Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) is a powerful content management system, but let’s be honest—it can be overwhelming. If your team is spending too much time figuring out how to manage assets, update metadata, tweak components, and organize workflows instead of actually creating content, you’re not alone.
Many organizations invest heavily in AEM, expecting a seamless content management experience but often encounter roadblocks. These issues can slow down the entire content production process, leading to missed deadlines, inconsistent brand messaging, and frustrated teams. However, understanding the root of these challenges and how to address them can transform your AEM experience.
In this blog, we’ll break down what content authoring in AEM really means, the common challenges teams face, and why hiring a dedicated AEM content author can be a game-changer. Whether you’re new to AEM or looking to optimize your existing setup, this guide will provide actionable insights to streamline your content operations.
What is Content Authoring in AEM?
Content authoring in Adobe Experience Manager is not just about writing and publishing articles. It involves a wide range of tasks that ensure your digital content is not only created but also managed efficiently. Here are the core aspects involved:
- Managing components & templates: AEM’s built-in tools allow you to structure content using reusable components and templates. This ensures consistency across pages and helps maintain brand integrity. However, Understanding how to best utilize these tools requires a deep knowledge of AEM’s Capabilities.
- Handling digital assets: AEM includes a Digital Asset Management (DAM) system that helps organize images, videos, and documents. Proper asset management ensures that content creators can quickly find and use the right media, reducing time spent searching and avoiding duplication.
- Configuring workflows: Workflows in AEM automate the review and approval processes. Setting up these workflows correctly ensures that content moves smoothly from creation to publication without unnecessary delays. It also helps maintain compliance and quality standards.
- Personalizing content: AEM’s personalization features allow you to deliver tailored content to different audiences. This is crucial for enhancing user engagement and driving conversions. However, setting up personalization requires a good understanding of audience segmentation and AEM’s targeting tools.
- Keeping up with updates: Adobe frequently releases new features and updates for AEM. Staying on top of these updates is essential to leveraging the latest tools and maintaining security. This requires continuous learning and adaptation.
All of this takes time, effort, and expertise. Without the right approach, content creation can slow down, leading to missed deadlines and scattered feedback.
The challenges of enabling business users in AEM Content Authoring
Despite AEM’s user-friendly interface, businesses often struggle to enable their marketing and business teams to fully leverage the platform. Here are some key reasons why:
1. Steep learning curve
AEM’s robust feature set comes with complexity. Business users, especially those accustomed to simpler content management systems, find AEM’s authoring environment daunting. The component-based approach, templates, workflows, and permissions can be overwhelming.
2. Lack of training and documentation
Many organizations invest heavily in implementing AEM but fail to provide comprehensive training for business users. Without proper onboarding and continuous education, users struggle with even basic tasks, leading to errors and inefficiencies.
3. Rigid workflows and governance
AEM enforces strict governance to maintain content quality and brand consistency. However, without clear guidance, business users often get stuck in approval loops or unintentionally violate workflow rules, causing delays.
4. Component and template confusion
AEM relies on reusable components and templates. However, without a clear understanding of which components to use and how to structure content effectively, business users often misuse them, leading to inconsistent layouts and broken experiences.
5. Dependency on developers
Due to the complexity of AEM’s authoring tools, business users often need developers’ help for seemingly simple tasks, such as modifying templates, updating page structures, or troubleshooting errors. This dependency slows down content production and strains IT resources.
The Solution: A well-structured Content Authoring Setup
To overcome these challenges, businesses must establish a structured content authoring environment with clear processes, well-trained authors, and optimized workflows. Here’s how:
1. Define clear content authoring roles
Rather than allowing all business users unrestricted access to AEM, establish clear roles:
- Content Authors: Responsible for creating and updating content using predefined templates and components.
- Content Editors: Review and refine content for quality and consistency.
- Content Approvers: Validate content before publication to ensure compliance with brand guidelines and governance policies.
By clearly defining these roles, businesses can ensure that each step of the content lifecycle is managed by the appropriate personnel.
2. Implement a well-designed component library
To minimize confusion, create a structured component library with clear documentation on:
- The purpose of each component
- How to use each component effectively
- Guidelines on which components work well together
A visual reference guide or an AEM Style Guide can help business users quickly identify the right components for their needs.
3. Establish a Content Authoring training program
A structured training program should cover:
- AEM Basics: Navigation, content creation, and workflow management.
- Advanced Authoring: Personalization, segmentation, and analytics integration.
- Best Practices: Content structuring, SEO optimization, and accessibility compliance.
Regular training sessions, knowledge-sharing workshops, and refresher courses ensure that users remain proficient and confident in AEM authoring.
4. Leverage AEM’s content fragments and experience fragments
Content Fragments and Experience Fragments allow authors to create reusable content blocks, reducing duplication and enhancing consistency across digital properties. Training business users on these features can significantly improve content scalability and efficiency.
