Content modeling tools are essential for content strategists and content creators. They make the content creation process more efficient, and they also help you create better content.
In this article, we'll dive into the top features, pros, cons, and pricing for the best content modeling tools available today. But first, let's explain what content modeling is and how it's used.
"Content modeling tools are essential for content strategists and content creators. They help make the content creation process more efficient, and they can also help you create better content.”
A content model is a set of rules and conventions determining how new and existing content on your website should be organized and structured. It ensures that your content is consistent, complete, accurate, and easy to maintain.
Content models are often created through a process called "modeling," which involves looking closely at your content's structure, categorization, and visual appearance. In short, content modeling lays out the nuts and bolts of your content.
A content model is a great way to ensure that teams have the details they need to author and maintain content and how it should look on pages. It allows for an organized action plan and helps ensure nothing gets lost in the shuffle of your content marketing efforts.
Good to know: You can also use templates to work out the finer details and practicalities of writing and managing your content. Check out our content model template.
Why is content modeling important?
Content modeling is essential for creating a strong content strategy. If you don't have the right structure in place, it's difficult to ensure that things are consistent and easy to find. Content models create a foundation upon which your entire content strategy can be built.
Content models also help ensure that search engine optimization (SEO) efforts are successful. Properly structured content can ensure that your website ranks on the relevant keywords, generating more organic traffic to the website.
Content modeling also makes it easier for teams to collaborate and work together on content creation and updates. With a consistent structure in place, everyone knows where things should go, making it easier to visualize how your content works together and also giving transparency to stakeholders.
The top 8 content modeling tools
1. GatherContent
GatherContent is a cloud-based content modeling platform for creating, managing, and deploying digital content. It offers an intuitive interface with features such as drag-and-drop editing, templated layouts, and custom fields. GatherContent also includes project management tools to help teams collaborate on content creation.
Top features:
Plan, create, and review content in the all-in-one content hub—without leaving the platform
Make concrete future content creation plans with the Editorial Calendar
Review and edit written articles easily with the Editor feature
Maintain brand consistency and use Content Templates to produce similar types of content
Ensure each team member knows when it’s their turn to tag in with Content Workflows
Add content guidelines to maintain the brand’s style with every piece of content
Pros:
Intuitive interface is easy to use
Integrates with content management systems like WordPress for streamlined publishing
Specifically designed for content team collaboration
Learn more: Check out our structured Content Editor for scalable team content creation.
2. Contentful
Contentful is an API-based platform for managing digital content across multiple channels. It provides a library of configurable components that can be used to create custom models and presentation layers tailored to any project or use case. Contentful also offers an extensive set of tools to help content creators and editors collaborate on content creation.
Top features:
Ability to build content once and make it reusable for multiple teams
Users can create a shared library of content models
Centralized efforts to easily deploy, manage, and connect apps anywhere in the platform
Pros:
Easy-to-use interface
External messaging is easy across several departments
Cons:
Modifications must be published manually, one at a time
Internal search functions have limited capabilities
Pricing: Contentful has a free and paid team plan starting at $489 monthly.
3. Prismic
Prismic is a headless CMS designed for developers building sophisticated digital experiences. It has a powerful yet intuitive UI and allows users to create highly customized content models using its drag-and-drop interface. You can also customize the content presentation layer to match any design.
Top features:
Custom type builder allows for quick content modeling
Ability to manage and schedule content releases
Easily integrate existing catalog to feature products on website pages
Pros:
Highly customizable making it great for complex projects
Free option for developers
Cons:
Limited samples of pre-built templates
API and bandwidth quotas can be expensive for high-traffic usage
Pricing: Prismic offers a free option and paid plans ranging from $7 to $500 per month.
4. Kentico
Kentico is a cloud-based CMS designed for teams that need to create and publish content quickly. It provides a library of pre-built components, allowing teams to develop and structure content in minutes.
Top features:
Intuitive page builder makes it easy to design webpages without technical knowledge
Easily manage different content types, from articles and blog posts to complex product catalogs
Workflows allow for custom workflows designed to ensure consistency and compliance
Pros:
Combines ecommerce, marketing, and digital automation
Easy to use for non-technical staff
Cons:
Managing users by role can be challenging because you cannot export
Media library offers limited search capabilities
Pricing: Kentico offers paid plans starting from $925/month.
5. Contentstack
Contentstack is a cloud-based headless CMS designed to help teams quickly author and publish content. It allows users to customize content models and provides tools for optimizing content for SEO.
