Content Management System refers to a software that assists users to create, modify and manage content on a website without requiring technical knowledge. In other words, a CMS enables the users to create a website without requiring them to write code from the beginning.
Rather than creating one’s own system for building web pages, storing images among other functions, the content management system handles every basic infrastructure for the user so that they can put their focus on increasingly forward facing components of their websites.
Beyond the websites, the content management system is also available for other functions such as document management.
Common features of a content management system
The usual features of a content management system are mentioned below-
- Content creation- It enables the users to create and format content effortlessly.
- Content storage- It refers to storing content in a single specified place, in a regular manner.
- Workflows- It assigns permission for content management on the basis of roles like authors, editors and admins.
- Publishing- It tells the software where and when the content should go live.
- Optimization- It assists the user to enhance digital experience and learn from their content.
How is a content management system beneficial?
A key advantage of a CMS is that it has a collaborative nature. Several editors can contribute, schedule and manage content to be published. Due to the user interface being browser based generally, a CMS can be accessible from any place by any number of users.
Another major advantage of a CMS is that it enables non-technical individuals who are not equipped with sufficient knowledge of the programming languages to easily create and manage their own content. Users are enabled to enter text and upload images without relying on the need to know any HTML or CSS which are some of the most popular programming languages by the drag and drop editors of a usual content management platform.
When CMS is utilized by an organization to publish its web pages, it minimizes the need for its dependency on front end developers to implement changes to the website, thus making it faster and easier for it to publish new web pages, which enhances the user’s digital experience.
On the other hand, when an organization utilizes a CMS to publish content to other channels such as social, mobile applications and Ecommerce, it can drastically reduce the amount of development required by a company to do and makes it easier to disseminate content to other channels simultaneously.
The difference between a website and a CMS
A website is a collection of web pages and related content that is identified by a common domain name and is published on at least one web server, whereas a content management system or a CMS is a part of software that enables the users to store, manage and publish the given web pages.
Maximum website pages utilize a content management system, however a user can create one without CMS too, by writing directly in a programming language like HTML and CSS. More often though, it is way easier to utilize a CMS for managing content for the editor rather than building a website from code.
What are some examples of a CMS?
As there are hundreds of CMS platforms each with their own unique functionality, some of the best and most popular CMS providers are-
- WordPress
- Drupal
- Contentful
- Wix
Particularly regarding online stores, Adobe Magento and Shopify also manage content like a CMS but they are usually not considered as true CMS but as an Ecommerce platform with some added functionality.
What should one look for in a CMS?
Before opting for a content management system, it is a great idea to begin contemplating how your website and content will be consumed.
The individual will require to start by making a list of the objectives they are trying to accomplish along with any particular requirements they have. This will assist the individual to opt for the correct content management system, the one that supports your business needs, instead of the most popular and well liked. Common objectives for CMS are increasing organic traffic on your blog, increasing purchases on your online shop and optimizing your content for search engines (SEQ).
CMS is available in all forms. Each one has its own set of features and benefits. Some are well suited for bloggers, others might be tailored for Ecommerce websites with features for pricing and online store functionality.
The particulars will vary as per the size, requirements and resources of your organization.
Some questions to keep in consideration while selecting the best CMS are-
What is the user’s budget?
If the user has an unlimited amount of choices, there are some extremely complex content management systems to opt from. These contain features that are built for making content creators and editors lives easier. Within a limited budget, however, your options will be much more limited. Your web content management system will require hosting, therefore it’s good to take up costs for a domain and web hosting into account while coming to a decision.
Some of the common elements that makes up the cost of a CMS are-
- The hosting- It is where your website resides.
- The name of the domain- example.in
- The content management system itself- The piece of software that stores and manages the entire content.
- Any type of development work required- for instance, templates, custom functionality, etc.
- Maintenance costs- Usually needed for bigger websites to keep them updated and secure.
What type of content and procedures does the CMS require to support?
Evaluate what type of digital content will be managed in the CMS? If the user is only publishing blog articles, then a simplified version of CMS will be required to support. However, in maximum cases, websites and applications contain different types of content.
Does your firm need to publish hundreds of new videos on a daily basis? Change the costs on thousands of products per day? Host images for a blog post?
Publishing several changes and creating new content will be a lot of work to manage with your team members. If this is the case, then consider utilizing a content marketing platform to make managing and collaborating on content easier.