What Is a CMS and Why Should You Care?

When I first started exploring website-building options, I quickly encountered a flurry of acronyms: SEO, FTP, SERP, CDN, and CMS.

It felt for illustration learning a caller language. I kept seeing ‘CMS’ popular up everywhere, truthful I dove deeper into knowing it.

What I recovered was encouraging: a CMS, aliases contented guidance system, is simply a instrumentality that lets you build and negociate a website without needing coding skills.

With complete 80 cardinal websites already utilizing a CMS, it’s a reliable solution for those of america who want to build a website but person constricted method skills.

In this post, I‘ll stock what I’ve learned successful my travel pinch CMS platforms, breaking down nan concepts that initially confused maine into simple, applicable explanations.

When I started utilizing a CMS, I was amazed astatine what I could do without immoderate coding knowledge. I could create and people contented done what felt for illustration a acquainted connection processor interface.

Instead of wrestling pinch code, I recovered I could simply download templates to alteration really my tract looked, and adhd extensions to get caller features — benignant of for illustration installing apps connected a phone.

What amazed maine was really aggregate squad members could activity connected nan tract astatine nan aforesaid clip without getting successful each other's way. I retrieve wondering, “How does each of this activity down nan scenes?”

If you‘re funny for illustration I was, fto maine break down what I’ve learned astir really a CMS operates.

How a CMS Works

To understand really a CMS works, you first person to understand what it's for illustration to build a tract from scratch.

You'd commencement pinch HTML to adhd text, images, navigation bars, and different building blocks of a site. Then you'd adhd CSS to style those elements to lucifer nan unsocial look and consciousness of your brand.

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You'd decorativeness up by penning immoderate JavaScript to adhd much precocious functionality to your site, for illustration slide-in CTAs. Then you'd person to upload this HTML record to your server to beryllium revenge distant successful your database.

Whenever you want to make changes — moreover elemental ones for illustration updating contented — you person to download files from nan server, unfastened them, and alteration nan HTML codification by hand. Then you‘ll person to make judge you didn’t break immoderate links aliases thing other earlier uploading nan files backmost to nan server.

Sounds complicated, yes? For developers and different precocious users pinch acquisition successful website development, building a tract from scratch mightiness beryllium ideal.

But for those who don't person nan coding skills aliases clip and resources to build a tract from scratch and support it, they tin usage a CMS.

Let's talk astir how.

How To Use a CMS

A CMS combines 2 halfway parts: a contented guidance exertion (CMA) and a contented transportation exertion (CDA).

I for illustration to deliberation of these arsenic nan motor nether nan hood — they negociate each nan code, database queries, and infrastructure successful nan backmost extremity while I attraction connected creating content.

Rather than commencement pinch a blank HTML page, I unfastened nan contented editor wherever I tin bold text, adhd links and CTAs, and insert images and tables by dragging and dropping modules aliases clicking a fewer buttons — nary HTML, CSS, aliases JavaScript coding needed.

Let maine show you really I create a blog post utilizing WordPress.

To make different changes connected my site, for illustration changing nan permalink building aliases installing extensions, I conscionable navigate to nan due conception successful my admin panel.

This is nan CMA successful action: each these changes hap successful an intuitive interface that hides nan codification from me. (I retrieve really relieved I felt erstwhile I first discovered I wouldn't person to touch immoderate codification to make these adjustments.)

When I'm done making changes, nan CDA takes nan contented I entered into nan CMA, assembles nan code, displays it to my front-end visitors, and stores it.

That intends erstwhile I want to people a caller blog post, for example, I conscionable deed nan “Publish” fastener alternatively of manually uploading a page to my server. No much analyzable record guidance — thing I don't miss.

Now that I've shown you what a CMS is, really it works, and really to usage it, let’s research nan benefits of utilizing 1 complete building a tract from scratch aliases utilizing different website-building tool.

Why usage a CMS?

I‘ve already alluded to immoderate benefits of utilizing a CMS, but let’s look astatine immoderate circumstantial ways it tin effect your set-up process, squad productivity, and visibility online.

1. No Coding Knowledge Required

As personification who started pinch zero coding knowledge, I've seen firsthand really CMS systems person revolutionized web creation for non-developers and different users.

The days of relying connected web developers and designers to found an online beingness for your business are gone.

You tin create and negociate content, customize nan creation of your site, and instal extensions to adhd functionality to your tract — each without coding.

Most platforms do let you to adhd civilization codification for much granular power complete your site, too. While I haven‘t needed it yet, it’s adjuvant to person this option.

Whether you're starting caller aliases you’re personification for illustration maine pinch constricted method resources and time, you tin still build a powerful website for your business.

