What Is a Content Management System (CMS)? The 2024 Guide

What Is a Content Management System (CMS)?

A content management system (CMS) is a software platform that helps you create, manage, and publish digital content without any technical skills.

It offers a user-friendly interface for managing various types of content, such as text, images, videos, documents, and more.

Businesses use CMS platforms to build websites, manage blogs, and distribute digital content with ease.

Why Use a Content Management System?

A CMS is useful for pretty much anyone who needs to create, manage, and publish content online. 

What is the key benefit of using CMS over hard-coding your site?

It lets non-technical users build and maintain their websites without writing or modifying any code (or hiring an army of developers). A CMS can help you:

• Save the time and resources needed to create and manage a website
• Make your content production more collaborative
• Publish and edit content much faster
• Create a better user experience for your website visitors
• Cut overall development and design costs

How Does a Content Management System Work?

A content management system (CMS) lets you create and update website content through a user-friendly interface. 

You can add text, images, and new pages without knowing how to code. 

For example, popular CMS platforms like WordPress provide pre-designed page templates for common website elements like product galleries, landing pages, and blog posts.

In contrast, hard-coding a website requires writing HTML, CSS, and possibly JavaScript files manually. To add content, you'd need to edit these files directly and upload them to a server. 

CMS platforms are generally easier for beginners and faster for frequent updates. While hard-coding your website provides more flexibility for developers who need custom functionality.

Key Elements of a CMS

So how does a CMS actually work in technical terms?

A content management system has two parts. 

The first is a content management application (CMA) and the second is a content delivery application (CDA).

• The CMA is the part you’ll use the most—the interface. It allows virtually anyone to create, edit, and publish content without needing technical expertise.
• The CDA is the engine and database that sits behind the interface. It stores, organizes, and arranges the content in a manner that suits the device (e.g., desktop or mobile) that is accessing it.

Key Features of a CMS

Here are the top functionalities you can expect in your content management system:

• User management: If your business is using a CMS, you'll probably have multiple people on board. Your CMS will let you create and manage user accounts, with varying levels of access and permissions.
• Content creation and editing: You’ll have a range of tools for creating, editing, and publishing digital content such as text, images, and video.
• Version control: This means you’ll have the chance to track and manage changes to your content. This is good news because you can easily revert to a previous version if necessary.
• Media management: You’ll also be able to manage and organize digital media assets such as images and videos.
• Search functionality: When you’re lost, you’ll have tools for searching and filtering content within the CMS.
• Templates and themes: These are pre-designed templates and themes that can be used to quickly create a consistent look and feel for your website or product.

For example, WordPress comes with lots of different themes—both free and paid. You can adapt them yourself or with the help of a developer.

Examples of Popular Content Management Systems

WordPress is the most popular and well-known content management system,  supporting around 43% of all websites on the internet.

It has been developed over many years. That makes it rich in features and what are known as “plugins,” which are integrations with other software services that support content management.

For example, you can install plugins to protect your site, automatically translate its content, book appointments, etc.

However, there are many types of content management systems. They have different features, capabilities, and target users.

Some common categories of CMS include:

Web CMS

A web CMS helps you create and manage websites. It usually includes tools for managing website navigation, design, and other aspects of the user experience.

🚀 Examples include WordPress, Webflow, Squarespace, Ghost, and Wix.

Here’s what the interface looks like if you’re using Wix:

Enterprise CMS

An enterprise content management system is for larger organizations and institutions. 

Enterprise CMSs often have more advanced features and capabilities. They are typically able to support a large number of users and volume of content.

🚀 One such example is Adobe Commerce for ecommerce businesses.

Source: Shopify

Open-source CMS

An open-source content management system is developed and maintained by a community of volunteers. Anyone can access, use, and modify the source code.

Open-source CMSs are often highly customizable and flexible.  

They can be a good choice for organizations that have specific needs or requirements. For instance, creating unique content types, developing custom modules or plugins, or integrating with specialized third-party systems or APIs.

🚀 Examples include WordPress.org, Drupal, Ghost, and Joomla.

💡 Note that WordPress.org and WordPress.com are not the same thing. 