Top features:
One central hub for a unified user experience across platforms with multiple app integrations
Streamlined workflows that also ensure compliance
Allows for collaborative editing through comments and discussions within the platform
Pros:
Easy to use, scalable platform with built-in SEO capabilities
Excellent customer support for every team member
Cons:
No free plan available
Pricing: Contentstack does not publicly share its pricing plans.
6. Hygraph
Hygraph is a native GraphQL headless CMS designed for teams that need to create and publish content programmatically. It offers a powerful UI that can create custom content models and presentation layers.
Top features:
Easily connect multiple data sources into one platform
Integrate existing applications into the Hygraph platform without disruption
Centralize control over all content, regardless of type or channel
Pros:
Highly customizable for complex projects
GraphQL API is easy to learn and use
Cons:
Support services are limited, as the platform is still relatively new
No mobile support available yet
Pricing: Hygraph offers a free plan and paid plans ranging from $299 to $799 per month. For enterprise pricing, you will need to contact the company directly.
7. ButterCMS
ButterCMS is a headless CMS designed with an easy-to-use content API that allows anyone on the team to streamline content development and management.
Top features:
Centralized dashboard to easily manage multiple types of content
Ability to build landing pages for various purposes
Compile data into tables to enable content scenarios
Pros:
Easy-to-use platform for non-technical team members
Multiple language support
Cons:
No built-in analytics tool for tracking content performance
Pricing can be high for smaller teams
Pricing: ButterCMS offers pricing plans ranging from $99 to $399 per month. Enterprise-level pricing is available upon request.
8. Craft CMS
Craft CMS is a content management system designed for teams that desire flexibility and control throughout the digital content process. It offers a simple yet powerful interface with the ability to build custom web pages and manage media library assets.
Top features:
Open canvas and customizable fields make it great for any project
Asset manager for organizing photos, videos, audio files, and documents
Built-in management features make updating content easy
Pros:
Integration with leading third-party services, e.g., Stripe, Mailchimp, and Amazon
Support multiple languages and locales within one platform
Includes one-click updates for the latest features, bug fixes, and security enhancements
Cons:
Licensing fees can be expensive for larger teams or projects
Highly-customizable features can be overwhelming for non-technical staff
Pricing: Craft CMS offers a free version and paid plans starting at $299/month. Enterprise-level pricing is available upon request.
When it comes to content models, not all are created equal. However, certain qualities contribute to an excellent cross-functional team model. Here is a list of the most desirable characteristics that make for successful content models.
Enables content reusability
By categorizing your content into a model, you can make it available for reuse. For example, if you create an "author" content type with attributes such as name, age, image, and designation, this same format can be used when adding information to any author-created material. By identifying types in your content model and reusing them across multiple pieces of work, you will save time and ensure consistency throughout your projects.
Allows for efficient content management
Creating a comprehensive content model takes effort and dedication, but it will save you time in the long run by allowing you to manage your system more effectively as your content grows.
For example, suppose you have multiple blog posts detailing a product's features that are regularly changing with a robust content model. In that case, any alterations can be quickly implemented without requiring teams to manually update each post independently.
Responsive, adaptive, and flexible
By documenting content types and attributes granularly, a content model creates an organized workflow for multiple teams, such as UI designers, developers, and content creators. This allows them to focus on the details when constructing or designing features resulting in adaptive, responsive, and flexible output that meets user expectations.
Supports multi-channel distribution
Through the use of a content model, teams ensure that their content is consumed and distributed effectively. This not only encourages modularity but also promotes adaptiveness across various channels—making sure your message reaches its desired audience with minimal effort.
Emphasizes usability for authors
Content creation is enhanced by content modeling, which allows authors to leverage distinct content types for specific items. As an example, a single brush type can be used by various artists to create logos, illustrations, or sketches with ease. Content items are defined once but offer versatile uses across different scenarios and authors.
Getting started with content modeling
Content models are the foundation for creating and managing content across various channels. Through leveraging them, teams can ensure that their content is optimized for performance and usability.
By taking a modular approach to content creation, teams can create and distribute content more efficiently while providing a better experience for authors. And by understanding what makes for a good model, you’ll be able to create a content model that works for you and your team’s content needs.
GatherContent is a great tool to brainstorm content ideas, plan your content, assign, draft, and edit before shipping, and ensure maximum visibility for all departments.
