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.

Choosing the right CMS: Key considerations

1. Budget: Consider software costs, hosting, domain name, development and maintenance 
2. Content and processes: Determine the type of content you'll manage and the necessary workflows. 
3. Integrations: Ensure compatability with your existing marketing tools and tech stack

1. 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
2. Team size: Larger organizations may require more robust enterprise features like single sign on (SSO) and advanced scalability
3. Success meaasurement: Integrate with analytics platforms to track key metrics and test content changes
4. 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.
5. Technology: Choose a CMS that aligns with your developers' expertise (e.g. PHP, .NET, Javascript) 
6. 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! 

Check out our detailed guide to choosing an enterprise CMS for a full breakdown of the absolute must-have features for your CMS.