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Content Management System (CMS)

What Is A Content Management System (CMS)?

A content management system is a software that allows users to create, build, and publish websites on the Internet without the need for any advanced coding knowledge. 

You might’ve used a CMS before but just didn’t know it. For example, WordPress is a content management system; it allows you to create and modify web content easily.

A CMS lets you create an entire website from scratch - even if you’re not familiar with coding or HTTP! It handles all the basic architecture of a website, allowing you to focus on the content.

And aside from that, it can also help users with other functions such as document management. 

 

How Does A Content Management System Work?

A content management system does all the work for you. With an application like WordPress, you can find yourself editing documents on an interface as easy to use as Microsoft Word.

You can even upload and manage media like pictures straight from your image gallery.

But how does this happen?

Well, in technical terms, there are two core components of a CMS:

 

1. A Content Management Application (CMA)

The CMA is the application component that allows you to write and edit written content on your future (or present) site.

 

2. A Content Delivery Application (CDA)

The CDA is the behind-the-scenes management interface that collects and stores the data you input into the content management system and then makes it properly visible to your site viewers.

 

Examples of CMS

We’ve already shown you how WordPress is one of the best examples of a great CMS. However, it’s important to note that we don’t mean Wordpress.com here; instead, we’re talking about Wordpress.org, where the original open-source content management system is stored.

And among other examples of CMS include:

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

 

What Can You Do with A Content Management System?

Most content management systems today are quite flexible and adaptable, giving you the resources needed to work on many different kinds of web content. While specific CMS focus on a niche use, such as eCommerce, most of the other popular content management systems can essentially create any type of website!

Here are a few examples of what you could build with a regular CMS:

  • Blogs
  • Static Websites
  • eCommerce Stores
  • Social Networks
  • Online Courses
  • Forums
  • Portfolios
  • And more!

 

How to Build A Website with A CMS

Now that you’ve learned what a CMS can do and how it works, you may want to give it a try on your own.

So, here’s the general process of how you could build a website with a CMS like WordPress:

  1. Buy a domain name and web host
  2. Install a CMS of your preference on your web server
  3. Configure the CMS to decide how your future site will look and function
  4. Start creating content using the CMS!

So, as you can see, it’s quite simple to create your very own web content or just experiment with building a website.

 

Key Takeaway

Content management systems are brilliant tools for building and publishing websites or other functions like managing online documents. You can use systems like WordPress to help you get started on creating a new website, and you’ll find that the process is fairly straightforward. 

What’s more, the smooth functionality and user interface of content management systems make them perfect to be used by everyone, even if you don’t know a lot of technical knowledge. So, if you want to create a site, a CMS will do the job for you!