Content management system

What is a content management system (CMS)?

A content management system (CMS) is software that empowers you to create, manage, and modify digital content without coding expertise. Think of it as a user-friendly interface for building and maintaining websites and other online platforms. Multiple users can collaborate, edit and publish content from a central dashboard, streamlining workflows and ensuring consistency.

Key features of a CMS

Modern CMS platforms offer a range of features to simplify content creation and management:

• Content creation:
  Easaily create, edit and format various content types (text, images and videos) with intuitive editors.
• Digital asset management:
  Store and organize digital assets (images, documents, videos) in a centralized locaion for easy access and reuse.
• Collaboration:
  Facilitate teamwork with workflows and permissions for different roles (authors, editors, admins)
• Content delivery:
  Seamlessly publish and schedule content to websites, social media and other channels.
• Optimization:
  Analyze content performance and make data-driven improvements.
• Integration:
  Connect with other marketing tools (CRM, analytics) to streamline workflows

What are the benefits of a CMS?

A CMS offers numerous advantages for businesses and individuals:

1. No coding required:
   Empowers non-technical users to create and manage websites and online content
2. Collaboration:
   Enables multiple users to working together on content creation and publishing
3. Streamlined workflows:
   Simplifies content updates and reduces reliance on developer resources
4. Improved digital experience:
   Facilitates faster publishing and enhances user experience
5. Multi-channel distribution:
   Easily distribute content across various platforms (website, social media, mobile apps and more

What’s the difference between a website and a CMS?

A website is a collection of web pages that users can see, while a CMS is what the creators of the website use to build those web pages.

In contrast, a CMS or Content Management System, is a piece of software that allows you to store, manage and publish said web pages. Most websites use a content management system, but you could make one without a CMS, writing directly in a programming language like HTML and CSS. More often though, it’s easier to use a CMS to manage content for the editor instead of building a website from code.

Popular CMS examples

• Wordpress

• Drupal

• Optimizely CMS

• Contentful

• Squarespace

• Wix

• Joomla

• Hubspot

Online stores present a slightly different use case for a content management system. While Optimizely, Monetize, Adobe Magento and Shopify manage content in a similar fashion to a traditional CMS, many would consider these ecommerce platforms with added functionality as opposed to a traditional CMS.

Key considerations for choosing a CMS

• Budget:
  Consider software costs, hosting, domain name, development and maintenance
• Content and processes:
  Determine the type of content you'll manage and the necessary workflows.
• Integrations:
  Ensure compatability with your existing marketing tools and tech stack
• Ease of use:
  Look for user-friendly features like drag-and-drop editors, role management and intuitive interfaces. Consider a headless CMS for more advanced customization
• Team size:
  Larger organizations may require more robust enterprise features like single sign on (SSO) and advanced scalability
• Success meaasurement:
  Integrate with analytics platforms to track key metrics and test content changes
• SEO friendliness:
  Prioritize a CMS with built-in SEO tools or plugin support for optimizing titles, URLs, meta decription and image alt text, among other things.
• Technology:
  Choose a CMS that aligns with your developers' expertise (e.g. PHP, .NET, Javascript)
• Support:
  Check forfrequent updates, use of latest technologies, bug resolution speed and the size and responsiveness of the support team. A strong developer community is also a big plus!