Let’s be honest. There are some things you should never have to ask for in a CMS. We’re not talking AI-generated parallax animations or blockchain-integrated contact forms. We mean the basics. The “of course it does that” stuff.
And yet, here we are. Teams still stuck duct-taping plugins or calling in dev favors just to do things that should be baked in from day one.
Here’s our list of seven sanity-saving features every CMS should just handle. No exceptions. No asterisks.
1. Drafts and Autosave
If your CMS can’t remember where you left off, or worse, loses your content because you looked at it funny, it’s time to walk away. Drafts, revisions, autosave, and the ability to preview changes without publishing should be table stakes. You wouldn’t write a novel in Notepad, right?
2. Granular Permissions
Everyone should not be able to do everything. And one bottleneck shouldn’t have to approve everything either. A good CMS gives you smart, flexible permissions: editors, approvers, designers, and that one intern who only updates the footer. Concrete CMS does this out of the box, no add-ons needed and no developer required.
3. Media Management That Doesn’t Suck
You shouldn’t need a PhD to find the image you uploaded last week. Basic media features like folders, search, thumbnails, and alt text editing should not be considered "advanced." Bonus points if drag-and-drop uploads and inline image editing actually work the way you expect.
4. Mobile-Friendly Editing
Why is it 2025 and some CMS interfaces still break on tablets? Whether you're updating a blog post from your phone at a conference or approving content from a train, your CMS should play nice with modern devices.
5. Customizable Workflows
Publishing isn't one-size-fits-all. Maybe your team needs legal to review press releases. Or marketing wants a draft before design jumps in. Your CMS should support approval chains, reminders, and clear status updates. It should never leave you guessing where content lives.
Want to see this done well? Concrete CMS handles workflows with flexible review paths and an intuitive interface that teams actually enjoy using.
6. Version Control and Rollback
Mistakes happen. Typos sneak in. Someone accidentally deletes half a page. You need versioning. Not just for content nerds. Rolling back to a previous version should take seconds, not summon a developer.
7. Security That’s Not Your Job
If you’re relying on 37 third-party plugins and a prayer to keep your site secure, that’s not a CMS. That’s a house of cards. Your platform should have enterprise-grade security built in, with regular updates, role-based access, and optional two-factor authentication. Bonus points if government agencies trust it. Concrete CMS powers sites like Army MWR because it clears serious compliance hurdles.
If Your CMS Can’t Do This, It’s Not Worth Your Time
These aren’t wishlist features. They’re the baseline. If your CMS struggles with the basics, every new feature just adds more stress.
Stop settling for “technically possible” and start expecting “obviously supported.”