A CMS, or content management system, is a software application that helps create, edit, and publish website content through a user-friendly interface. It lets you manage your website’s content without dealing with code. It also assigns different roles for collaboration, streamlining the content creation process and making it more convenient for everyone involved.
Key Highlights
- A CMS makes it easy to create, edit, and publish website content without requiring extensive coding or programming knowledge
- A CMS comes in different types, such as coupled, decoupled, headless, and SaaS
- Choose a CMS based on your budget, required features, developer’s programming language, SEO-friendliness, plugins availability, and integration with web analytics
What Is a CMS?
Web pages usually need HTML, JavaScript, and CSS skills to create. But if coding isn’t your thing, don’t worry. This is where a CMS can help.
A content management system (CMS) is a powerful tool that lets you create and manage a website without requiring extensive coding knowledge, offering a hassle-free website solution. It can also help:
- Create and format content effortlessly with content creation tools
- Manage content permissions based on roles like authors, editors, and admins using workflows
- Store content consistently and accessibly in one location with content storage
- Schedule and control content release with publishing features
- Enhance digital experiences and gain insights from your content using optimization tools
What Makes up a CMS?
A CMS offers an easy-to-use interface with tools for creating, editing, and publishing web content without coding. It has two parts that make it easy for you to maintain your website:
1. Content Management Application
A content management application (CMA) is a user interface that makes creating, editing, and managing website content easy. It allows you to upload, edit, and organize content, such as text, images, and videos, without diving into HTML or other programming languages.
2. Content Delivery Application
A content delivery application (CDA), which is the back-end of the CMS, delivers the content you create to your website visitors, like a waiter in a restaurant who serves your dishes. It pulls the content from the CMA and formats it for the web, such as applying the right styling and layout. This ensures that the content looks good and is easy to read on different devices and browsers.
The CMA allows non-technical users to easily create and edit content, while the CDA ensures that the content is delivered quickly and reliably to visitors. Together, they provide an efficient way to manage your website content.
What Are the Types of CMS?
CMS comes in various types that cater to different needs. Check out some popular options:
1. Coupled CMS
A coupled CMS, sometimes called a traditional CMS, has a user-friendly back-end that lets you modify a website’s database and publish content on a front-end. It needs dedicated web hosting, proper tech setup and maintenance, and ongoing configuration by an admin.
An example of a coupled CMS is WordPress. This offers a full package for users to get their website up and running smoothly.
2. Decoupled CMS
A decoupled CMS separates the website’s presentation from the back-end using a delivery system, which connects to the back-end via an application programming interface (API). This advanced solution offers more flexibility when interacting with the content created in the back-end.
3. Headless CMS
A headless CMS stores content in a back-end system and lets you build your own front-end application, like a website or mobile app. It requires more effort than other options because you need a developer to create the front-end application. However, it’s a good choice if you want complete control over your content and how it’s presented to your audience.
4. SaaS CMS
A SaaS CMS allows you to quickly create websites, manage content, and share it across digital channels. It is a type of CMS that doesn’t require web hosting, as it’s hosted in the cloud. It’s a great option for those who want a simple web presence without worrying about a server or web hosting.
What Are the Benefits of a CMS?
As companies need to stay connected with their audience and provide seamless omnichannel experiences, the demand for CMS is rising. In fact, the CMS market is expected to reach $123.5 billion by 2026.
A CMS simplifies content creation and distribution for companies, leading to better customer experiences and improved market reach. Other benefits of using a CMS include:
1. Improved SEO
Staying on top of Google Search ranking updates can be challenging. Thankfully, a CMS can simplify the process of optimizing your website for search engines without requiring you to be an SEO expert.
Most CMS platforms come with built-in features or allow for third-party plugins. They offer features to customize page elements, such as titles and descriptions, URLs, sitemaps, image text, and redirects. You can also improve page speed to enhance user experience and SEO rankings.
2. A User-Friendly Experience
A CMS eliminates the need for coding knowledge when creating a website. This means you can easily create and manage content, customize your site’s design, and add extensions without writing code, making website building more manageable with limited technical resources and time.
3. Enhanced Productivity
A CMS makes collaborating with team members publish content easy by providing workflow management, scheduling, and storage capabilities. It gives you and your team members access to work on projects from anywhere.
The best part is that multiple users can work in the back-end of a CMS at the same time. Your marketers can be creating content, while your IT team secures your site, and your developers add custom code to your theme, all on the same landing page. This improves team productivity and workflow, streamlining the process of publishing high-quality content.
4. Secured Websites
A CMS can help you protect your website from potential security threats with built-in security features and extensions such as firewalls, SSL, and custom CDNs. CMS Hub even offers a dedicated 24/7 security team to monitor and manage security concerns for your website.
How Do You Choose the Best CMS?
CMS comes in different types, each offering varying features and benefits. And with over 80 different CMS platforms to choose from, selecting the right one for your needs can be overwhelming. Here are some factors you should consider to help you make an informed decision:
1. Type of Content
Choosing the right CMS is crucial for efficient content management, especially for different types of content. When selecting a CMS, consider the kind of content you’ll be handling, such as videos, images, or text-based content. Your CMS should be able to manage and display all content formats appropriately, making it easier for you to publish and manage them efficiently.
2. Features
A CMS comes with various features to help you efficiently manage your website and digital content. It includes a drag-and-drop editor, WYSIWYG editor, role and rights management, cloud-based updates and upgrades, integrations, and a digital asset manager.
Considering these features when selecting a CMS is crucial because they can affect content creation and management efficiency and effectiveness. Without the right features, you might face difficulties creating the type of content you need and spend more time managing and publishing it.
3. Team Size
Choosing a CMS depends on the size and needs of your website or company. If you’re a large company, you may need an enterprise content management system with advanced features like single sign-on, scalability, and cloud-based services. On the other hand, you should focus on a CMS with a simple user interface and easy maintenance if you’re a small business.
4. Budget
CMS platforms vary in pricing, from open-source options that are free to use to more advanced enterprise-level systems that can be costly. Some options can be expensive, so consider your budget when choosing a CMS.
Remember, you’ll need to pay for hosting, domain name, CMS software, and custom development work. You may also require ongoing maintenance fees if you have larger websites.
5. Programming Language
Most CMS platforms are built on specific programming languages like php, .NET, or server-side Javascript. For example, if your development team is proficient in PHP, you may want to consider a CMS built on that language, such as WordPress.
Choosing a CMS built on a language your developers are comfortable with can help them work with the platform easily and efficiently. This can also help with troubleshooting and customizing the CMS to fit your specific needs.
6. Integration With Third-Party Tools
Consider if the CMS can integrate with third-party tools you already use or plan to use. This integration can help you manage different aspects of your website, such as website traffic, customer relationships, and social media management, from a single dashboard.
Also, think about other third-party tools you may need in the future and ensure that the CMS you select can integrate with them. This can prevent you from switching to a new CMS later and avoid the inconvenience of moving your content and learning a new platform.
Conclusion
A CMS can be a game-changer in creating and managing website content. It offers an intuitive interface for publishing and updating content while maintaining organization. With the right one, you can streamline your content creation and management process, saving time and resources.
Throughout this guide, we’ve discussed what a CMS is and its benefits. We’ve also explored the different types of CMS available and how to choose the best one for your website. Armed with this knowledge, you can be better equipped to make informed decisions about your content management strategy and achieve success online.
Next Steps: What Now?
- Learn More about the Global CMS Market Share
- See the Top 5 Website Builder Providers
- Explore the Top 9 Web Hosting Providers
