What is a CMS?

CMS (Content Management System), i.e. content management system, is software that helps users create, manage and modify the content of a website without special technical knowledge.
In other words, a content management system is a tool that helps you make changes to the content of a website without the help of a web developer.

In addition to content management, you can also manage basic technical SEO settings and multimedia content with the help of the CMS.

Tartalomjegyzék

The 6 most important features of a CMS

1. Ease of handling

Modern content management systems are easy to use and content editing works on a WYSIWYG basis, i.e. "what you see is what you get", therefore it does not require programming skills and knowledge. Therefore, their use is easy to learn!

This article presents the text editing options in CMS.

2. Security

The world of the Internet has always hidden risks. Attacks against websites are common, with the help of which hackers can change the appearance and function of a website and, in the worst case, obtain the database and data of your users.

CMS developers constantly check the vulnerability of their platform, and if they discover a gap in their system, they fix it as soon as possible. This allows their users to quickly patch security holes.

3. Multilingualism

Nearly three-quarters of Internet users do not communicate in English, so localizing the language of a website is essential in many cases.

To achieve these goals, CMS should support multilingualism. In practice, this means that the CMS should support the special characters needed to display each language and allow uploading an article in different languages, as well as separate articles for each language.

4. Search engine optimization (SEO) tools

Search engine optimization (SEO) support is an essential element of CMS. Here are the most important parts:

  • Changing page titles and META data
  • Support for SEO-friendly URLs
  • Creating an XML Sitemap
  • Support for 301 redirects
  • Using the ALT tag
  • Support for fast loading speed (e.g. by caching)

5. Support

The best content management systems are defined by customer satisfaction. This is true for all areas of life, since in the event of an error or obstacle, customers expect quick and efficient help. If there is a problem while using the CMS, you need immediate help, which can be the provision of continuous customer service or the ability to download online help descriptions and videos.

6. Responsiveness

Users do not need a mobile version of their website to make their website mobile friendly. The right CMS adapts your website to any device with any resolution. This approach saves a lot of time and energy for CMS users, since only one version of the website needs to be created and the system will display it correctly at any resolution.

It uses CSS3 technology for all of this. For example, CSS3 creates layouts that include rounded corners, animations, shadows, and new columns and grids, depending on the device and resolution the web page is displayed on.

Open source or custom CMS?

Open source CMS

Thanks to WordPress, open source CMSs are the most popular today. In almost every industry and company size, we come across websites implemented with open source CMS. Due to the fact that the basic system is free, many web developers focus on this platform, thanks to which it has a huge support base and a lot of add-ons are available for them.

Examples: Wordpress, Joomla!, dotCMS, eXo Platform

Custom CMS

In contrast to the above, a license fee must be paid after using individual CMSs. However, in exchange for this fee, we receive services that open source systems cannot provide. Their biggest advantage is that all user interfaces and functions are tailored to the needs of the given website and customer, no compromises have to be made. It is also the responsibility of the licensee to correct any possible errors.

Examples: SyteLab, CoreMedia WCM, Ektron CMS, SharePoint

Advantages of open source CMS

  • No license fee - open source systems are free to download
  • Independence - we can choose from a number of independent developers for installation, customization and training
  • Flexibility - the code of an open source system is accessible, so a competent developer can implement practically any unique function in it
  • Developer base – millions of users participate in the development of open source systems. This huge developer base is one of the biggest advantages of these systems.

Disadvantages of open source CMS

  • Implementation cost - as I wrote earlier, open source systems can be downloaded for free, but due to their complexity, a specialist is needed for installation, customization and implementation
  • No direct support - if we don't have a developer of our own choice who maintains the system, it is difficult to find a stable and continuously available specialist who knows the company, the site and can provide fast, effective help
  • Security risk - the popularity of open source systems also means their vulnerability. If we use the same system as millions of other users, then the attacker will know exactly the weak points of our system, how passwords are stored, and the structure of the modules, so he can target vulnerable points. If the visitor has access to the version number of the system we use, then based on that, he will know which security updates we failed to install, and therefore, by taking advantage of them, he will know what tools can be used to attack the site.
  • Lack of documentation - for some open source systems, excellent documentation in Hungarian is available, while for others the materials are difficult to access in English, or the system develops too quickly for the documentation to accurately follow the changes.
  • In many cases, hectic version tracking – in the case of a unique system consisting of many modules, it is difficult to track which part of the system is the current version and which one needs to be updated. After upgrading, maintaining compatibility between modules is key.

Advantages of a custom CMS

  • Reliable, professional support - if you pay for it, you can count on the support of a constantly available development team who know our system exactly and can immediately help you with any questions that may arise
  • Installation, customization - in many cases, the cost of installation, customization and training is included in the price of individual systems. In this way, we can be sure that a competent specialist will demonstrate the use of our system on site if required.
  • Maintenance – in exchange for the license fee, the system is continuously maintained by the developers, any errors that may occur are repaired free of charge.

Disadvantages of custom CMS

  • License fee and other mandatory costs - it depends on the content management system, but usually they all have a one-time fee and a monthly license fee that must be paid regularly.
  • Development costs - if we need some kind of unique development, we have to pay for its production.

At Usernet, we use a unique (SyteLab) and open source (WordPress) content management system during our web development projects. We choose the appropriate system together with our customer, along the criteria systems listed above.

What are the most popular CMSs?