2. Easy Collaboration

Multiple users tin entree and activity successful nan backmost extremity of a CMS astatine nan aforesaid time. I find this collaboration capacity valuable for teams of immoderate size.

That intends connected immoderate fixed day, your marketers tin beryllium producing content, your IT professionals implementing information protocols, and your developers adding civilization codification to your theme.

I've seen really this eliminates nan bottlenecks that utilized to hap erstwhile only 1 personification could make changes astatine a time. In fact, they could each beryllium moving connected nan aforesaid landing page.

In short, a CMS tin thief amended workflows and productivity crossed your team. I've recovered this particularly existent erstwhile coordinating updates crossed different departments.

Pro tip: HubSpot offers a free CMS tool which is cleanable for those looking for a CMS that tin turn pinch them arsenic they standard their businesses.

3. User Roles and Permissions

A CMS allows you to collaborate arsenic efficiently and safely arsenic possible, acknowledgment to built-in (and often customizable) personification roles and permissions.

I've recovered this particularly adjuvant erstwhile moving pinch different squad members — nary much worrying astir personification accidentally breaking nan site.

That intends contented writers, for example, tin person each nan permissions they request to write, publish, and negociate content, but they won‘t beryllium capable to delete plugins aliases different importantly change nan site’s functionality.

When I group up these permissions for my team, it gave maine bid of mind knowing that each personification had entree to precisely what they needed and thing more.

Here's a look astatine nan User Role Editor successful WordPress.

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Without a CMS, you’d person to codification immoderate beautiful analyzable conditions and checks to create personification roles and permissions successful JavaScript.

4. SEO Features and Extensions

CMS platforms connection built-in features arsenic good arsenic add-ons to thief you optimize your tract for hunt engines.

Using built-in aliases 3rd statement tools, you can:

• Customize page titles and meta descriptions
• Choose SEO-friendly URL structures
• Create XML sitemaps
• Add image alt text
• Create 301 redirects
• Include breadcrumb navigation
• Optimize page load times

Implementing these champion practices will thief amended your chances of ranking connected Google and different awesome hunt engines.

5. Security Features and Extensions

CMS platforms besides connection built-in features and add-ons to thief you unafraid your site. Some moreover connection a dedicated information team.

Content Hub, for example, provides an enterprise-class web exertion firewall, SSL, custom CDN, SSO memberships, and and different out-of-the-box features.

6. Predesigned Templates

Most CMS platforms travel pinch a action of predesigned templates you tin usage to quickly customize nan quality of your site.

I discovered these templates do much than conscionable alteration really your tract looks — they tin see built-in features for illustration navigation menus that illness connected mobile devices, image sliders that respond to swipe gestures, aliases interaction forms that validate input automatically.

Choosing a responsive template, for example, will guarantee your tract looks bully connected immoderate instrumentality without requiring you to write a bunch of code. I learned this nan difficult measurement aft initially trying to make my tract mobile-friendly without a template.

Not only do templates prevention you creation clip earlier launching your site, but they tin besides make a website redesign overmuch faster and simpler down nan roadworthy — thing I really admit erstwhile it‘s clip to refresh nan site’s look.

Webflow is conscionable 1 CMS that offers hundreds of responsive templates. I've recovered their action peculiarly awesome for beginners and knowledgeable users alike.

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7. Simple Updates

As I mentioned earlier, a CMS enables you to make changes connected your tract faster and easier — from awesome updates, for illustration a website redesign, to insignificant updates, for illustration changing nan image connected your location page.

Before utilizing a CMS, I had to either prosecute a freelance developer aliases struggle pinch coding. Now you tin simply spell into nan dashboard of your CMS to update and edit nan contented of your website.

I emotion really this makes it applicable to support your contented move and relevant. I tin update images, text, aliases layouts wrong minutes alternatively of hours.

8. Blogging Functionality

Blogging offers a scope of benefits, peculiarly to businesses.

From my acquisition exploring different trading strategies, I've seen really it helps thrust postulation to your website, person postulation into leads, found authority done thought leadership, and make backlinks.

However, building a blog from scratch is difficult and a awesome advantage of utilizing a CMS is that astir supply built-in blogging functionality (or extensions) truthful it's easy to commencement creating and publishing blog contented and reaping nan benefits.

I recovered this peculiarly valuable since I could attraction connected penning contented alternatively of wrestling pinch method setups.

9. Content Scheduling

Scheduling contented is basal to immoderate editorial strategy.

When building a tract from scratch, I learned that you tin schedule content, but it will require a operation of coding and devices for illustration GitHub. This complexity initially made maine hesitant astir maintaining a accordant contented calendar.

