A content management system (CMS) is software that allows users to create, update, and modify content on a website without the need for specialized technical knowledge. In layman's terms, a content management system is a platform that allows you to create a website without having to write all of the code from start (or even know how to code at all).
Rather than establishing your own system for creating web pages, storing images, and other activities, the content management system handles all of that basic infrastructure for you, enabling you to concentrate on more forward-facing components of your website. Aside from websites, content management systems can also be used in different ways, such as document management.
What is Content Management System?
A CMS platform is a piece of software that simplifies the management of content and the development of websites. Web pages are typically created in HTML, JavaScript, and CSS computer languages. You'd have to know these languages and write a lot of code if you wanted to create a website without using a CMS platform.
CMS platforms alleviate this issue by allowing you to create a website without having to write code or learn programming. Unless, of course, you want a CMS that is developer-friendly, in which case you are already a coder.
How to Use a CMS?
To understand how a CMS works, you must first grasp what it's like to develop a website from the ground up. You'd begin with HTML to add text, graphics, navigation bars, and other site-building pieces. Then you'd use CSS to customize those elements to match your brand's distinct appearance and feel. Finally, you'd write some JavaScript to provide more complex functionality to your site, such as slide-in CTAs. The HTML file would then need to be uploaded to your server and stored in your database.
Whenever you want to make a change, even if it's as simple as changing content, you have to download files from the server, open them, and manually change the HTML code. Then, before transferring the data back to the server, double-check that you haven't broken any links or done anything unusual.
Isn't it complicated? Building a site from scratch may be great for developers and other expert users with website development skills. Those who lack the coding knowledge, as well as the time and finances to build and maintain a site from scratch, can use a CMS. Let's get into it.
Why Do You Require a CMS?
We've already mentioned some of the advantages of using a content management system, but let's take a closer look at how it might affect your setup process, team productivity, and online exposure.
1. There is No Need for Coding Knowledge
CMS systems have helped to change web design by allowing non-developers and other users to build websites without coding. The days of relying on web developers and designers to create an online presence for your company are long gone. Without coding, you can create and manage content, alter the style of your site, and install extensions to add functionality to your site.
It's also worth noting that most platforms allow you to add custom code for even more precise control over your site. As a result, even individuals with minimal technical resources and time may create a powerful website for their company.
2. Simple Collaboration
Image is taken from Strikingly user’s website
A CMS's back end can be accessed and worked on by multiple people at the same time. That means your marketers may be creating content, your IT pros could be establishing security rules, and your developers could be adding custom code to your theme on any given day. They could, in fact, be working on the same landing page. In brief, a CMS can boost your team's workflows and productivity.
3. SEO Extensions and Features
Image is taken from Strikingly
Content management system platforms include built-in functionality as well as add-ons that can assist you in optimizing your site for search engines. You can use built-in or third-party tools to
• Customize page names and meta descriptions
• Select SEO-friendly URL structures
• Create XML sitemaps
• Add picture alt text
• Include breadcrumb navigation
• Optimize page load times
• Create 301 redirects
Using these best practices will help you rank higher on Google and other major search engines.
4. Pre-made Templates
Image is taken from Strikingly
Most CMS platforms, such as CMS Hub, come with a library of pre-designed templates that you can use to modify the look of your site rapidly. They can also have an impact on how your website behaves.
Using a responsive template, for example, ensures that your site looks nice on any device without forcing you to write a lot of code. Templates not only save you design time before launching your site, but they can also make a website redesign lot faster and easier in the future.
5. Easy Updates
As previously said, a CMS helps you to make changes to your site more quickly and easily – from large modifications, such as a website redesign, to little ones, such as altering the image on your home page. Rather than engaging a freelance developer or attempting to alter the code yourself, you may update and edit the content of your website through the dashboard of your CMS. This enables you to keep your material fresh and relevant. If your site grows in size, you may need to upgrade to a CMS to fulfill your requirements.
Examples of Content Management System
All of these content management systems, from open source projects to hosted website builders, may help you develop a website.
