What is a CMS (Content Management System)

What is a CMS?

The main purpose of a Content Management System (CMS) is to display information on a website or blog. The features of a content management system are going to vary pretty widely from one system to the next. Simple systems will only showcase a handful of features (that are normally fairly easy to use) while “enterprise” systems tend to offer more complex and powerful features.

Some web designers and especially website owners who do not have web design experience consider CMS to be the “holy grail” of web design. However, it is important to realise that with anything – there are advantages and disadvantages to using it.

Why Use a CMS to Build Your Website?

One of the biggest advantages to using a CMS instead of the traditional method of self-updating webpages is that updating or adding a page to your website is extremely simple with a CMS. You do not have to worry about breaking the website, messing up the layout of the website or having to add a new link to your navigation on multiple pages.

There is a lot less room for error when an individual decides to use a CMS to manage and maintain their website. A website owner does not have to worry about a simple mistake appearing on their website just because they had to make the same small change on several pages.

CMS is also GREAT if you have multiple individuals updating content on your website. You can use a CMS to control who has access to what different sections of the website as well as who has permission to publish stuff to the website. You can even set a person as an editor and have them moderate content by other people before it gets published to the website.

Easier Flexibility, More Cost-Effective

Overall, it’s a great way to keep a large website organised. You’re not going to have to worry about paying someone to update your website for you even if you’re not great with web design. Individuals who use CMS only have to worry about and deal with the content on the website. Then, they get the pleasure of hiring a web designer JUST to focus on the design of the site.

It’s also good to get a sense of what the job scope of a typical web designer entails so that you can determine the needs of your organisation. This will help you decide the type of designer you need and the responsibilities they will take on.

The biggest downside to using a CMS is that you are going to need to have some computer skills. There may be some training required before you (and your staff) are able to fully use the CMS and all of its features.

All in all, it does not really matter what kind of website you are managing. A CMS can be a great way to organize and maintain all of the content on your website. Regardless of if you have a non-profit organization website, a classified advertisement website or a church website – you can use a CMS to organise the site if you really want to.

At this point if you’re excited to create your very own website, I suggest reading my article on how I created a $5,000 website in a day or check out our web design training courses. 

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