Content Management System: Beginner’s Guide

Usually, HTML, JavaScript, and CSS programming languages are used for creating websites. CMS provides a solution by permitting  you to create a website without writing code or learning programming. Multiple users can contribute, create, edit, publish without having to beg a developer. 

CMS provides version management and authoring workflow to keep large, global sites consistent. It handles all that basic infrastructure stuff for you to focus on more forward-facing parts of your website. The users can easily make changes at the backend without disrupting content publication.

Two main parts help create your website: content management application (CMA) and content delivery application (CDA).

CMA allows marketers and other content creators to work with content directly without involving the IT department. Whereas CDA acts as the backend portion of the website. It takes the content you enter into the templates and turn them it into a functional website which is accessible worldwide.

However, with content management systems such as WordPress, you can write your content in an editor. These editors looks very much like Microsoft Word. You can write text, make them bold, italics or any fonts, letter size etc.

Then you can insert images by uploading image files by drag and drop. Meaning – no hassles of writing Image Tags and providing the hyperlinks etc. Similarly, for uploading and managing images, you can browse the media library. Hence you need not interact directly with your web server.

The CMS is more than a backend management interface. It makes all of the content that you create show up for your visitors exactly as you want it.

Some of the different types of content management systems have emerged over the years.

1 Component Content Management System (CCMS)

A CCMS, is different from a standard CMS. CCMS organizes content at a granular level. This effectively means that CCMS does not manage content page by page. Instead it takes words, paragraphs, phrases, and images and stores them in a central repository.

CCMS is designed for maximum content reuse. It acts as a trusted and consistent source that publishes content across different platforms.

• Reusability There is a high degree of content reusability in CCMS. It saves time during the writing, editing, and publishing phase leading to a significant reduction in cost.
• Traceability You can track a content in detail when you use a CCMS. This effectively means that you can see who did what, when, and where.
• Enhanced Team Collaboration CCMS improves workflow for your content development team, especially those working remotely.
• Single-Sourcing You can push content to multiple channels and platforms with a CCMS. These numerous channels include print, mobile, web, chatbots, embedded help, to name a few.

2 Document Management System (DMS)

Paper documents have become a thing of the past, but they need to be managed, stored and archived. It is a paper-free solution for collecting, storing, and tracking documents in a cloud environment. It offers an automated solution for uploading, processing, and sharing business documents without the hassles of scanning, copying or printing.

• Eco-Friendly It is an eco-friendly system where content is organized in digital format without using any paper.
• Security  It offers several levels of protection to ensure confidential content remains confidential.
• Mobility This document management system allows you to access and edit documents from remote locations.

3 Enterprise Content Management System (ECM)

An ECM or enterprise content management system collects, organizes, and delivers an organization’s documentation. An ECM gives all organization members easy access to the content and make critical decisions. Additionally, an ECM deletes files after a specific retention period, This ensures that no obsolete content takes up space.

• Flexible You can capture any file type from any location and have it processed. It can be stored automatically. 
• Increases Efficiency Your productivity is much higher as the documentation issue has been sorted out.
• Reduced Storage Costs It saves money as only the required files and content is being stored and the rest of the files are deleted.

4 Web Content Management System (WCMS)

You can manage digital components of a website without prior knowledge of web programming. A WCMS provides the required easy to use collaboration, authoring, and administration tools. These tools help in driving digital content. Unlike other CMS dealing with content for both the web and print, a WCMS handles exclusively the web content.

• Personalization You can customize a webpage with personalized design and content.
• Automation It saves valuable time and improves workflow management by publishing content automatically.
• Scalability A scalable system like a WCMS allows companies to grow exponentially without worrying about surpassing their website limits.

5 Digital Asset Management System (DAM)

The users can store, organize, and share digital content with ease with a digital asset management system. It offers a centralized library where employees, contractors or clients can easily access digital content. It is cloud-based so that users can access content from anywhere.

• Centralized Repository Content is safe in a centralized repository and secure in one place.
• Effective Brand Management You can manage a branded web portal for users to access important files.
• Digital Publishing You can push digital content to third-party distribution services, social media channels, and more.

Some popular content management systems include:

• Joomla
• Drupal
• Magento (for eCommerce stores)
• Squarespace
• Wix
• TYPO3

Other than these, many other lesser well-known content management systems target large enterprises. All of them, however, come with a price tag. Most content management systems are quite flexible nowadays. Some of them focus on a specific use. For example, Magento and eCommerce – most of the popular content management systems are used for creating essentially any type of websites.

You can use WordPress to power:

• • Blogs
  • eCommerce stores
  • Forums
  • Static websites
  • Social networks
  • Online courses
  • Membership sites
  • Portfolios

Which Is the Best CMS Platform?

There’s a reason why WordPress has such a dominant share of the content management system market. Using WordPress, you can create an eCommerce store, an online forum, a LMS (learning management system). You can also create an auction site, a membership site, a marketplace, and almost anything else you can think of.

WordPress has everything which you want from a perfect CMS platform. It’s easy to get started with WordPress. Most of the web hosting companies offer a single-click installation process. So, you can extend the functionality in almost any way you can think of using plugins (like WordPress apps).

You can do unlimited things with WordPress. If you find that your space requirement for your site is becoming insufficient, you can easily upgrade your hosting to a managed WordPress hosting company.
It provides the most user-friendly, flexible solution for most types of websites. It is the best option most of the time, if not always.

The general process for creating a website will be as follows:

> As a first step, you have to purchase a domain name and a web hosting setting provider. 

> On completion of the first step, you need to install the CMS of your choice on your web server

> In the third step, you need a CMS to dictate how your site looks and functions. This is normally done by selecting existing themes from a library. You can also opt for creating a new theme, but that will require the services of a web developer.

> Once all the above steps are successfully completed, you can start writing content using the interface provided by the CMS.

It’s surprisingly simple. Additionally, some hosts can even help install the content management system for you. This effectively means that you can jump straight into building your site without any technical setup.

Final Thoughts

Google Search Console was previously known as ‘Google Webmaster Tools’. It is a free tool provided by Google, and is a standard tool in the SEO’s toolkit.
GSC provides rankings and traffic reports for top keywords and pages. Also helps identify and fix on-site technical issues.