∙ WordPress.org
WordPress.org is our #1 CMS platform suggestion. It is the most common CMS software in the world, powering around 42 percent of all websites on the internet. It's critical not to mix up WordPress.org and WordPress.com. WordPress.org is a free open source CMS that was originally created for blogging but is now used by a wide range of websites and online retailers. WordPress.com is a blog-hosting service.
∙ HubSpot CMS Hub
HubSpot CMS Hub is a fully integrated content management system tailored to marketers and business owners. CMS Hub is a perfect solution for developing businesses as well as large corporations looking for an all-in-one system to manage their website because it is built on top of HubSpot's CRM platform, which contains all sorts of marketing automation, sales, service, and operations features.
∙ Joomla
Joomla is a well-known free open source CMS platform with a wide range of templates and extensions. It's completely free to use, but you'll need hosting and a domain name to get started. It was first introduced in 2005, thus it, like WordPress, has been around for quite some time. Joomla has a plethora of capabilities, and many web servers provide a one-click installation. However, it is an excellent CMS platform for web developers and experienced website owners.
∙ WooCommerce
WooCommerce is the world's most popular eCommerce platform. It is highly versatile and simple to use. WooCommerce is not a CMS platform in and of itself. Instead, it operates as a WordPress plugin, therefore you must have WordPress installed on your site in order to install WooCommerce. According to W3Techs, if it were a CMS platform, it would have a 5.8 percent market share. That is the proportion of all websites in the world that use it.
∙ Drupal
Drupal is yet another open-source content management system platform that is free to use. It's the CMS powering a number of large websites, including The Economists and a number of university websites. Drupal is a good choice for developers or anyone who can afford to employ a developer. It's especially useful if you want to create a fully customized site that must handle a large amount of data. They provide free installation and may even assist you with the migration of an existing Drupal site.
∙ Wix
Wix is a popular CMS platform, yet it has certain drawbacks. We frequently receive reader inquiries about how to transition from Wix to WordPress, which is understandable given that every savvy business owner understands that WordPress is unquestionably superior to Wix.
Having said that, Wix is user-friendly and may be worth exploring. It also has a free plan.
∙ BigCommerce
BigCommerce is a fully hosted eCommerce platform, also known as an all-in-one platform. If you're a beginner, it's simple to get started with.
BigCommerce will both host and manage your site. It also looks after your security and backups.
∙ Shopify
Another all-in-one hosted CMS platform is Shopify. You will not need to purchase hosting, install software, or handle upgrades and backups.
It has a simple drag-and-drop interface. It allows in-store sales, which is useful if you have both a physical and an online store.
∙ Ghost
Ghost is a content management system (CMS) platform created exclusively for bloggers. It's sometimes referred to as a "headless CMS," which may sound strange. This simply implies that the CMS platform does not compel content to be provided in a particular manner.
As a result, the content or data you create could be shown on a website, but it could also be delivered to a mobile app or something altogether else. However, if you are not a developer or simply want to use Ghost for blogging, you do not need to be concerned.
∙ Magento
Magento is a sophisticated open-source eCommerce platform developed by Adobe, the world's largest software firm. Magento Open Source is a free version that you may download and install on your own web hosting account. You can also pay for Magento Commerce if you prefer. This includes complete support and is hosted for you, but it is very pricey.
Introducing Strikingly
Image is taken from Strikingly
CMS is an abbreviation for a content management system, and it is essentially a piece of software or a web application that allows you to design websites and manage web content. Some platforms include website templates, which give you the framework for a website that is designed to hold your content. Strikingly is a CMS website builder with a large range of site templates suitable for almost any industry or niche topic you can think of. With this platform, you start with the fundamentals to get a site up and running, and then you tweak it to make it uniquely yours.
Conclusion
Using a content management system as your website platform provides a slew of game-changing advantages. Material management systems centralize all of your web content, enable easy collaboration, aid in the creation of dynamic web pages, allow for quick and easy upgrades, and provide useful plugins and tools to make your site as effective and safe as possible while also saving you time and money. If you remember nothing else from this post, remember this: with a content management system, your website may be astonishingly easy to operate, more effective, and cost you substantially less money. You don't need any more stress or to squander any more time or money. So, what are you holding out for? Today is the day to upgrade to a content management system.