5. Streamline workflows and governance
A well-defined workflow ensures smooth collaboration between authors, editors, and approvers. Best practices include:
- Automating content approvals where possible
- Using AEM’s workflow engine to define clear content lifecycle stages
- Establishing version control to prevent accidental overwrites
6. Provide ongoing support and governance
Even after initial training, business users need ongoing AEM support & managed services. Organizations should establish:
- A Dedicated AEM helpdesk: A point of contact for troubleshooting and guidance.
- Internal documentation & guides: Step-by-step tutorials and FAQs.
- Governance framework: Clear policies on content updates, publishing workflows, and role-based permissions.
The Challenges of AEM Content Authoring
Many businesses already using AEM struggle with a variety of challenges that can hinder efficient content creation and management:
- Too many responsibilities: Marketing teams are often tasked with a wide range of responsibilities, from campaign planning to social media management. Adding AEM content management to mix can stretch resources thin, leading to burnout and decreased productivity.
- Complex workflows: AEM’s powerful workflow capabilities can be a double-edged sword. While they offer robust automation, setting up and maintaining these workflows requires technical knowledge of AEM’s backend. Without expertise, workflows can become bottlenecks rather than enablers.
- Metadata & tagging issues: Proper metadata is crucial for content discoverability and SEO. However, maintaining organized and consistent metadata can be tedious and time-consuming, especially for large content libraries.
- Template & component customization: AEM offers great flexibility with its templates and components, but customizing them to fit specific needs often requires specialized knowledge of AEM’s architecture and development environment.
- Frequent Adobe updates: Adobe regularly updates sAEM with new features and best practices. Keeping up with these changes can be overwhelming for teams that are not solely focused on AEM, leading to missed opportunities and potential security vulnerabilities.
Without the right expertise, content management in AEM becomes inefficient, slowing down digital experiences and creating bottlenecks.
Why you need a dedicated AEM Content Author
Instead of stretching your team thin, hiring an AEM content author can significantly improve your content management processes. Here’s how a dedicated expert can help:
- Expert knowledge: A professional with in-depth knowledge of AEM’s structure, tools, and workflows can streamline content creation and management processes. They know how to leverage AEM’s capabilities to their fullest potential, ensuring efficiency and consistency.
- Faster content updates: With a dedicated AEM author, content updates can be made swiftly without waiting for overburdened teams to find time. This agility is crucial in today’s fast-paced digital landscape where timely content can make or break a campaign.
- Better organization: An AEM content author ensures that digital assets, metadata, and workflows are well-organized and maintained. This structured approach makes content management smoother and reduces the risk of errors.
- Improved collaboration: Streamlined workflows and clear processes facilitate better collaboration between different teams. Feedback is incorporated efficiently, keeping projects on track and ensuring high-quality outcomes.
- SEO & accessibility optimization: AEM authors are well-versed in optimizing content for search engines and ensuring it meets accessibility standards. This not only improves your content’s reach but also ensures compliance with legal requirements.
With an expert managing the platform, your team can focus on strategy, creativity, and other high-priority tasks, ultimately driving better business outcomes.
Should you hire an AEM Content Author?
If your team is struggling with content creation in AEM, the answer is probably yes. A dedicated content author can transform your content management process in several ways:
- Your content is well-organized, optimized, and consistently updated: This ensures a seamless user experience and strengthens your brand presence.
- Workflows and approvals are streamlined, reducing back-and-forth delays: Efficient workflows mean faster time-to-market for your content.
- Your team has more time to focus on higher-level marketing and branding efforts: Freeing up resources allows your team to innovate and drive strategic initiatives.
- You stay ahead of Adobe’s updates and best practices without the hassle of continuous training: An expert ensures your AEM setup is always up-to-date and secure.
- Whether you manage a global website or a brand-focused digital experience, having the right AEM expert on board can make all the difference. They can enhance efficiency and improve the quality of your digital experiences, giving you a competitive edge in the market.
Final Thoughts
While AEM is a powerful tool, enabling business users for content authoring requires a structured approach. By establishing clear roles, training programs, streamlined workflows, and ongoing support, organizations can significantly enhance content authoring efficiency and stability.
A well-trained AEM content authoring team ensures:
- Faster content turnaround times
- Reduced dependency on technical teams
- Improved brand consistency and compliance
- Increased productivity and content quality
- With the right setup, AEM can truly empower business users to create
- engaging, high-quality digital experiences efficiently and effectively.
How Ranosys can help with AEM Content Authoring
At Ranosys, we specialize in helping businesses maximize the potential of Adobe Experience Manager. Our team of certified AEM experts brings extensive experience in content authoring, asset management, and workflow optimization. We provide tailored solutions to meet your specific needs, ensuring that your content processes are efficient, scalable, and aligned with your business goals.
By partnering with Ranosys, you gain access to industry-leading expertise and a proven track record of success in AEM content management.
Need help with AEM content authoring? Let’s chat! Our team of AEM experts at Ranosys is ready to assist you in optimizing your content management processes and delivering exceptional digital experiences.
