What is a CMS and Why Your Website Needs One

CMS stands for content management system and is an application that allows you to create a website without the need for knowing all the techy stuff like coding.

Not a tech junkie, no worries! You can use a CMS to store and display content on your website.

And if you require a website that needs a little extra customization, then Rocket Park can build you a custom solution in a CMS as well.

If you would like to quickly and easily manage your own website content and your business has:

• Specific rules and regulations for your industry
• Specialized shipping options
• A niche target market
• Special reporting needs
• Unique products or services

Then you would benefit from a custom-built website with a CMS.

We are based in Dallas Texas, but we help businesses all over the US create beautiful and intuitive websites that help build brand awareness and increase conversion.

So if you think you need a custom-built solution, then contact us to see what CMS solution would be the best fit for you and your unique website needs or read on to learn more about content management systems.

How does a content management system work?

There are two parts of a CMS:

1. Content Management Application (CMA)- works on the front-end of your website by allowing you to add and manage the content stored on your site.
2. Content Delivery Application (CDA)- deals with the back-end of your site and stores your content, making it accessible to your potential customers.

The CDA and CMA come together to create a platform that makes it easy for you to manage content and displays it in a nicely laid out and structured way for your site visitors to see.

If you didn’t have a content management system, you would have to create a static HTML file and upload it to a server.

And who has time for that?

A CMS allows you to skip creating the HTML and uploading it to the server so you can focus on other important aspects of your business.

Different types of CMS platforms

To decide the best CMS for your business, you would first need to look at what kind of website you need.

Do you need a simple website for just a blog or a static website for a small business?

Or do you need something more complex like a robust eCommerce website or a custom-made membership site or online school?

If your business only needs a simple website to host blogs or a static website for a small business that features only product or service information, then you probably don’t need a custom-built solution and one of the hosted CMS options below would work just fine.

But if you need anything more than just the basics, then chances are you need a custom-crafted website solution.

Examples of content management systems

There are a ton of different CMS options out there. Each with their own pros and cons. Below are examples of a few CMS platforms.

• Wordpress
• Joomla
• Wix
• Squarespace
• Drupal
• Shopify
• Craft CMS

I’m sure you’ve heard of some of these before, but you may not know the best one to use for your online business needs.

We also know there are a lot of options, and that can seem like a lot of research and information to process. But not to worry because we are going to give you some information that will help you choose the best CMS for your specific website needs.

Hint-- we have a favorite CMS when it comes to custom-built websites.

And if you would like some information on CMS platforms, or general website design and development, feel free to give us a call at (214) 225-2011 for a free consultation.

Hosted content management systems

Wix, Squarespace, and Shopify are all hosted platforms which means that you are just renting the application and therefore have limited control. These website builder’s main goal is to help you get your website up and going quickly and easily.

Hosted CMS platforms are mostly drag and drop with different layout options. They are usually the easiest content management systems to work with and they can build beautifully laid out sites. However, they are not great for sites that require complex functionality.

So keep functionality in mind when thinking about which CMS to use. Functionality is one of the most important things to consider if you need a website that has a lot of moving parts and/or has special requirements.

Self-hosted content management systems

Wordpress, Joomla, Drupal, and Craft CMS are all self-hosted content management systems which means that you own the application and have full control.

They also provide more flexibility, functionality, and can be customized to fit your unique needs. Simply put, a professional website development agency like Rocket Park can code your website on a self-hosted CMS to perform exactly the way you need it to.

For example, let’s say that you have a need for an eCommerce website that processes tax-exempt forms during checkout making your customers purchase tax-free. We can craft you something that makes your checkout flow seamless, resulting in more conversion.

Craft CMS for eCommerce

Here at Rocket Park, we specialize in custom-built solutions, and we love creating eCommerce websites.

We have a lot of clients come to us asking about content management systems like WordPress or Shopify for their eCommerce sites.

And while these can be good options for some, they are not a fit for every business. You can read more on our blog, Why WordPress CMS Might Not Be The Best CMS For Your Business if you are considering WordPress for a custom-built and/or eCommerce site.

While Shopify is geared towards eCommerce and WordPress offers eCommerce plugins, we personally like going with a content management system that’s a little more customizable, like Craft CMS.

Be sure to check out our blog over why we love Craft CMS for more information about this self-hosted CMS option.

Some reasons why you may want a custom eCommerce website solution built with Craft:

1. Your store offer products in different currencies
2. You require dynamic forms on your website
3. You need a hassle-free tax exemption processes during customer’s checkout
4. You expect your business to grow and evolve and you need a website that will easily grow and evolve as your business does.

If your eCommerce store has any of the above or any other unique needs, give us a call at (214) 225-2011 to see how we can help you with a customized solution built with Craft.

Why you need a content management system for your business

By now you know a CMS is an application that allows you to easily store and manage content on your website. That in of itself is a big reason to use a CMS instead of building your own static HTML files (unless you plan on learning to code in HTML and are ok with limited functionality).

But if your site requires complex functionality or specific and/or unique solutions then a templated site can only go so far. A custom-built solution on an ultra-customizable CMS platform like Craft is going to be able to perform exactly the way you need to.

How Rocket Park can help you with all your website and CMS needs

If you’ve gotten this far, you probably realize that we love creating custom website solutions. Tailored-for-you solutions can help you create a stand-out online brand and a website that’s easy to navigate and is the perfect online space to convert site visitors to life-long fans.

And while we love building custom eCommerce sites, we also have a love for all things custom-built when it comes to websites (not just eCommerce).

So if you have:

• An online school
• A membership website
• A subscription-based website
• A luxury brand that wants an original website with a luxury feel and functionality
• Or any other business that requires has unique and specific needs.

Then know that we can build you a custom website that features all the functionality that you need and on a CMS platform like Craft that is super easy and intuitive to use. That way, if you need to go in and change contact info on your website or add a blog, that you can easily do that on your own and leave the custom coding to website development professionals like Rocket Park.

We are passionate about helping businesses just like yours really take off.

If you would like help with your CMS options or you have any website needs in the Fort Worth Texas area or anywhere else in the US, make sure to check out some of our work. Or feel free to contact us for custom solutions that help build brand authority, drive site traffic, and increase conversions.