So what are you waiting for? Get started on crafting your content models with GatherContent today!
In this article, we'll dive into the top features, pros, cons, and pricing for the best content modeling tools available today. But first, let's explain what content modeling is and how it's used.
"Content modeling tools are essential for content strategists and content creators. They help make the content creation process more efficient, and they can also help you create better content.”
A content model is a set of rules and conventions determining how new and existing content on your website should be organized and structured. It ensures that your content is consistent, complete, accurate, and easy to maintain.
Content models are often created through a process called "modeling," which involves looking closely at your content's structure, categorization, and visual appearance. In short, content modeling lays out the nuts and bolts of your content.
A content model is a great way to ensure that teams have the details they need to author and maintain content and how it should look on pages. It allows for an organized action plan and helps ensure nothing gets lost in the shuffle of your content marketing efforts.
Good to know: You can also use templates to work out the finer details and practicalities of writing and managing your content. Check out our content model template.
Why is content modeling important?
Content modeling is essential for creating a strong content strategy. If you don't have the right structure in place, it's difficult to ensure that things are consistent and easy to find. Content models create a foundation upon which your entire content strategy can be built.
Content models also help ensure that search engine optimization (SEO) efforts are successful. Properly structured content can ensure that your website ranks on the relevant keywords, generating more organic traffic to the website.
Content modeling also makes it easier for teams to collaborate and work together on content creation and updates. With a consistent structure in place, everyone knows where things should go, making it easier to visualize how your content works together and also giving transparency to stakeholders.
The top 8 content modeling tools
1. GatherContent
GatherContent is a cloud-based content modeling platform for creating, managing, and deploying digital content. It offers an intuitive interface with features such as drag-and-drop editing, templated layouts, and custom fields. GatherContent also includes project management tools to help teams collaborate on content creation.
Top features:
Plan, create, and review content in the all-in-one content hub—without leaving the platform
Make concrete future content creation plans with the Editorial Calendar
Review and edit written articles easily with the Editor feature
Maintain brand consistency and use Content Templates to produce similar types of content
Ensure each team member knows when it’s their turn to tag in with Content Workflows
Add content guidelines to maintain the brand’s style with every piece of content
Pros:
Intuitive interface is easy to use
Integrates with content management systems like WordPress for streamlined publishing
Specifically designed for content team collaboration
Learn more: Check out our structured Content Editor for scalable team content creation.
2. Contentful
Contentful is an API-based platform for managing digital content across multiple channels. It provides a library of configurable components that can be used to create custom models and presentation layers tailored to any project or use case. Contentful also offers an extensive set of tools to help content creators and editors collaborate on content creation.
Top features:
Ability to build content once and make it reusable for multiple teams
Users can create a shared library of content models
Centralized efforts to easily deploy, manage, and connect apps anywhere in the platform
Pros:
Easy-to-use interface
External messaging is easy across several departments
Cons:
Modifications must be published manually, one at a time
Internal search functions have limited capabilities
Pricing: Contentful has a free and paid team plan starting at $489 monthly.
3. Prismic
Prismic is a headless CMS designed for developers building sophisticated digital experiences. It has a powerful yet intuitive UI and allows users to create highly customized content models using its drag-and-drop interface. You can also customize the content presentation layer to match any design.
Top features:
Custom type builder allows for quick content modeling
Ability to manage and schedule content releases
Easily integrate existing catalog to feature products on website pages
Pros:
Highly customizable making it great for complex projects
Free option for developers
Cons:
Limited samples of pre-built templates
API and bandwidth quotas can be expensive for high-traffic usage
Pricing: Prismic offers a free option and paid plans ranging from $7 to $500 per month.
4. Kentico
Kentico is a cloud-based CMS designed for teams that need to create and publish content quickly. It provides a library of pre-built components, allowing teams to develop and structure content in minutes.
Top features:
Intuitive page builder makes it easy to design webpages without technical knowledge
Easily manage different content types, from articles and blog posts to complex product catalogs
Workflows allow for custom workflows designed to ensure consistency and compliance
Pros:
Combines ecommerce, marketing, and digital automation
Easy to use for non-technical staff
Cons:
Managing users by role can be challenging because you cannot export
Media library offers limited search capabilities
Pricing: Kentico offers paid plans starting from $925/month.
5. Contentstack
Contentstack is a cloud-based headless CMS designed to help teams quickly author and publish content. It allows users to customize content models and provides tools for optimizing content for SEO.
