Why Content Management Systems Are the Better Alternative for Most Websites

1. CMS and HTML - what are they actually?
2. Content management systems: Advantages over an HTML website
3. CMS systems and their weaknesses - What are the disadvantages compared to an HTML website
4. Who is a CMS system suitable for?
5. CMS Tools
6. Conclusion

In today's world, websites - whether they belong to businesses, organizations or individuals - are of great importance. A website is often the most important part of marketing and digital communication. It must therefore fulfil a variety of functions: from providing information, selling goods and services, to representing the values and attitudes of the brand.

There are two basic ways to create a website: with a content management system (CMS) or through direct programming of HTML codes. This is one of the first decisions you have to make when creating a website. Both options have their advantages and disadvantages, and it is important to carefully weigh them to make the best decision. In this article by our guest author Franko Schulz, you will learn what the differences are between CMS and self-programmed HTML websites.

CMS and HTML - what are they actually?

Before we go into the advantages and disadvantages of a CMS and highlight the essential differences to HTML websites, we should make a small definition:

A Content Management System (CMS) is a software tool that allows users to manage website content without having to program themselves. In the development of websites, content management systems build on existing codes and developments, which are adapted to develop individual pages. CMS usually have a graphical user interface and a visual builder (GUI), which allows users to add, edit and remove content such as texts, images and videos. A CMS also offers a variety of functions, such as templates, extensions and plugins, which enable users to expand the functionality of their website.

A self-programmed HTML website on the other hand is built from scratch and requires a deep understanding of web technologies such as HTML, CSS and JavaScript. A self-programmed website is more flexible in development than a CMS, as users can fully adapt the design and functionality to their specific needs.

Content management systems: Advantages over an HTML website

One of the main advantages of a CMS framework is the simple and fast creation of websites. By using pre-made templates and designs, you can create a professionally looking website with just a few clicks, without deep knowledge of HTML, CSS or other web technologies. Even if you have a custom design or special requirements, then a CMS website can be adapted with a few tweaks.

This means that even small businesses or individuals can create an attractive website without major financial investments.

But the much more important advantage of CMS lies fundamentally after the relaunch of your website: the independent and easy management of content.
By using CMS, you can easily and quickly add, edit or remove content such as texts, images or videos without having to write HTML codes. This facilitates the updating of content and the maintenance of the website considerably. With proper preparation, the content is also directly provided with correct fonts, spacing and colors.

CMS also offer a variety of functions and extensions that make creating a website even easier and more efficient. For example, by using CMS extensions, you can quickly add features like e-commerce, contact forms or social media integration without having to worry about programming. This allows you to extend your website functionality without incurring additional costs.

Let's go into detail on all the main advantages:

1. Easy updating of content

The, as mentioned before, biggest advantage of CMS is the ability to update content quickly and easily. CMS offer an intuitive user interface, so-called visual builders, with which you can edit content such as texts, images and videos without extensive programming knowledge. As a result, your site does not look as if it was created by a programmer. Content managers, designers and authors have much more extensive possibilities to co-design the website with a CMS. Quick preview options and publication restrictions also ensure that quality control is not lost. On to point 2.

2. Efficient collaboration

CMS allows multiple users to work together at the same time. Multiple users can access a website and edit content without causing conflicts or data loss. With differing roles, which are equipped with other rights and release processes, even simpler tasks such as translations, Meta descriptions or other tasks can be delegated more efficiently. Speaking of SEO - that brings us to point 3.

3. SEO optimization

CMS are often equipped with integrated SEO features that help you optimize your websites for search engines. Especially content SEO optimizations are no longer witchcraft with a CMS. With the help of features like meta descriptions, tags and keywords, you can optimize your websites so that they are easier to find by search engines. Also, scaling images or automatically converting them into Internet-compatible formats like WebP can be easily implemented with a CMS. Which brings us to images and point 4.

4. Easy management of media

CMS also provide simplified management of media and files. You can easily upload and organize images, videos and other files to use them later in your content. Even the centralized distribution can be organised with a few simple steps. The centralized management and scaling of content also ensures the look-and-feel of the website. Which brings us to our fifth point.

5. Adjusting templates and designs

CMS offer a variety of templates and designs that you can easily adapt and update to enhance the look and functionality of your websites. You can choose from a variety of pre-made designs or create your own. These designs are then set in rules and can not be changed by backend users. How strong the restrictions should be set by the design, you can determine individually. Also with additional functions these can be integrated into the design relatively easily. And already we are at advantage number 6.

