What is CMS, CMS Advantages, and CMS Examples

Content Management System or CMS is one of the online platforms that are often used to create a website or application on the internet. Currently, there are various CMS options that you can choose according to your preferences and needs. Starting from CMS for creating regular websites to e-commerce CMS used for opening online stores. CMS is certainly very useful for laypeople who do not have technical knowledge of the programming languages needed to create a website on the internet.

By using CMS, you can easily build any website according to your needs. Starting from blogs, online stores, to discussion forum websites. However, with the many CMS options out there, choosing the right platform to support a business is not an easy task. Therefore, in this article, we will provide complete information about CMS from what CMS is to various other interesting information just for you.

What is CMS (Content Management System)?

So, what is CMS in general? CMS stands for Content Management System. For its definition, CMS is a system that can help its users to create, manage, and modify content on a website. Over time, CMS has undergone many significant developments.

Content Management System or CMS can also be used as a mainstay for website developers to develop a website or blog because they no longer need to write code from scratch in the creation process. Now, CMS has become the main manager for the overall user experience across all platforms, such as email, social media, mobile applications, websites, and much more.

Not only that, if you are a web developer and have colleagues or a team working with you, you can also collaborate using CMS. Collaboration can include various aspects such as content creation, editing, and overall digital content production. Web developers can also write content, edit, create headlines, manage SEO, or add photos to the platform. These capabilities are some of the functions of CMS.

Criteria for the Best CMS You Should Know

In theory, you certainly already understand what CMS is. However, you also need some other information regarding the criteria that a CMS must have. Here are the best CMS criteria you should know:

Easy to publish new content. Any quality CMS will offer advanced editors and various options to ensure that the content and appearance can be more attractive.

Has content taxonomy options. The more content a website has, the more important it is to keep everything organized and in its place. Therefore, CMS should allow users to create categories, assign tags to articles, and more.

Has functionality to edit or modify pages. The best CMS platform is certainly very easy to configure by its users. This means that by using it, you can add almost all features as desired. As a result, the desire to create a cool and professional website can be easily realized.

Solid community. A CMS with an active community indicates that the content management system can be continuously updated. Therefore, the chosen CMS and the website you create will always be up to date. When facing issues, people in the community are ready to help you overcome them effectively.

The above five points are some things worth considering for users when choosing the best website CMS. In addition, the best website CMS already has various variations in terms of features and project types that can be customized according to needs.

What is Custom CMS?

Custom CMS is an application tailored to the specific needs of a business related to various aspects such as content storage, management, and digital content publication. The custom CMS management system can include several components such as:

• Document management.
• Archive management (documents for legal purposes).
• Digital asset management (audio, video, and graphic content).
• Web content management.

Advantages of Custom CMS

Here are some advantages of custom CMS that you need to know:

• Facilitates the process of creating and managing content.
• Can be customized according to the needs of each user.
• Using CMS in website creation no longer requires dominant programming languages.
• Using various types of plugins and extensions to create website pages.
• Has features in user management that can set various user roles such as editor, administrator, author, subscriber, and more.
• Provides various design themes in raw form.
• Integrated with various forums, communities spread across various countries.
• The CMS application itself is open source and can be installed for free. You only need to prepare web hosting and a domain for the website creation process.
• Provides articles and tutorials related to building CMS applications, whether custom or professional.

Examples of CMS

After understanding what CMS is, you must be familiar with some of the most commonly used CMS examples. Here are some of the best CMS examples that are widely used by various groups:

WordPress

The first recommended CMS that is most widely used and also the most popular is WordPress. WordPress CMS is the first content management system example that was initially used only for blogging and generally used by bloggers. This is because its use is very flexible and easy.

However, over time WordPress is now widely used as a CMS for creating various types of websites such as online stores or e-commerce, company profiles, and portfolio websites. So, not only bloggers can use WordPress in the digital era like today.

Drupal

By using Drupal, you can easily build various types of websites from simple blogs to online forums with a large community. Drupal has several additional modules that will make it more attractive, such as search tools and search-engine-friendly URLs.

Joomla

Another example of CMS is Joomla, which is a platform for creating websites ranging from company profiles, personal websites, school websites, to online stores. With various features offered by Joomla, you can choose it as one of the best platforms that can be an alternative to WordPress.

However, this platform has a drawback, in recent years Joomla has left bugs and fixes that disturb its users when using various features within it.

Shopify

Shopify is a paid e-commerce web builder that functions to create online stores, from product management, inventory pricing, payments, to shipping. This platform is suitable for business owners who want to create their own online store on the internet but have no coding experience at all.

You only need to register on the official Shopify website to create an online store website through the available dashboard. Shopify provides a dashboard that is very easy to learn for laypeople.

Wix

Wix is a cloud-based platform that can be used to create a website. Without the need for coding knowledge, users of this website builder can immediately get their dream website easily. This is because Wix is equipped with user-friendly tools that only require drag and drop to make modifications to the website.

On its official website, Wix states that they have advanced technology that allows everyone to get a professional and functional website. So, for those who have never had a website before, there is no need to worry because now you can easily create one on Wix.

Squarespace

Squarespace is an integrated website design platform with a SaaS-based content management system, blog platform, and hosting service. This system allows ordinary users to professionals to create and manage their own websites. The service is available in bundled or separate forms.

