What is a content management system (CMS)?

It's also important to not confuse a CMS with digital asset management (DAM). The two systems complement one another but are not interchangeable. DAM software supports an organization by storing its digital assets in one centralized location. In other words, a CMS builds and manages the content for a brand’s website, while a DAM is just the system to organize and store the brand’s digital files.

To understand how a content management system works, let’s take a step back. A website that is manually run would require the individual or organization to code or write a static HTML file from scratch and upload it to the server for each web page. This requires significant time and energy and periodic updating that takes away precious resources from already busy organizations.

A way to avoid this complex work is to use a CMS platform. The system is already created on the back-end and front-end, while all the creator sees is a user-friendly interface that allows them to make necessary changes in a simplified manner. The CMS is built to enhance the customer experience for web content that is viewed online or on a mobile app.

Separately, the application programming interface, or APIs, are an important part of a successful CMS. APIs allow the system to connect across multiple domains. APIs for apps, phones, or websites can help ingest content from the CMS.

1. Individuals that use the CMS become authors within the system during the content creation stage and make updates to site content as much or as little as they’d like. The content updates can be previewed, reviewed, and approved within minutes. If there are updates that need to be seen across channels those changes can be saved for a later time.

2. Content is either scheduled to be published or can go live automatically.

3. The visitors of the website see the published content live and can continuously see updates as they are being made (if these changes are published).

The first is a content management application (CMA), which is the part that allows the user to add and make changes to the website. It brings together HTML, CSS and JavaScript to deliver content that matches the organization’s brand style.

The second part is the back-end process, which is called the content delivery application (CDA). This takes the content input to the CMA and stores it behind the scenes, making it live and visible for all site visitors.

These two parts work together so organizations no longer need to handle the code and database queries manually. Instead, content creators can focus on front-facing content and finding the best ways to market their products or offerings.

The CMS is a vital software for those companies and organizations looking to enhance their marketing capabilities and messaging goals. On the contrary, if an organization has specific audio, image, or video file storage needs an enterprise management system (ECM) may be better suited.

Small businesses looking to streamline their web design or ramp up their social media presence might benefit from a CMS. There is no coding knowledge necessary and the user interface is often easy enough for beginners.

There are many different CMS options available. Each has its own purpose and relevant features to meet the organization’s needs. Below are a few of the systems offered.

WordPress: Originally was a web content management system that was built to publish blogs, but has extended into many other areas. The open source management system can be used for websites, professional portfolios, e-commerce stores and more.

Drupal: The open source CMS is used by many companies around the globe to build and maintain their websites. The user interface is easily accessible and allows you to create and publish unlimited content.

Squarespace: Unlike the CMSs mentioned above, Squarespace is an all-in-one content management system, meaning with a single subscription the owner can do it all without needing third-party integrations. This is a popular CMS for small businesses online and in-store.

Joomla: This CMS is another open source system to build websites and online applications. It is SEO-friendly and features unlimited designs and built-in multilingual capabilities.

Shopify: This e-commerce platform wouldn’t be able to function without its CMS. The platform is built for businesses that want to create online stores. They are then able to edit and manage different content types through one software system.

Adobe Experience Manager: The “marketer-and developer-friendly” software has a combination of CMS and DAM features. It’s fitting for businesses looking for one platform to handle their content management, digital asset management, digital enrollment, forms, and more.

Salesforce CMS: This hybrid CMS allows organizations to create and deliver content to any device and customize as the customer sees fit. The software is multi-language and can be run on the web or on an app.

Wix: The web-based platform is software that creators and businesses use to make and manage their own websites without needing to know how to code. The platform provides advanced SEO features and marketing tools.

A CMS offers a business greater control over its digital content and autonomy as to what is being shared under the organization's brand. In order to find which CMS is best for your business, take a look at some 'must have' features.

Since it is likely that an organization has multiple people to publish content, it’s important to have publishing controls and permissions. Authors might have different roles and need varying levels of access to the CMS.

Once those parameters are in place, the organization can establish a clear workflow for publishing content and other creative assets. The controls also prevent users or authors from publishing automatically and instead protects the organization from costly mistakes.

A user is taking the time and energy to create rich and engaging content for an organization. The last thing they want to do is struggle to upload said content. A CMS should have powerful content editing tools so that the upload process is simple.

Some functions that users should be able to simply do in the CMS interface include adding images, videos, CTAs and outside forms. In addition, the CMS should have proper publishing tools or "drag-and-drop" features that make it easy to schedule and update content as needed.

An organization’s website is likely to change, more often than not because of a new product launch or a design refresh. But it may take several iterations for the organization to reach a final product that they like, in which case a staging environment is necessary.

In some instances, an outside module might be required, but ideally the content staging tool is already in the CMS. This feature gives the users the ability to test out a new content design without having to make changes that the public can see. Instead, creators have the autonomy to make changes on their own terms.

Ideally, the CMS system your organization chooses has a built-in analytics system to measure performance. Indicators like how visitors are interacting with the content and on which devices are among the important data points the CMS should maintain.

If a CMS does not come with these analytics the next best step is installing a CRM analytics tool, such as Google Analytics. Some CMS may require a plug-in or third-party integration so that the analytics show up right on the users dashboard.

The security of a site is extremely important, not only to the organization, but also to its employees and users who rely on it to store content and data. When choosing which CMS to use, check to see whether there are built-in security features and what security protocol the team must follow to adhere to the CMS standards.

When seeking out a new CMS here are some good questions to have answered:

- Does it have a web application firewall?

- Is there a security team?

- What is the cadence of static code analysis and vulnerability scans?

- Does it come with a content delivery network (CDN) to help prevent DDoS attacks?

When selecting a CMS for your organization, you must consider what theme offering works best for your goal and your brand. The particular needs for an e-commerce site vary greatly from a news organization publishing articles.

The CMS that you end up choosing may provide different themes directly in the software or may require a download or purchase. It’s important to ensure that the theme is accurate and optimized across all devices.

The right CMS for your organization will be the one that best fits the needs of your users. Regardless of which type of CMS software you choose—whether it be headless CMS, open source CMS, or cloud-based—many of the benefits are consistent from one system to the next.