With a CMS, scheduling contented is arsenic easy arsenic clicking a button. I was relieved to observe that astir platforms let you to schedule much than conscionable blog posts, too.

With Content Hub, for example, you tin schedule blog posts arsenic good arsenic website pages, landing pages, and emails. This is simply a characteristic I find invaluable for readying contented up of time.

Here‘s a look astatine nan scheduling tab wrong HubSpot’s blog editor.

10. Easy Access

With a CMS platform, you tin entree and edit your tract connected virtually immoderate instrumentality pinch an net connection.

That's overmuch easier than nan replacement of building a tract from scratch, which requires you to beryllium connected a instrumentality connected to nan server aliases link remotely.

Plus, astir CMS systems person a azygous dashboard aliases power sheet wherever you tin entree your site's content, theme, plugins, settings, and much — each successful 1 place.

7 Factors to Consider When Selecting a CMS

If your tract is growing, you whitethorn request to upgrade to a CMS to meet your needs.

To thief you take nan champion CMS for your goals, present are 7 things to see erstwhile selecting a CMS.

Whether you’re focused connected scalability, easiness of use, aliases seamless integrations, keeping these cardinal factors successful mind will guarantee you find a level that supports some your existent and early needs.

1. Avoid vendor lock-in.

I‘ve learned firsthand really frustrating it tin beryllium erstwhile you’re stuck pinch a CMS that nary longer meets your needs.

Start by documenting everything astir your existent setup — things for illustration your contented structure, workflows, and really information moves done your system.

Then create a elaborate checklist to measure imaginable vendors, paying typical attraction to statement position and really easy it is to get your contented retired if needed.

I ever urge keeping ownership of important assets for illustration domains and SSL certificates, and storing your civilization codification successful a abstracted strategy you control.

Set up regular backups, excessively — spot me, you'll convey yourself later if you ever request to make a speedy exit.

2. Set clear objectives.

Before diving into immoderate CMS platform, stitchery your cardinal squad members for a thorough find session. I find it adjuvant to representation retired precisely really contented flows done your statement from creation to publishing.

Document your existent process and place what‘s moving and what isn’t. Create a elaborate requirements database that covers must-have features, method needs, and wherever you spot yourself increasing successful nan adjacent fewer years.

Set realistic goals and timelines, and make judge to prioritize your needs into must-haves versus nice-to-haves to support nan task focused.

3. Test earlier you commit.

Before committing to a CMS, thoroughly trial your options to debar costly regrets down nan line.

Dan McGaw, laminitis of McGaw & Analytics and erstwhile CMO of Kissmetrics, warns that “the correction everybody makes” is rushing into a acquisition excessively soon.

“They get a instrumentality and they‘re like, ‘I’m truthful excited, let's bargain it,’” McGaw says. Instead, he advises, “Research and fig retired what devices are going to work, see each nan factors that you have, and past take … but don’t bargain it.”

During this proceedings period, impact your contented creators successful real-world scenarios and workflows that lucifer your day-to-day operations.

Throw successful analyzable workflows and separator cases; these will often uncover limitations you mightiness miss successful a elemental test. Check really responsive nan vendor's support squad is to your inquiries — it’s a valuable preview of their ongoing support quality.

Finally, cipher nan full cost, including training and maintenance, to debar immoderate unwelcome expenses later.

4. Look astatine integration capabilities.

Think of your CMS arsenic portion of a larger ecosystem. Start by mapping retired each strategy it needs to talk to — your CRM, analytics tools, and trading automation platforms.

Work intimately pinch your IT squad to cheque compatibility and information requirements.

I've recovered it adjuvant to create elaborate specifications for each connection, including really often information needs to sync and what happens if thing goes wrong. Build a roadmap that prioritizes your astir captious integrations first.

Always support an oculus connected nan future. Your exertion needs will apt grow, truthful make judge your CMS tin turn pinch you.

5. Prioritize information value and management.

Having clean, organized information makes everything easier down nan line. Before you launch, group up clear rules for really contented should beryllium system and tagged.

Mason Yu, Growth Marketing Lead astatine MarketerHire, emphasizes nan value of elasticity successful your contented guidance system:

“Ensure nan CMS is elastic to let for reusable components and data. Inevitably, things specified arsenic pricing, people dates and marque images alteration often truthful it's important that you're capable to modify and instrumentality specified changes pinch agility.”

I urge mounting up automated checks to drawback communal mistakes earlier contented goes live. Schedule regular audits to support everything tidy. The cardinal is making information guidance portion of your routine, not a one-time cleanup project.

Pro tip: Create straightforward guidelines for your squad — deliberation of style guides and information introduction procedures that anyone tin follow.

