Want to create and organise your website content without hand-coding every page you publish? A CMS makes managing content straightforward.
Read on to find out:
- What is a CMS?
- How does a CMS work?
- Examples of CMS platforms
- What are the benefits of using a CMS?
- How to choose the best CMS for your business
Let's get started.
What is a CMS?
A CMS is software that lets users create, manage and publish website content without building HTML pages from scratch. The acronym stands for Content Management System, and a CMS usually comes with a user-friendly editor for creating, uploading and editing content.
How does a CMS work?
A CMS is made up of a content management application (CMA) and a content delivery application (CDA).
The CMA is the part users interact with. It is where you create and manage your website content. Here is an example from WordPress:
The CDA, on the other hand, runs the back-end processes, including content storage. Users do not normally interact with it.
Together, the CMA and CDA handle your content's code and the back-end infrastructure.
What are some examples of CMS platforms?
Some examples of CMS platforms:
- WordPress
- Drupal
- Joomla
- Wix
- Squarespace
- Webflow
There are also CMS platforms built for e-commerce, which online shop owners use to manage their products:
- Shopify
- Magento
- BigCommerce.
What are the benefits of using a CMS?
Running your business website or online shop on a CMS has several advantages:
- No coding knowledge is needed to create and manage new content
- Collaboration between team members is easier
- Site owners can install themes to control how the site looks and plugins to add new features.
Let's look at each one in detail.
No coding knowledge needed to create and manage new content
One of the biggest advantages of a CMS is how easy it is to use. Business owners and writers can publish new pages, such as blog posts, without calling in developers. Users can customise the look of their site and install extensions without writing code.
Collaboration between team members is easier
Team members can work on content in your CMS at the same time, so nobody has to wait their turn to publish.
Need colleagues to review a draft? CMS platforms support collaboration across your organisation and simplify reviewing, approving and publishing content.
Pro tip
Most CMS platforms let you set permissions for different team members. Your writers can create and publish content, for example, while team leads can install and deactivate plugins.
Site owners can install themes and other useful plugins
Most CMS platforms offer templates and themes you can choose from and customise. If you want a different look, you can install one that suits your business and style.
You can also install third-party plugins for search engine optimisation (SEO) and other tasks, which help you rank better in search engine results pages (SERPs). Useful plugin features include:
- Generating alt text for images automatically
- Adding XML sitemaps
- Adding breadcrumbs
- Giving on-page SEO recommendations
- Improving page load times.
How to choose the best CMS for your business
As with most tools, no single CMS suits every business. Before you choose one, follow these guidelines:
- Identify your website's goals
- Make sure the CMS matches your company's size, needs and budget
- Consider how easy the CMS is to use
- Check that the CMS supports the tools you already use.
Let's go through each step.
1. Identify your website's goal
To pin down your website's goals, start with these questions:
- What do you want your website to achieve? (For example, building brand awareness, increasing traffic, turning visitors into leads or getting visitors to buy through your site.)
- What transactions can users complete on your site?
- What content and pages will you publish?
If you publish blog posts to improve your SEO, look at CMS platforms that support blogging well. Selling products on your site? Draw up a shortlist of e-commerce CMS platforms with online selling features.
2. Make sure the CMS matches your company's size, needs and budget
Different CMS platforms suit businesses of different sizes and needs. Small businesses do not need to spend a fortune on an enterprise CMS. A CMS designed for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will do.
Think about how many users in your organisation will use the CMS, too. You may need a different subscription plan depending on the number of users.
3. Consider how easy the CMS is to use
Does your team have any coding experience? Most CMS platforms have a WYSIWYG editor that lets people without coding experience create and publish content.
Look for a CMS that is easy to use and to learn so your team can get on with it.
4. Check that your CMS supports your existing tools and the other technology you will need
If you use email marketing services, customer relationship management (CRM) software or other tools, look for a CMS that integrates with them.
It also helps to pick a platform that works smoothly with web design services. That makes it easier to work with experienced designers and improve how your website looks and works.
Planning to grow and add new tools later? Choose a CMS that integrates with your tools or supports plugins.
Find the right CMS for your website
A CMS simplifies your processes, so you can create, manage and publish new content efficiently. It also lets team members work together effectively.
Need help finding the best CMS for your website? Get in touch for expert help with building websites and publishing content on a CMS.
