What is a CMS content management system? 8 CMS recommendations

What isContent Management System? A content management system (CMS) is an application that helps you create and manage websites through a user-friendly interface without having to work directly with code.

In the rest of this post, we’ll dive deeper into the question “What is a content management system?” and provide a more detailed definition of CMS and share examples of some of the most popular content management systems.

An official CMS definition

Descriptions of the CMS definition vary, but consensus brings us to this definition:

Content Management System (CMS)noun: A digital application used to manage content and enable multiple users to create, format, edit, and publish content, usually on the Internet, stored in a database, and presented in some form, such as a website. 

Although an official CMS definition like this may seem rigid, it actually helps to cover the breadth of the content management system market, as there are so many different capabilities.

How do content management systems work?

According to this CMS definition, all content management systems:

• It's digital.They are applications that are used on a computer, sometimes offline but more often online.
• Helps users create, format, edit, and publish content.This might include supporting media, written content, or CMS-based citations, but the core idea is that you can produce and publish some kind of content.
• Store the content in a database.Again, supported databases and hosting types vary by CMS, but content is always recorded in a database.
• Grant access permissions to multiple users. One CMS might have unique user permissions, while another might allow specific editor, author, and administrator roles.
• Present the content.As mentioned before, this usually happens on the front end of the live site, but some content management systems allow for private or even offline publishing.

More details on what is a content management system

When you think about running a website, you might see geek programmers typing out code. Yes, the foundation of every website is code.

However, with a content management system, you can ignore the code and focus on the more fun parts of running a website, such as creating content and CMS marketing.

So how does it work? While things will obviously differ depending on the content management system you choose, you’ll generally get some type of dashboard where you can manage all the important aspects of your website:

For example, let’s say you wanted to do some CMS marketing by adding a blog post. All you need to do is type the blog post into your content management system’s text editor:

Your chosen CMS will then handle the combination of all the underlying code so that visitors from all over the world can read your blog posts.

Now that you can answer the question of what a content management system is, let’s look at some examples of the most popular content management systems used to build websites.

What to look for in a CMS

When doing research on a content management system, we recommend looking for the following features:

• Powerful content editor, with visual and code-based editing options. It would also be nice to see a drag and drop builder.
• Core CMS Features, such as the ability to add, format, and publish content, and also includes user roles.
• Access to third-party themes, plugins, and integrationsTo improve your website.
• For email marketing, social media, coupons, etc.CMS marketing features or integrations.
• Potential sales of productsE-commerce capabilities.
• Flexibility with your design.This includes mobile responsiveness and custom code control.

8 Content Management System (CMS) Examples

From open source projects to hosted website builders, all of these content management systems can help you build a website.

1. WordPress

WordPressis by far the most popular content management system. In fact,WordPress CMS for the Internet43.1%Website（Includes Themeisle Blog）Provide support.

There are many reasons why WordPress is so popular. It’s free to download and use. It’s also easy to learn, flexible, and SEO-friendly. Plus, thousands of themes and plugins make it one of the most customizable platforms. This definitely puts WordPress in line with our core CMS definition, and more!

In addition, WordPress is easy to use for newbies while allowing developers enough freedom to play with the code. Beginners can start at a basic level and learn skills as they progress. It is suitable for almost all types of websites. If you get stuck with WordPress, there is a strong WordPress community to help you troubleshoot.

2. Joomla

Joomlais a free to use CMS that includes an impressive set of features and supports over 70 languages. It is perfect for any website that requires comprehensive content management, especially complex sites such as educational sites or social networks.

There are several front-end and back-end templates to help you build a solid foundation. Joomla What makes it unique is the extensive user groups and user management options, as well as many built-in features such as search management and CMS marketing tools. You can also collect and manage user consent.

Joomla is developer-friendly. At the same time, it provides a user-friendly interface, which makes it fit our definition of a CMS.

3. Drupal

After WordPress,DrupalIt is the second most popular CMS. If you ask a tech-savvy person what a content management system is, they will most likely answer Drupal For example, that’s because it’s the CMS that requires the most technical support.

Drupal is also free, but you need your own hosting. With an advanced admin panel, it provides full control over content presentation as well as user and permission management. It works out of the box, loads fast, is secure, and supports over 100 languages. Ready-made templates for different industries such as travel and e-commerce make it easier for users to build a website.