6. Stay elastic pinch architecture.

Think of your contented strategy for illustration building blocks — nan much modular, nan better. Document really each your contented pieces fresh together, and create clear boundaries betwixt different components.

This makes it overmuch easier to switch things retired later if needed. I've recovered that taking a headless aliases decoupled attack gives you nan astir flexibility. Keep elaborate archiving of immoderate civilization components you build.

Pro tip: Create a roadmap for really you mightiness request to germinate successful nan future. The extremity is to build a strategy that tin accommodate arsenic your needs change.

7. Analyze costs ratio and rollout.

Start by analyzing which features will springiness you nan astir contiguous value.

Create a realistic implementation scheme spanning 12-18 months — rushing seldom saves money successful nan agelong run. Begin pinch halfway functionality that delivers clear business benefits.

Track your occurrence metrics cautiously to warrant further investment. I ever urge keeping immoderate fund successful reserve for unexpected needs aliases opportunities.

Review strategy usage regularly and don‘t beryllium acrophobic to trim features that aren’t delivering value. The cardinal is staying elastic — standard up erstwhile things are moving well, and standard backmost if they're not.

After cautiously evaluating your needs and considering nan factors above, you‘re fresh to research circumstantial CMS options.

I’ve recovered done countless implementations that nary azygous level useful for everyone — what powers a startup blog shouldn't needfully tally an endeavor website.

Let's unpack 8 celebrated CMS level examples to observe which mightiness beryllium nan champion fresh for your needs.

1. Content Hub

Ideal for: Any-sized businesses

Price: Starts astatine $15/mo/seat

What I for illustration astir Content Hub: With Content Hub, you tin build websites that are secure, powerful, and optimized for hunt engines.

When reviewing nan platform’s documentation, I was impressed by really utilizing this all-in-one connected platform, you tin create personalized contented for visitors based connected information from your HubSpot CRM, create civilization templates and styles, tally A/B tests connected multi-language content, safely redesign and relaunch web pages, position capacity analytics, and overmuch more.

From my analysis, I tin spot why this proprietary CMS is perfect for businesses pinch divers teams of marketers, developers, and IT professionals who are looking to turn complete time.

Learn much astir Content Hub’s customization options, multi-lingual support, reporting dashboards, and more.

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2. WordPress

Ideal for: Small businesses and freelancers

Price: Estimated betwixt $30 to $3,000

What I for illustration astir WordPress: WordPress is simply a self-hosted level that powers millions of sites. When reviewing its features, I learned that you tin easy and quickly build a WordPress tract utilizing nan Gutenberg editor and past customize it pinch immoderate of nan thousands of plugins and themes disposable successful nan charismatic WordPress directory aliases different third-party sites.

When looking into its customization options, I was impressed to find that whether you want to add forms and unrecorded chat to your tract aliases want a taxable that comes pinch a built-in ocular builder and divided testing, leveraging WordPress plugins and themes for illustration these, you tin create a unsocial acquisition circumstantial to your brand

3. Joomla

Ideal for: Global companies

Price: Estimated betwixt $700 to $6,500

What I for illustration astir Joomla: I've recovered that tract owners looking for much functionality built correct into nan level whitethorn effort a WordPress replacement for illustration Joomla.

Like WordPress, Joomla is an open-source CMS, but what impressed maine astir it is its built-in multilingual support and precocious personification and contented guidance options.

These features make it perfect for membership, community, and societal networking sites. I peculiarly for illustration really UIDAI uses Joomla to powerfulness their multilingual website arsenic a premier example.

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4. Drupal

Ideal for: Corporations and authorities agencies

Price: Estimated betwixt $5,000 to $20,000

What I for illustration astir Drupal: I recovered Drupal to beryllium a highly elastic CMS, and I tin spot why it's favored by ample corporations and authorities agencies for illustration NASA.

One important statement I discovered successful my research: while you will request web improvement acquisition to afloat leverage nan powerfulness of this platform, you won't person to commencement from scratch.

The standard of disposable resources impressed maine nan most. In summation to its out-of-the-box features, you tin take among 47,000 modules disposable successful its directory and thousands of free themes successful its taxable repository.

Looking astatine sites for illustration Rush University Medical Center's website, I tin spot really these devices alteration building analyzable sites that grip ample volumes of information and dense traffic.

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5. Magento Open Source

Ideal for: Ecommerce businesses

Price: Estimated astatine $15,000 and up

What I for illustration astir Magento: After diving into ecommerce platforms, I'd picture nan self-hosted type of Magento, known arsenic Magento OpenSource, arsenic nan Drupal of nan ecommerce world.

