Content Management Systems (CMS)

What are Content Management Systems (CMS)?

The term Content Management Systems (CMS) commonly refers to platforms that support the design, development, and publication of website content. These systems organize, track, and retain digital content such as documents, text, images, audio, and video. They enable the delivery of a consistent brand experience across multiple platforms and devices. Some CMS solutions require no coding or technical expertise, other solutions require additional knowledge to take advantage of their customizable features.

CMS vs Website Builder Software

CMS software overlaps with Website Builder Software that contains CMS features and provides hosting services but has limited features and capabilities when compared to more robust CMS solutions.

Blogging Platforms are an example of a CMS platform that is exclusively devoted to supporting blogging. Closely related categories include Enterprise CMS, which manages digital content across an entire organization, and Content Marketing Software, which offer tools that extend the functionality of content management systems.

Content Management Systems (CMS) Features

Content Management Systems (CMS) include many of the following features.

• Support multiple website use cases
• Content planning and management tools
• Omni-channel delivery, multi-device, and browser support
• Site design themes
• Pre Built page templates
• Plugins
• Multimedia, images, audio, and video
• Forms
• WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) editor
• Drag and Drop
• Content tagging
• Customization and code editing
• Content versioning and archiving
• AI dynamic page personalization
• Dynamic content
• Machine learning image recognition and tagging
• SEO
• XML
• Multiple users
• Collaboration and publishing workflow
• Analytics and reporting
• Scalable
• Mobile optimization
• Cloud-based, on-premises, or hybrid installation

Content Management Systems (CMS) Comparison

Use Case: Some CMSs are tailored for specific uses. Shopify, BigCommerce, and Magento are used for eCommerce sites. HubSpot CMS readily supports business and marketing sites through its integration with HubSpot’s CRM, marketing, sales, and service tools. Where site design is a primary consideration, Squarespace is a popular choice. Drupal is employed to support flexible customization and large amounts of data and transactions. The extensive functionality provided by free and paid plugins, along with a vast pool of community resources and support, makes Wordpress.org the most widely used CMS.

Skill Level: CMS have varying expertise requirements. Wix is a good choice for beginners that have modest website requirements, requiring no coding or technical knowledge. Wordpress.org is used by both new and experienced users. Free open-source systems such as Drupal and Joomla have a greater learning curve.

Portability: When selecting your first CMS, investigate how readily your content and data can be exported to other systems if your needs change.

Costs: Even free open-source CMS systems will entail additional website-related costs such as domain registration, hosting, and paid plugins when needed.

Start a Content Management Systems (CMS) comparison here

Pricing Information

Prices start around $12 a month and range up to $300 a month or more depending on the features provided and the amount of data or number of transactions supported. One-time licensing for robust CMS exceeds $1,000. CMS for enterprise eCommerce begins around $500 a month and vendor price quotes are often required. eCommerce CMS pricing usually includes hosting services. Full-featured open-source CMS solutions are available. Free trials are available.