Three tips for simple multisite management

Although many company websites are revised again and again, the large number of independently created websites in the specialist departments remains one of the biggest challenges, especially in international companies. Separate teams work on the creation and delivery of websites, using a wide variety of content, content management systems and tools. A lack of central control makes it difficult to implement and adhere to security guidelines and clear brand consistency. With three organizational tips from the Digital Experience Company Acquia For centralized, more efficient multisite management, companies can improve their processes and create a consistent, optimized user experience.1. set up a centrally responsible team and define rolesThe responsible team should consist of employees from the IT department and the specialist departments that maintain websites. It is important to have the right mix in order to involve all those responsible. This includes, for example, marketing experts, developers and the employees responsible for operating the websites. The decisive advantage of such a governance team is the rapid coordination of individual objectives. Once the team is in place, the required content management roles such as content developer, project manager, approver and publisher are defined.2. establish a governance framework and a tax modelProcedures, processes and tools for the work of the governance team are defined in a governance framework. It regulates and documents how the team proceeds in the planning, development, delivery and operation of websites and can therefore be reproduced at any time. In addition to the general processes, it is also necessary to develop a site governance model. To do this, it is first necessary to determine which commonalities already exist or should exist from a content and platform perspective for brand and country-specific websites. On this basis, specifications can then be developed, for example for content templates, certain standards for the websites and the customer experience approach.3. implement a plan with clear control objectivesOnce the general governance framework and the content and platform control model have been defined, the action plan must also be put into practice. The governance team acts as the competence center for the planning, provision and operation of all websites. It is responsible for approving or rejecting changes. A central cloud-based content management platform provides the necessary management and development tools. It is important that the governance framework and the control model become an integral part of overall corporate management; in other words, there are specific targets whose achievement is regularly reviewed. In addition, the entire guidelines and processes should be reviewed and adjusted annually.