1. WordPress

WordPress is the CMS used by most websites in the world. It was created as a blogging system, but nowadays it is the basis of many websites, from simple introductory pages, through webshops, to full-scale social networks. There are thousands of free and even more paid website templates available for WordPress. Not to mention the fact that we can browse through tens of thousands of extensions that can be used to increase the functionality of our website.

WordPress is free and there are tons of tutorials available on how to use it. This system has the largest developer community, which gives you the opportunity to create a website that meets your needs in a user-friendly environment.

I already wrote about the process of uploading articles to the WordPress system in a previous article.

2. Joomla

Many multinational companies use Joomla, including Music Television and Harvard University. Joomla is also suitable for managing background networks, among other things, one of the world's largest financial institutions (CitiBank) uses Joomla as a content manager for its background processes. It is also excellent for managing complex inventory management systems and simple web pages.

The camp of Joomla users consists of more than 200,000 users and contributors. Thanks to decades of development, it has a very active developer camp, so its training materials are easily available and almost all questions can be answered quickly on its developer forums. Like WordPress, there are countless plugins available for websites.

However, Joomla is less user-friendly compared to WordPress, and there are no website templates of the same quality as WordPress. In recent years, its popularity has declined a lot compared to WordPress.

3. Drupal

Drupal is the third most popular content management system used by many well-known companies and institutions, such as the New York Observer, Sony Music, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Drupal has a lot of features that are essential for building a website and organizing its content.

The Drupal community is very active, has many forums, and even organizes several conferences every year. This community is constantly updating the Drupal documentation, so everything from installing the CMS to the process of building a website and installing add-ons is available.

However, Drupal is not recommended for simpler websites, as it has many plugins that can slow down websites that don't use them. There are very few free website templates available and they do not reach the quality offered by WordPress and Joomla. The user interface is much less user-friendly than the previous two content management systems.

Benefits of using a CMS

1. Content editing is separate from development

Content editing is separate from website design and development, so even non-technical users can easily add, format and edit content on the website without affecting the functionality of the website.

2. Selective access rights

You can assign different access rights to each user based on the role they play on your website. For example, you can define that some users can add and edit their own content, while you can give others even full access. With this, you can make the operation of your website more secure and transparent, since each user can only access the website according to their role.

3. Quick update

Using a content management system, you can easily and quickly update the menus, headers, footers and all elements of your website.

4. Simple search engine optimization (SEO)

CMSs are very “SEO friendly”. You can add separate tags and META data to each page, and you can also set unique URLs for subpages. In addition, many extensions are available for different content management systems, with which you can make your website even more effective.

5. The most popular CMS are free

Best of all, most content management systems are free. You usually have to pay for extra customization options and unique developments.

Disadvantages of using a CMS

After presenting the main advantages of CMS, it is correct to write about the potential disadvantages as well.

1. Security risks

CMSs are exposed to continuous attacks from the web, but at the same time, the security of the content management system is of paramount importance in order to maintain website availability, data security, data protection and visitor trust.

2. Content editing and modification limits

The editing interface of today's modern CMSs is becoming cleaner and contains fewer and fewer functions in order to maintain simple and "foolproof" handling. As soon as the system is equipped with new functions through its expansion modules (plugins), its use becomes more complicated, requiring training for the user if necessary.

This maneuvering between security - easy handling - "fool proof" determines the operation of CMSs.

3. Functionality limitations

There are usually very special and unique processes that cannot be handled by the content management system without rewriting the code of the website itself. Of course, all problems that arise can be solved, but in such cases, you should definitely contact a web development specialist.

CMS selection advice

CMS platforms are very different, so it doesn't hurt to be aware of their features before choosing which one to use.

Ease of use. This applies to all systems, but especially to CMS, especially if content management will be done by several people. Ease of use means that the system can be set up quickly, basic tools are easily accessible, and there is a detailed knowledge base.

Plug-ins. Integrating a plugin or third-party application can be complicated for many users, so it is important that the system already includes the necessary plugins during installation. These include SEO tools, social media elements and online marketing tools.

Basic functions. Make sure the platform has the basic content management tools to create, edit and organize subpages/posts/articles. You also need a WYSIWYG editor that allows simple text editing as usual in Word.

Image management. This mainly applies to accessing images with attributes. Search filters are important if you want to quickly find old images that are difficult to find manually due to the many new images

E-commerce and marketing integration. Your website is primarily a sales tool; even static company websites are often designed to sell. Therefore, consider using a CMS that will enable the integration of the shopping cart webshop in the future. If not today, then maybe tomorrow you need to add an online shopping cart section to expand your sales channels. In addition, an e-commerce-friendly CMS will most likely enable the integration of digital marketing tools.

Support Responsiveness. As I pointed out above, the millions of mobile phone users who access the internet from their smartphones should not be overlooked. Use a system that supports the creation of responsive content.

Popularity. Choosing a CMS is a long-term decision. If you are thinking about an open source system, check how many people use the chosen platform and how widespread it is. Quite simply because you will find much more support on the web for the more popular systems.

Pricing. Even when using an open source CMS, you should check the price of paid modules and plugins and check whether the chosen platform allows you to add extensions or more sophisticated functions. If your needs grow, the free version will often not be enough, so make sure that there are paid modules available to suit your needs.
Regarding the pricing, it is also necessary to take into account the cost of running the CMS and performing security updates on the part of the web developer.