7. Integrations and Extensions

CMS also allow you to add integrations and extensions to extend the functionality of the website. You can add plugins, additional functions or modules to make your website even more user-friendly and individual. These include, for example, extensive contact or lead forms, social media, analytics tools or animations.

7. Costs

CMS are often a more cost-effective option compared to a fully custom website. As many CMS platforms are Open Source, they are free or require only low licensing fees. In addition, you do not need extensive programming knowledge to create a website with a CMS, which can reduce the costs of website development. Also, the costs of expanding the websites is much cheaper with a CMS, as you do not need a new development for new pages each time, but can copy existing pages and fill them with new content. The same applies when deleting.

8. Updates and new developments

As CMS are usually Open Source Systems they are continuously developed and adapted to the latest techniques. So you can always refer back to these developments. Sometimes by updating the software and sometimes by adapting your existing system. Generally though, it can be said that due to the swarm intelligence, which characterizes an open source system, your website can be brought up to date quickly and easily. Additionally, of course, you don't have to rely on the original developers of the website.

CMS systems and their weaknesses - What are the disadvantages compared to an HTML website

Although, as described above, CMS offer many advantages, there are also some disadvantages compared to HTML websites. These should not be left out here.

Performance

In CMS there can be performance and performance impairments. Since CMS contain many functions and extensions, this can lead to excessive load on the website, which can lead to poor performance and a slow loading time. HTML websites, on the other hand, only have what the developer has written, and can therefore be faster and more efficient. This can be especially advantageous for websites with high traffic.

Security

The security and attacks from attacks is one of the larger disadvantages. The sheer size and millions of uses of different CMS and the multitude of technologies on which CMS are based can make them more attractive and vulnerable to attacks from hackers and cyber criminals. But basically this is nothing that you can't counteract. Here it is important to regularly perform updates and security patches to maintain the stability of the website security.

Individuality in interfaces

CMS can cover and serve a multitude of interfaces through API connections, plugins or other technologies. However, if there are very special solutions and they are used, CMS quickly reach their limits. Here, your own development has the advantage of being able to integrate interfaces flexibly.

Who is a CMS system suitable for?

Content Management Systems (CMS) are suitable for a variety of users and situations. Here are a few examples:

Companies: CMS are a great option for companies that have limited resources and time. With a customized CMS, they can quickly and easily create and manage a professional website without extensive programming knowledge being required. Even with larger customizations, CMS is recommended for these companies. The reasons for this are, firstly, the dependency on developments in the further support of the site is minimized and made more cost-effective and secondly, the editing of the site can be outsourced to different areas of competence: content managers for content, translations or even product managers for the product databases. This allows for a fast, competence-oriented approach when working with the website.

Content Creators: CMS are also a popular choice for bloggers and other content creators. CMS, like WordPress or Drupal, offer an easy way to publish and manage blog posts. They have features like tags, categories and comments that can help increase user interaction on the website and make the content easier to manage in the backend.

E-Commerce Companies: CMS are also a good option for e-commerce companies. Many CMS, like Magento Open Source and WooCommerce, offer specific features for online trade, such as order management, warehouse management and payment processing. Most CMS's have an extension with their own developments for shop systems. So a CMS is ideally suited for shops.

Non-Profit Organizations: CMS can also be advantageous for non-profit organizations that have limited resources and technical know-how. With a CMS, non-profit organizations can quickly and easily create and manage a website to spread their message and collect donations.

Government Authorities: CMS are also a popular choice for government departments. With a CMS, government departments can quickly and easily create and manage a website to provide important information and services to the public. Even the White House uses a CMS to present itself on the net.

Overall, CMS are suitable for all user types who are looking for a simple and cost-effective way to create and manage a professional website without having to have extensive programming knowledge or being dependent on it. As already mentioned above, especially the daily work with the website is crucial for the choice and the decision pro CMS.

CMS Tools

On OMR Reviews you can find a suitable Content Management System (CMS) for you and your company. We have put together a list of our favorite CMS tools on OMR Reviews for you:

WordPress

Storyblok

Magnolia

Contao

TYPO3

Scrivito CMS

Conclusion

In summary, it can be said that Content Management Systems (CMS) offer more advantages than disadvantages compared to static websites. CMS enable faster and easier updating of content, simplified media and file management, management of user rights and access restrictions as well as easier customization of templates and designs. In addition, SEO functions are often integrated and integrations and expansions can be implemented. Overall, you should choose a CMS in most cases, because the majority of use cases of websites, can be managed with a content management system.