Content Management System

A Content Management System (CMS) is a software system or platform used by organizations to manage their digital content – primarily across multiple websites, but also for other digital touchpoints. 

Organizations may have thousands or even tens of thousands of pieces of digital content that they need to organize and access, including web pages, documents, images and videos. 

By having this content in a CMS it can be better managed – for example to control who has access, to define approval workflows, and to decide on which channels it will appear. 

Also, many CMSs provide additional features such as personalization, support for localization, and audit trails to show what content was updated by whom and when.

Example use cases

  • Create, edit, collaborate on, publish and store digital content
  • Format and index content for easy search and retrieval
  • Control revision of content and who can access it
  • Report on content KPIs

Key benefits

  • No need to understand HTML or web technologies to publish content 
  • Better content governance across a wide range of content types 
  • With ‘headless’ content delivery, a CMS becomes a content hub for delivery of content across multiple channels 
  • Integration with other marketing technologies enables a smoother customer journey across various digital touchpoints

Related terms

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