David Hillis' Predictions for Web Content Management in 2012

By David Hillis (@davidhillis) Dec 14, 2011

It’s that time again. With 2011 coming to a close and 2012 swiftly approaching, it’s time once again to make my predictions for what the coming year holds for the content management industry.

Last year I made ten predictions. This year I am scaling it back to five. It could be that I am just out of ideas, but I prefer to believe that 2012 will be a year where fewer trends will make a larger impact. It will be a year hallmarked by execution of existing trends in mobile, digital marketing and cloud computing and innovative new solutions in “Big Data.”

The overall theme of 2012 will be Web ROI — more business value, lower cost SaaS solutions, more agile development approaches. Measurable and achievable ROI combined with a rebounding economy will equate to a very good year for the Web CMS industry.

My Top 5 Predictions for the 2012 Web CMS Market:

#1. Big Data Meets the Web CMS

90% of the data in the world has been created in the last two years alone. All that data means big growth in “Big Data” Business Intelligence (BI) solutions. From ultra-hyped start-ups software like Domo (founded by Omniture’s Josh James), to nimble SaaS systems like Birst and Tableau Software, BI is everywhere. In 2012 Web CMS vendors will follow the trend and move beyond web analytics to deliver more insightful KPI’s (key performance indicators) as well as build new CMS features that turn Big Data into compelling web content and actionable intelligence.

#2. Tablets Become a First Class Web Platform

I was recently reviewing a client’s analytics and was surprised to see the Apple iPad was the #1 mobile device accessing their site, above the Apple iPhone and all Android devices. The popularity of the Apple iPad combined with the growth of the Amazon Kindle Fire will make tablets a must-support platform for websites and apps in 2012. Websites will become more tablet friendly by adding “reading views” of the content and supporting multi-touch experience.

#3. Websites Will Become the New Landing Pages

Online marketing for the past few years has focused on driving prospective customers to landing pages. But with conversions hovering under 2% and the rising costs of pay-per-click advertising programs, savvy marketers will look at converting their existing web traffic through better contextual targeting and in-bound marketing. The website itself will become the persuasive marketing tool.

#4. Microsoft .NET MVC / Razor Will Become #1 Template Technology

The speed of development and adherence to web standards will make .NET MVC and the new Razor view engine the #1 template approach used in Web CMS projects over .NET web forms, XSLT and other technologies.

#5. Salesforce.com Will Change how Web CMS is Delivered

Businesses have moved in droves onto Salesforce.com. They have also embraced the broader “Sales Cloud” ecosystem of marketing automation and SaaS-based sales tools. The market expectation is now that any marketing solution will be offered as a software service, be easy-to-use and implement and packaged into affordable entry-level pricing. Web CMS vendors will move to more SaaS-based delivery, focus on easier “last-mile” implementation solutions and offer value-based packaged pricing.

Bonus Prediction

#6. Forms and Data Processing Become “Solid State” Web CMS Feature

Forms are where the ROI is created on websites, whether from lead generation marketing programs or from customer self-service. Forms have also become much more complex. Today, forms can range from simple sign-up forms to full-blown multi-step applications. What many organizations need is an easy way to capture, store and manage data online and to tie data back to key business processes (think workflow + forms). They also need easier ways to integrate third-party forms. In 2012, Web CMS will evolve from a system designed strictly to manage content (media and text) to a system capable of managing and processing data. Vendors will introduce new forms solutions that are tightly coupled with the Web CMS and other applications.