.
There are no media management features: the traditional CMS does not have a central media management profile where you can store all your media in different formats for easy access.
What should a news website system have in terms of features and integrations?
You're in a good place if you’ve determined that a news website system is the better alternative to a traditional CMS. When shopping around for news website systems, you should look for core features to make them useful for news and magazine websites.
1. Content Management System (CMS)
A news website should have a content management system allowing users to easily add new content in various forms. The problem? All CMSes have this, and you should look for a specific feature set, such as:
Easy-to-use editor (WYSIWYG): no custom code and complex formatting. The text you enter in the CMS should appear the same to your readers once published.
Multi-format support (text, images, video, audio): The CMS should allow you to easily embed all media formats on your website.
Tagging and categorization for news sections (e.g., sports, politics, business) allow editors and readers to find the news items they are looking for quickly.
Version control for articles and collaborative writing tools: You can see the different versions of the same page and determine who contributed which changes.
AI features: These allow you to build on top of your existing article and make it more engaging for your target audience while meeting criteria to rank in search engine results. Examples include headline suggestions, A/B testing of titles, and many others.
2. Real-Time Updates
News can move at the speed of light, so the new website system should be lightning-fast and work in real-time to update your reader base.
Live news feeds and breaking news alerts: You can create news feeds that occur in real-time and add breaking news to alert readers about the most important updates.
Scheduled publishing for time-sensitive stories: choose the exact time to publish a story for the maximum impact.
3. Responsive Design
The ideal news website system can adapt to any device and recognize when the user is on a mobile, desktop, tablet, or any other type of system. These features should be your primary target:
Mobile-first approach with cross-device compatibility: The CMS should have a mobile editor, or at least a mobile preview, allowing you to see what the content, including text and media, will look like across devices.
Adaptive layouts for different screen sizes (desktop, mobile, tablet): The news website system recognizes the reader's device and quickly adapts the screen size and resolution.
The end result is a mobile version of a page that looks the same (or even better) than the desktop version, is fully optimized, and loads equally well on every device.
4. Multimedia Support
Text is just the foundation for a great piece of news, and your website should support a variety of content formats. For example…
Integrated video players and audio streaming: easy embedding of YouTube and other video formats for a seamless browsing experience. Other systems, such as Vimond and Jwp, are just as easy to use through relevant integrations.
Support for photo galleries and infographics: static photos, gifs, galleries, carousels, and infographics should display well on all pages.
Social media integration for embedding posts: you can embed tweets, Facebook and LinkedIn posts, TikTok videos, and more.
Easy-to-use tables and graphs
Media library for storing assets: a repository for all the content uploaded to the website, including images, videos and various other file formats.
Easy archiving and retrieval: the ability to easily archive and retrieve old content for new posts you’re about to publish.
Integrations with newswires and image banks: allowing you to share news and media through different platforms easily.
5. Commenting and Engagement Tools
Views are great, but engagement lets you know the content provides value and sparks interest in your reader base. The ideal news website system will have an option to support commenting, discussions, and reader engagement features.
Comment sections with moderation tools: let your readers comment anonymously or with a username. As the website owner, you can moderate the content and decide what goes live.
Polls and quizzes for user interaction: publish polls and quizzes to gauge your readers’ opinions and keep them returning to your content.
Live chat or Q&A sessions with journalists: so you can let readers interact directly with the people who create content for your website.
6. Advertisement and Monetization
Clicks and views are great, but the ability to make cold, hard cash is even better. The best news website systems should have an option to support various forms of ads and monetization techniques. For example:
Ad management system for banners and native ads: so you can choose which content to monetize, what ads to serve and when.
Sponsored content and branded articles: so that others can post their content on your platform, with clear labels and tags showing that the content is sponsored.
Subscription and paywall options for premium content let only a select audience view your best content and give you opportunities to convert visitors into paying customers.
Audience insights (demographics, behavior): at a glance, you should be able to see who is viewing your content and what kind of audience they belong to.
Conversion and performance metrics: allow you to see which of your content is driving conversions (paid signups, purchases, etc.) and how the content pieces stack against each other.
Monetization features: ideally, the CMS should have features for monetizing content in different ways, such as ad revenue, subscription models, sponsored content, etc.
Editors’ choice: editors decide what content should be published as premium and what content should be published as free on the site.
7. Analytics and Reporting
Understanding which content resonates with your target audience gives you valuable insights on what (not) to do in the future. While you can skate by with a Google Analytics account, your news website system should have its own analytics and reporting tools, such as:
Real-time audience analytics: understanding what visitors are reading at a specific time.
Heatmaps to track user interaction with content: to learn which parts of the page are driving engagement.
Conversion tracking for paid subscriptions or advertisements: this lets you see which pages are driving revenue increases.
Real-time tracking of user engagement: being able to see what website visitors are viewing and clicking on in real time.
8. Security and Performance
Your website should be secure, and you should allow you to create high-quality, engaging content. This will inspire readers to trust you even more and ensure your safety from potential attacks.
SSL encryption for secure browsing: a signal to readers that they are safe when they land on your website.
DDoS protection to prevent attacks: a safety net to protect you against potential attacks by individuals or groups.
Content delivery network (CDN) for faster load times: a system that allows your website content to load extremely fast and provide a seamless user experience.
Advanced caching for high traffic websites and support for extreme peaks in traffic when breaking news happens.
9. Multilingual and Localization Support
Having multiple versions of your website is an excellent first step if you want to be present internationally. The news website system should facilitate this.
Ability to publish news in multiple languages: something you can do with Labrador CMS and even translate pages automatically into different languages thanks to AI.
Geo-targeting for region-specific news lets you show the most relevant news to readers logging in from specific areas.
Wrapping up
A news website system is like the typical content management system on steroids. Its features and integrations allow you to grow and engage your reader base and get the most out of your website content. If this sounds like something you need, you should look into Labrador CMS.
Our CMS is built for news publishers like you. It is extremely easy to use and offers all the publisher-friendly integrations you may need, from ad systems to print systems and paywalls. Besides your team, readers will love Labrador CMS, too, thanks to the great mobile versions of your website, fast loading times, and amazing overall user experience.
Get a demo of Labrador CMS to see what we can do for your website today!