Top features:
One central hub for a unified user experience across platforms with multiple app integrations
Streamlined workflows that also ensure compliance
Allows for collaborative editing through comments and discussions within the platform
Pros:
Easy to use, scalable platform with built-in SEO capabilities
Excellent customer support for every team member
Cons:
No free plan available
Pricing: Contentstack does not publicly share its pricing plans.
6. Hygraph
Hygraph is a native GraphQL headless CMS designed for teams that need to create and publish content programmatically. It offers a powerful UI that can create custom content models and presentation layers.
Top features:
Easily connect multiple data sources into one platform
Integrate existing applications into the Hygraph platform without disruption
Centralize control over all content, regardless of type or channel
Pros:
Highly customizable for complex projects
GraphQL API is easy to learn and use
Cons:
Support services are limited, as the platform is still relatively new
No mobile support available yet
Pricing: Hygraph offers a free plan and paid plans ranging from $299 to $799 per month. For enterprise pricing, you will need to contact the company directly.
7. ButterCMS
ButterCMS is a headless CMS designed with an easy-to-use content API that allows anyone on the team to streamline content development and management.
Top features:
Centralized dashboard to easily manage multiple types of content
Ability to build landing pages for various purposes
Compile data into tables to enable content scenarios
Pros:
Easy-to-use platform for non-technical team members
Multiple language support
Cons:
No built-in analytics tool for tracking content performance
Pricing can be high for smaller teams
Pricing: ButterCMS offers pricing plans ranging from $99 to $399 per month. Enterprise-level pricing is available upon request.
8. Craft CMS
Craft CMS is a content management system designed for teams that desire flexibility and control throughout the digital content process. It offers a simple yet powerful interface with the ability to build custom web pages and manage media library assets.
Top features:
Open canvas and customizable fields make it great for any project
Asset manager for organizing photos, videos, audio files, and documents
Built-in management features make updating content easy
Pros:
Integration with leading third-party services, e.g., Stripe, Mailchimp, and Amazon
Support multiple languages and locales within one platform
Includes one-click updates for the latest features, bug fixes, and security enhancements
Cons:
Licensing fees can be expensive for larger teams or projects
Highly-customizable features can be overwhelming for non-technical staff
Pricing: Craft CMS offers a free version and paid plans starting at $299/month. Enterprise-level pricing is available upon request.
When it comes to content models, not all are created equal. However, certain qualities contribute to an excellent cross-functional team model. Here is a list of the most desirable characteristics that make for successful content models.
Enables content reusability
By categorizing your content into a model, you can make it available for reuse. For example, if you create an "author" content type with attributes such as name, age, image, and designation, this same format can be used when adding information to any author-created material. By identifying types in your content model and reusing them across multiple pieces of work, you will save time and ensure consistency throughout your projects.
Allows for efficient content management
Creating a comprehensive content model takes effort and dedication, but it will save you time in the long run by allowing you to manage your system more effectively as your content grows.
For example, suppose you have multiple blog posts detailing a product's features that are regularly changing with a robust content model. In that case, any alterations can be quickly implemented without requiring teams to manually update each post independently.
Responsive, adaptive, and flexible
By documenting content types and attributes granularly, a content model creates an organized workflow for multiple teams, such as UI designers, developers, and content creators. This allows them to focus on the details when constructing or designing features resulting in adaptive, responsive, and flexible output that meets user expectations.
Supports multi-channel distribution
Through the use of a content model, teams ensure that their content is consumed and distributed effectively. This not only encourages modularity but also promotes adaptiveness across various channels—making sure your message reaches its desired audience with minimal effort.
Emphasizes usability for authors
Content creation is enhanced by content modeling, which allows authors to leverage distinct content types for specific items. As an example, a single brush type can be used by various artists to create logos, illustrations, or sketches with ease. Content items are defined once but offer versatile uses across different scenarios and authors.
Getting started with content modeling
Content models are the foundation for creating and managing content across various channels. Through leveraging them, teams can ensure that their content is optimized for performance and usability.
By taking a modular approach to content creation, teams can create and distribute content more efficiently while providing a better experience for authors. And by understanding what makes for a good model, you’ll be able to create a content model that works for you and your team’s content needs.
GatherContent is a great tool to brainstorm content ideas, plan your content, assign, draft, and edit before shipping, and ensure maximum visibility for all departments.
So what are you waiting for? Get started on crafting your content models with GatherContent today!
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