When people talk about a content management system (CMS), they’re basically talking about software that helps you build and run a website without needing to know tons of coding. Think of it like a control panel where you can add blog posts, upload photos, or update pages with just a few clicks. WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, and Shopify are some popular ones you’ve probably heard of. While CMSs are most commonly used for websites, they also power things like online stores, blogs, and even mobile app content (Red Radix, 2023).

Building a site with a CMS is pretty different from coding one by hand with HTML and CSS. With a CMS, you can set things up quickly, use ready-made themes, and install plug-ins to add features. It’s a great option if you don’t want to mess around with code every time you want to change something. On the flip side, hand-coding gives you total freedom to design exactly how you want, but it takes way more time and technical skill. These days, the best approach is often a mix: businesses like the speed and convenience of CMSs, but they still bring in developers when they need custom features or advanced designs (Cooper, 2021).

A big question is whether CMSs are taking away jobs from web designers and developers. The truth is, they’ve changed the role rather than eliminated it. Sure, a CMS makes it possible for anyone to spin up a website, but businesses still need pros to make their sites stand out, run smoothly, and stay secure. Instead of spending hours hand-coding every page, developers can now focus on bigger things like custom plug-ins, user experience, or performance optimization. So, CMSs haven’t killed web design jobs, they’ve actually pushed them into more creative and strategic areas (Venghaus, 2024).

In the end, CMSs have opened the door for anyone to share content online, while also giving professionals new opportunities to push web design further. They save time, lower the barrier to entry, and keep websites flexible. If you’re building for the web today, knowing how CMSs work is pretty much a must.

References

Cooper, J. (2021). Building websites: CMS vs. coding from scratch. SitePoint. https://www.sitepoint.com/cms-vs-coding

Red Radix. (2023). What is a content management system (CMS)? https://redradix.com/blog/what-is-cms

Venghaus, L. (2024). How CMS platforms are shaping the web design industry. Medium. https://medium.com/@lvenghaus/cms-and-web-design