While beginners might be better off skipping this CMS, developers should have no trouble building great websites. Should you use WordPress or Drupal? It all comes down to personal preference.

4. Adobe Commerce powered by Magento

If you're only interested in e-commerce, Adobe Commerce (powered by Magento) offers a complete CMS marketing, online store, and content publishing solution. It comes in two versions - a free, open source community version and a premium service sold by Adobe. Its appeal to large enterprises lies in its best-in-class speed, security, and scalability. Add in multisite support, and it can be the perfect platform for any business that needs different parts, such as a chain of stores.

Fast checkout and easy integration with major payment solutions will surely make online store owners happy. So will the intuitive admin interface, out-of-the-box analytics, themes, and CMS marketing extensions. However, unlike WooCommerce users, Adobe/Magento users may need basic web development knowledge. But this is really no reason why enthusiastic learners shouldn't give it a try, as it aligns perfectly with the definition of a CMS we outlined earlier.

5. Squarespace

Squarespaceis a ready-to-use solution for building almost any type of website. It's so simple that anyone can make a website - a brick-and-mortar store owner, a professional, a blogger, an artist. On top of that, it comes with intuitive social media and CMS marketing integrations, as well as a drag-and-drop builder, beautiful templates, and one of the cleanest dashboards you'll find.

Squarespace is a paid tool. Although you can choose from an impressive variety of templates and modules, you hardly get what you get. The templates themselves are optimized to fit all types of websites.

If you just need an easy way to build an attractive website, then Squarespace is the choice for you. You don’t have to worry about technical stuff or wonder what a content management system is. Instead, you can focus on content creation and quick, easy CMS marketing.

Unlike the previous tools, Squarespace is a hosted website builder, so you don’t need to buy your own web hosting. Everything is charged monthly. It doesn’t exactly fit in with our definition of a CMS (it’s more of an online website builder), but this type of software is evolving into more than that, regardless.

6. Wix

WixWix works in much the same way as Squarespace. However, it differs from Squarespace in that it includes a free plan (even though you have to use a Wix subdomain). It also offers a wider range of templates.

Wix’s step-by-step wizard turns website building into a fun activity. The Wix setup guides you through the template selection process, ensuring you get the right template for your site. It also integrates social media and includes blogging capabilities. Still, unless you’re willing to pay to remove the branding, you’ll be stuck with a Wix-branded site.

7. Ghost

If all you’re looking for is a clean writing experience for both bloggers and readers, tryGhostIt allows you to focus on writing your posts. It is user-centric, has a minimal interface, and usesMarkdown.You can choose from dozens of pre-made themes, use free built-in membership features, and manage email communications right from your dashboard.

You can download the self-hosted version for free and Ghost Ghost also takes care of basic social sharing and SEO.

Ghost is an excellent CMS solution for publishing blogs, online magazines, newsletters, or any creator who needs the most powerful integration and publishing tools.Ghost User ShowcaseIt clearly shows that some of the world's top brands think Ghost is something special. It doesn't quite fit our definition of a CMS (as it's somewhat limited in the type of content you can publish), but as long as you're not creating an online store or running a video-oriented site, it should work wonders.

8. Shopify

Content management systems aren't just focused on blogging and content creation. Many of them (like Adobe/Magento listed earlier) offer a full-blown e-commerce content management environment for building online stores, designing product pages, and including everything else you'd want on a site, like blogs, FAQ pages, shipping information, and customer support portals.ShopifyThat's it, a complete CMS marketing and eCommerce platform without having to look for your own hosting.

Shopify Users sign up for the platform and pay a monthly fee to get the entire website builder, shopping cart functionality, and website launch essentials like hosting, domain names, and app stores to expand your designs.

Shopify isn’t just for bloggers or creatives, it’s for individuals and brands interested in selling digital or physical products online. This most likely includes bloggers and creatives, but you definitely wouldn’t use Shopify to publish content like videos or articles. However, it is by far the easiest CMS to build a website to sell products, especially for a non-developer.

How to get started with your chosen content management system

With the exception of Squarespace and Wix, all of these content management systems need to be hosted on a server. This means you’ll need your own dedicated server or VPS:

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