Every website must be hosted by Squarespace. Users cannot host their Squarespace sites. Since its launch in 2004, Squarespace has employed more than 500 employees in 190 countries. Millions of users have used this platform to create websites.

Bitrix

Bitrix is an environment for developing website applications called the Bitrix Framework. Bitrix Framework is one of the PHP-based web application development platforms that you can use. This platform includes 1C-Bitrix, which has created two popular products such as 1C-Bitrix: Site Management and 1C-Bitrix: Corporate Portal.

Blogger

Blogger, also known as Blogspot, is a Google-owned CMS platform used to create websites for free. Blogspot is suitable for beginners in creating simple blog websites. This is because the platform has a simple interface that is easy to understand.

For its use, Blogger only requires an active Google account that can be run without having a specific domain. However, the website you will have will have the ending blogspot.com, for example, like myblog.blogspot.com. To remove this ending, you can buy a domain and connect it to the platform.

Magento

Magento is an open-source content management system that offers advanced features for creating an online store. From various payment methods, product management panels, to shopping cart systems. You can find all of these in Magento.

You can create an online store according to your wishes using Magento, whether for small businesses or large companies. This system provides complete control options that allow you to design a consumer-friendly website and maximize it for Search Engine Optimization or SEO.

Moodle

If you are interested in developing an online-based Learning Management System, then this CMS platform is very suitable. Yes, Moodle is a platform that has complete e-Course features such as online tests, forums, and more. However, Moodle is also known to have a slightly complicated management system. This makes users need technical understanding and skills to use it smoothly.

PrestaShop

PrestaShop is an example of a CMS for those interested in developing an online store website. This CMS offers dynamic and complete features that can provide comfort for both sellers and buyers.

In this platform, sellers can organize the products they offer well and systematically. They also have various payment features, ranging from ATM transfers to Paypal. This will make sellers and buyers feel more comfortable when shopping online at your store using Prestashop CMS.

OpenCart

OpenCart is a specific example for creating online store or e-Commerce websites. This platform is based on PHP and MySQL, open source, and free to use. To use OpenCart, you only need to have web hosting and a domain.

Advantages of Using CMS

To better understand what CMS is, you must know its benefits and functions for website development. By using CMS, you can update content without having to have special knowledge or technology like CSS or HTML beforehand.

However, despite having many benefits, CMS also has its own advantages and disadvantages. Next, you will discuss its advantages first. The advantages of CMS are as follows:

Offers More Affordable Costs

The first advantage of using CMS is in terms of budget. When using CMS to create a website, you can make content changes without additional technology or special knowledge. This will not require you to spend more money to change content on the website.

Not only that, the information or content you have changed on the website will also be quickly available without having to wait for a third party to do it. So, using CMS has a more affordable price.

Easy to Use and Flexible

CMS can be used by non-technical users. Simple design and system will allow UI designers or content managers to update content easily, without much training like coding or technical system maintenance.

More Efficient and No Installation Required

You can still use CMS without prior installation. CMS is a system that runs through the internet server, meaning you do not need to install CMS on the computer device used. With just an internet connection and a browser, you can easily update content.

Additionally, you can use multiple user IDs and assign several people or admins to fix and manage the website. This way, the website can still run efficiently and easily.

Easy Customization and Easy Design Updates

With CMS, you can update content using a universal layout structure. You can also choose themes as desired without having to do much coding. Because of this ease, you can use separate CMS design templates from the content.

You can also change it without worrying that it will affect the content. Furthermore, CMS is a system that can manage websites without changing the design or navigation layout that causes inconsistent web appearance.

Disadvantages of Using CMS

From the advantages of using CMS above, this content management system certainly has some disadvantages. These disadvantages must be well understood so that you can have an optimal website when using it. Here are some disadvantages when using CMS:

Security is Not Well Guaranteed

Although CMS can update data anytime and anywhere as long as there is an internet connection and a browser, using CMS is vulnerable to cyber attacks and illegal access. So, users must be extra careful. Cyber attacks and illegal access can make your website disappear and unusable.

Design Limitations

When managing and developing a website using CMS, you will feel design limitations. CMS has its own design templates, so users can only use all available templates.

Affects Website Speed

Using CMS can also affect the loading speed of your website. Especially if the hardware infrastructure is insufficient. If this is not anticipated, it can affect the website speed.

Must Learn Its Functions and Uses

It was mentioned earlier that CMS is a content management system that is very easy to use, even for non-technical users. However, CMS utilization still needs to learn its functions and how to operate it. You also need to familiarize yourself with the various functions it offers.

Best CMS in the World

Looking at the data, WordPress is the platform with the most users. This means WordPress is one of the best CMS in the world. However, for websites used for broader purposes, the best CMS is custom CMS because it can be tailored to the needs of each user.

Well, those are various interesting information about what CMS is in full. From the explanations above, it can be concluded that CMS is a medium that can be used to build a website from scratch. The presence of CMS certainly makes website creation easier and more efficient.

If the CMS is secure when used. What about the performance of the website you have created? It's a shame if the performance of your website is not good even though the content in it is of good quality with good management. To ensure the performance of your website is always optimal, you can start using WEBARQ services now.

WEBARQ is one of the digital marketing services that has experience in providing various needs for business players, such as website creation, digital marketing, website development, and helping to create interesting content for social media or websites.