In my acquisition researching various platforms, I‘ve recovered it’s highly elastic and secure, though I should statement it's difficult to study and return advantage of each its built-in functionality and extensions.

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What excites maine astir about Magento is its powerful capabilities: pinch it, you tin negociate aggregate stores, usage respective worldwide shipping providers, and transact successful different countries, languages, and currencies — each wrong nan aforesaid dashboard.

From my analysis, I judge if you person nan clip and resources to put successful set-up and maintenance, you'll beryllium capable to build an online shop pinch a immense merchandise inventory and world reach.

6. Webflow

Ideal for: Web designers and agencies

Price: $15 - $235 per month

What I for illustration astir Webflow: I've travel to understand why Webflow is specified a unsocial “visual” contented guidance system. It's designed to capable a marketplace spread for web designers who want to attraction connected creating and customizing sites without worrying astir hosting, security, aliases performance.

What I admit astir Webflow is its flexibility: you tin commencement pinch 1 of nan hundreds of pre-built templates aliases commencement from scratch utilizing nan Webflow Designer shown below.

Webflow is simply a “visual” contented guidance strategy designed to capable a marketplace spread for web designers who want to attraction connected creating and customizing sites without worrying astir hosting, security, aliases performance.

With Webflow, you tin commencement pinch 1 of nan hundreds of pre-built templates aliases commencement from scratch utilizing nan Webflow Designer shown below.

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I'm peculiarly impressed by really you tin widen nan functionality of your tract done third-party integrations aliases embedding HTML code.

Based connected my research, since it requires astatine slightest immoderate knowledge of HTML, CSS, and web design, Webflow is champion suited for freelancer designers aliases agencies.

7. Ghost

Ideal for: Bloggers

Price: $9 - $2,400 per month

What I for illustration astir Ghost: Among each nan analyzable CMS platforms I've researched, I find Ghost refreshingly different. If you‘re looking for a elemental and lightweight CMS dedicated to blogging, I judge it’s a awesome option. What fascinates maine astir Ghost is its headless CMS architecture, which intends that its assemblage (the contented repository) is separated from its caput (the position layer).

I'm impressed by really this allows you to create and negociate contented and past present that contented via their Node.js APIs (or different front-end instrumentality you prefer) to immoderate level and channel, from smartwatches to virtual reality headsets.

After examining its features, I tin spot why. With an intuitive editor and built-in SEO tools, Ghost appeals to bloggers and beginners who want a basal tract that's elemental to create and manage.

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8. Sitecore

Ideal for: Enterprise companies

Price: Must interaction institution for pricing info

What I for illustration astir Sitecore: I recovered Sitecore peculiarly powerful — it's an enterprise-level headless CMS that enables you to create and present personalized websites, emails, societal media posts, and mobile experiences.

What impresses maine astir is really you tin usage its WYSIWYG editor pinch drag-and-drop functionality, session- and device-based personalization rules, and multilingual tools.

This will thief you standard your contented creation and present contented that‘s optimized to your users’ interests, language, and device.

I‘m peculiarly struck by how, acknowledgment to Sitecore’s headless architecture, you tin supply these applicable customer experiences crossed aggregate channels, including web, social, voice, constituent of sale, and more.

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The platform's scope amazes maine — this CMS powers more than 120,000 websites successful industries ranging from sports to banking to recreation and more.

Looking astatine their customer list, I tin spot why awesome brands spot it — immoderate of its biggest users are American Express, ASOS, L'Oréal, and Volvo Cars.

Choosing Your CMS: Balance Potential pinch Practical Needs

While exploring CMS platforms for this article, I was amazed by really these systems person evolved from elemental website builders to broad contented guidance solutions. Each level offers unsocial capabilities, from basal blogging to enterprise-level features.

My favourite among nan platforms I investigated was Content Hub. I was peculiarly impressed by really it integrates basal features for illustration security, contented scheduling, and squad collaboration into 1 intuitive interface.

I recovered nan equilibrium betwixt simplicity and functionality peculiarly valuable. As personification who started pinch minimal method knowledge, I admit really a CMS lets maine support imaginative power while handling nan analyzable method aspects down nan scenes.

I was besides pleasantly amazed by really CMS platforms reside communal website guidance challenges I‘ve faced, for illustration contented updates and squad collaboration.

The clip saved from not having to codification aliases coordinate pinch developers has been important — a use I hadn’t afloat appreciated erstwhile I first started.

I've learned that a CMS does much than conscionable make website guidance accessible—it transforms really teams collaborate, really contented is published, and really businesses turn online.

Editor's note: This station was primitively published successful December 2010 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.