• WordPress.com is a hosted platform that offers managed WordPress websites.
• WordPress.org provides free software for creating self-hosted WordPress sites with full control and customization options.

Headless CMS

A headless CMS is a back-end content management system that acts as a content repository. 

It makes content accessible via an API for display on any device or platform, without a built-in front-end user interface (UI).

This allows for more flexibility in how and where your content is displayed.

🚀 One example of a headless content management system is Contentful.

Source: Contentful

How To Choose the Best Content Management System

Consider your specific needs, technical expertise, and long-term goals when choosing a CMS platform. Think about:

• Ease of use for content creation and management
• Customization options and flexibility
• Scalability as your site grows
• Security features and update frequency
• Integration capabilities with other tools
• Community support and available resources
• Cost of implementation and maintenance

Here’s a detailed comparison of the top content management systems to help you make a choice:

How To Use a CMS

Using a content management system doesn’t require any coding or other technical skills. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Log in to the CMS Dashboard 

Navigate the interface and familiarize yourself with the main menu options (e.g., Pages, Posts, Media, Settings).

Explore the dashboard widgets for quick access to recent activities and other essential elements.

2. Customize Your Site’s Appearance

Themes are pre-designed templates that control the visual appearance and layout of your website. 

Browse and select from available themes to change your site's overall look. 

For example, you can choose various WordPress themes available for free. 

Next, customize colors, fonts, and layouts to match your brand.

3. Install Plugins or Extensions 

Plugins are add-ons that expand the functionality of your CMS, letting you add new features to your website without any custom coding.

Search for plugins that add features like contact forms, SEO tools, or social media integration.

Important: Be selective and only install necessary plugins to avoid slowing down your website. 

Start with the most essential tools and evaluate your specific needs.

4. Create and Manage Content

Start by deciding which web content you would like to add—e.g., a page or an article.

For instance, imagine you want to upload a blog post:

1. Add your content in the text editor; the CMS will handle the formatting.
2. Upload images, links, videos, or other media elements directly to the article.
3. Format the text using built-in tools for bold text, bullet points, headlines, etc.

Finally, preview how your content will appear on your website and hit the “Publish” button.

You can add other changes to your website using similar logic, from creating new pages to editing the existing content.

Note that content writing tools like ContentShake AI offer integration with WordPress.

It lets you generate an SEO-ready article, enhance it using the AI chat and a blog editor, and send it directly to your WordPress site.

How to Measure the Success of Your Content Management System

Once you’ve decided which CMS to purchase, you’ll want to measure it to ensure you’re getting value for the money you’ve invested.

Like any software tool, there are a variety of ways to evaluate its success, and it’s advisable to track multiple metrics to get the true picture.

Ideally, you’ll use a combination of “hard” and “soft” metrics—i.e., some that can be measured purely in numbers (like conversions) and some that are more qualitative (like satisfaction rates).

Common metrics include:

• User satisfaction: The most important feedback comes from the users of the CMS itself (i.e., your company’s employees). Try surveying everyone who uses it and ask them how satisfied they are with both its user experience and its effectiveness.
• Efficiency: A key metric is how long it takes your colleagues to create and publish new web content from start to finish.
• Search engine rankings: Your CMS should help you optimize your content for search engines, so you should see an improvement in the ranking of your content or your website over time.
• Conversion rates and on-site engagement: Your CMS should help you improve the user experience and help you move your website visitors down the marketing funnel.

Conclusion

Thanks to modern content management systems like WordPress or Wix, anyone can publish a professional-looking website in next to no time.

Deciding which CMS is right for you depends on the stage of your business, the type of business you are in, and, of course, your budget.

Here are some general guidelines:

• If you are just starting out, choose a CMS with an intuitive visual designer such as Wix or Webflow and a large community of resources such as WordPress
• If you are selling online, choose a CMS designed for ecommerce like Shopify
• If you need to administer multiple websites, choose a CMS designed for omnichannel management such as Drupal or Magnolia
• If visual design is paramount, choose a CMS such as Squarespace

Now, it’s time to get started with optimizing your own web content management process.