What is a CMS? A “CMS” or content management system for short is software that is designed to manage the content of a website or electronic resource on the internet. It allows anyone to create, manage, and publish content on the internet without writing any code.
This is different from the early days of the internet. Back then everyone had to be web developers and have coding knowledge to build websites. Developers even had to create websites from scratch.
Nowadays, creating and building a website has become much easier. Instead of writing code or hiring a web developer to build a website, the CMS does the all heavy lifting for you, leaving more time to focus on the things that matter. With the help of a modern CMS, anyone can build a website.
As an analogy, think of it like driving a car. Understanding the mechanics of how a car works isn’t necessary to drive the car. Instead, you use a simplified dashboard and pedals to tell the car what to do.
This is similar to using a powerful CMS platform like WordPress. You’ll use a simplified dashboard and interface to create webpages, add content, and customize the overall design. Then the CMS will do the hard work of creating the code for you.
Content Management System Features
Like all software, there are a lot of options to choose from when it comes to CMS platforms. Fortunately, many of them share some commonalities and features.
Here are a few of the most common ones.
Website Dashboard
The best content management systems will have a simple user interface or website dashboard to create a website easily. This is also known as the backend or admin area.
Website Customization with Themes
CMS platforms typically allow your entire website design to be changed with the click of a button by utilizing a template or theme.
Themes are pre-designed templates that allow you to change the look and feel of a website; this includes things like layout, colors, fonts, and other design aspects of a website.
Content Editor
The content editor is what will be used to create and publish web pages. It uses a text editor sometimes called WYSIWYG, meaning “What You See Is What You Get.” When you edit the text, you can see what it will look like on the front of your website. This would be similar to using Microsoft Word.
A CMS also allows media types such as photos, videos, and audio to be uploaded and managed.
Extensions and Plugins
Many content management systems will allow you to add features and modify your website by adding plugins and extensions.
Plugins are like smartphone apps that are easy to install and will add new features or functions to your website. For instance, you might need a contact form, a newsletter subscription service, or a popup to display a sale.
WordPress alone comes with over 55,000+ free easy to install plugins.
User Management
Easily give others access to publish content on your website. With WordPress you can even assign different users roles to control what a user has access to.
CMS Benefits
The most prominent benefit of using a CMS is that individuals with no coding experience as well as non-techy users can create websites and build online businesses without needing to hire a web developer.
Here are some other benefits you get from using a CMS.
Effortless Publishing
A CMS allows anyone, even those with no technical skills, to create, edit, and publish content from an easy-to-use dashboard.
Content Scheduling
A content management system allows site administrators to publish content with a simple button click. Stay organized by scheduling posts to be published at certain times to meet deadlines, product launches, and business events.
Affordability and Ease of Control
A CMS allows individuals of all skill levels to manage websites of all sizes; without relying on high-priced developers to make routine changes.
Easy Customization
Easily customize websites with themes, upload logos, change color schemes, and switch styles. Or add more features to website with the use of plugins.