A content management system (CMS) is a software application that runs in a browser. It provides users with a graphical user interface that allows them to create and manage a website without the need to code from scratch.
With a CMS, you can customize the website design by downloading and modifying pre-built templates and extensions. Some of its functions also include managing and modifying content, storing images, and creating web pages.
Many content management systems are available on the web, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Let’s examine the most popular ones to find the best option for you.
How does a CMS work?
To understand how a content management system works, you first need to know what makes up a website and how to create it from scratch.
A website consists of two main parts: the front-end and the back-end. The front-end is the part that an end user sees in their browser such as blog posts, galleries, and videos. It comprises standard markup languages called , style sheet language, and .
On the other hand, the back end consists of the database and functionality of a website. The different programming languages used in its construction are PHP, , and .
In order for your website to be visible on the web, you must also manually upload all of your website content to a web server.
The web server’s database will store your content and push it from the back-end to the front-end every time a user accesses your site.
A content management system allows you to streamline these processes. In addition to eliminating the need to code, a content management system also makes it easy to upload content.
The user-friendly content editor allows you to create content like posts and pages seamlessly. As well as text-based files like documents .PDFcontent editing software also lets you organize web pages, images, videos, text, and audio files, among a variety of other file types.
Most Content Management System platforms also provide you with an interface through which you can have revision control. Likewise, you can use it to configure your website settings and establish permission systems. The entire process is beginner friendly and requires no technical knowledge.
Keep in mind that a content management system is different from an enterprise content management system (ECM: Enterprise Content Management). The ECM focuses more on document management and processes related to a business, such as digitizing paper documents for better organization, security and traceability.
Content Management Application (CMA) and Content Delivery Application (CDA)
A content management system contains two core elements: the Content Management Application (CMA) and the Content Delivery Application (CDA).
The CMA handles site content input, allowing users to easily add, manage, and modify content. The front-end of the CMS software usually comes with a What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) editor, which can be used for creating and publishing the content on the site.
Meanwhile, the CDA serves as the back end of the CMS. The CDA stores and manages the content that site owners enter through the CMA and publishes it for viewing by site visitors. All changes made to your web pages go through this part of the CMS.
Plugins, extensions and themes
By default, content management systems allow you to create pages, posts, and modify the overall design of your website. Additional features like , search functions, security and other customizations are available through extensions like and themes.
An extension or a plugin is a software component that has a specific functionality. Adding it to a website will expand its capabilities or integrate the website’s system with a third party service.
Most CMS platforms have their own extension or plugin directories. For example, WordPress has thousands of free plugins in its . Some CMS also allow you to buy them from third-party plugin marketplaces like and .
As for changing the appearance of your website, you can. It is a package of template files that provides a consistent visual interface to a site, without affecting its core functionality.
Keep in mind that a theme usually caters to a specific niche when it comes to design and features. However, you can edit the files to add or remove some images and graphics and modify the color scheme.
Just like plugins, themes are available for download through the CMS theme directory or third-party marketplaces.
The installation process for both components is relatively simple. Setting them up and modifying them may require some basic technical knowledge, but they are easier to learn compared to learning to code from scratch.
Popular content management systems
Since each CMS platform focuses on different user needs, determining your goals for the end result is essential. The following are some of the more popular web content management system (WCMS) platforms to consider.
Powering the web, it is the most popular web content management system on the market today. This free, self-hosted CMS started out as a blog publishing platform, which left you with strong content management tools.
This content manager can accommodate all kinds of websites, from e-commerce stores to learning sites and simple portfolios.
It comes with a massive collection of plugins and themes that are relatively easy to set up. For this reason, WordPress is highly versatile and scalable.
Being an open source platform, WordPress has a large community and many forums. Website owners can connect with other WordPress users or check WordPress tutorial websites for help.
This is especially beneficial for beginners as WordPress has a steep learning curve.
It is one of the most powerful web content managers on the market. Large companies and government entities like NASA, Tesla, Sony Music and Nokia use it to manage their web content online.
Drupal features excellent page load time and advanced security tools. It also comes with built-in modules, allowing you to integrate your website with popular analytics tools, as well as marketing and e-commerce features.
That being said, you only need knowledge and basic coding skills to build a website with Drupal. This CMS platform is designed for professionals, so beginners may find its interface much more complicated than WordPress.
is an increasingly popular content management system for small and medium-sized e-commerce businesses.
One of the benefits of using this CMS software is the simple onboarding process and access to easy-to-use eCommerce tools, allowing users of all levels to create a professional online store.
Apart from being easy to use, PrestaShop also supports multiple currencies and languages. SEO tools are also available to improve your store’s ranking in the SERPs.
However, the limited scalability of Prestashop makes it unsuitable for large-scale businesses. You will need to purchase premium modules and templates to scale your store.
With , you can find a hosting for PrestaShop that offers everything you need to create your online store.
Magento is a popular eCommerce platform for medium to large-scale online stores. Samsung, Nike, and Ford are some of the many large companies that use Magento due to its scalability and advanced customization options.
Magento comes in two versions: open source and Commerce. The free open source version comes with many features such as global sales, site search, and catalog management.
To access premium features and support, you must purchase the Commerce version of Magento, the cost of which depends on your individual needs.
is another excellent open source content management system. Like WordPress, Joomla is compatible with all types of websites, whether for personal or business use.
One of its most significant advantages is that you can manage the content in segregated parts, which is ideal for websites with multiple types of content. Joomla’s review features also allow you to safely modify files.
Since Joomla requires some technical knowledge, it is recommended for developers and users with experience in web development. For beginners, go for it as an optimized solution for this CMS, offering easy-to-use hosting management tools to make your job easier.
Pros and cons of using CMS
Despite the ease of use and abundance of features, using a content management system also has some drawbacks. The following are the pros and cons of using a web content management system (WCMS) to create and manage your site.
Pros:
- Easy to use: You don’t have to know how to code to use a CMS. You can also get support for extensions and templates if you choose the premium options.
- Economic: Most CMS platforms are free to use and offer free extensions and templates.
- Highly scalable: Installing extensions and plugins adds new features to your website, making it easy to modify as needed. There are many options available on official directories and third party websites.
- User management functionality: Each content management system, like WordPress, allows you to set different and privileges within the site.
- Well documented: Online documentation, FAQ pages, template and extension descriptions, tutorials, and videos are available to help beginners get started.
Cons:
- security risksNote: Not updating extensions and templates regularly can create vulnerabilities for hackers to exploit. That is why hackers tend to target websites with CMS more.
- Minimal SEO– Some CMS platforms may provide some SEO tools, but your website will still require manual search engine optimization and additional extensions to climb the SERPs.
- Limited flexibility: implement…
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