CMS In Web Design And Development: Key Highlights
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Content control system: A CMS turns your website into a system for publishing, approvals, compliance and ongoing updates without constant developer support.
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Implementation process: Choosing the CMS, domain and hosting first prevents performance, scalability and workflow issues later in the build.
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Platform-specific strengths: WordPress, Shopify, Drupal, Magento and Squarespace each support different business models, from content-heavy marketing sites to complex eCommerce operations.
A Content Management System (CMS) defines how quickly your business can launch campaigns, maintain consistency across channels and adapt its website without introducing technical risk.
The investment trend supports that shift as the global CMS market reached $22.91 billion in 2025 and is expected to hit roughly $39.94 billion by 2034 with a 7.19% annual growth rate.
That growth reflects practical priorities like smoother publishing, cleaner approval flows and reliable control as content spreads across brands, regions and service offerings.
This blog outlines how you can use a CMS in web design and development, the different types available and the benefits that help you choose the right one for your business.
Types Of CMS In Web Design & Development
While most content management systems allow users to create, modify and manage content, not all systems were designed with the same purpose.
There are several different types of CMS in web design and development, each one having the same core function of allowing you to create website content and store images without any technical skills or website development experience:
1. Enterprise Content Management (ECM)
Enterprise content management (ECM) governs how documents and digital assets move through your organization, from draft to approval to distribution and retention.
It covers structured records and unstructured materials such as contracts, proposals, policies, web copy, images, video and other rich media, with controls for who can access what, when and why.
That focus explains why enterprises account for 58.5% of the global CMS market, with North America generating 36.2% of total revenue, as the organizations in this category manage higher volumes of content under stricter regulatory and operational demands.
An ECM system combines software with agreed processes for workflows, permissions, metadata and retention, so your content remains organized, searchable and compliant as it moves across departments, systems and distribution channels without slowing the business down.
Box is one of the leading enterprise content management platforms for organizations that manage large volumes of documents across internal and external stakeholders.
It’s commonly used to control how files are stored, shared and updated, with built-in security and compliance features designed for regulated environments.
For leadership, the value lies in governance at scale, with compliance support, integrations with major business systems and controls that reduce risk while keeping information accessible where it’s needed.
Where Enterprise Control Delivers The Most Value
ECM platforms are best suited for organizations operating under strict regulatory, legal or operational requirements, where content must follow defined approval paths and retention policies.
Where Complexity Can Slow Execution
As organizations grow, ECM systems can introduce problems when approval layers expand faster than publishing needs, especially for marketing teams that require speed and flexibility.
A More Flexible Path For Growth-Focused Teams
For businesses prioritizing rapid publishing and iteration, a web content management system or component-based approach often reduces operational overhead while maintaining control where it matters.
2. Document Management System (DMS)
A document management system (DMS) focuses on controlling everyday business documents such as PDFs, Word files and spreadsheets, with an emphasis on storage, access and basic collaboration.
Compared to enterprise content management, it’s narrower in scope and usually lacks advanced workflow automation, governance frameworks and long-term records management.
Within the context of CMS in web design and development, a DMS typically supports the work around the site by managing content drafts, approvals and internal documentation rather than publishing pages to the web.
For businesses with simpler requirements, it helps maintain order, version control and accountability without the overhead of a full enterprise system.
For instance, ClickUp is often used as a document management system when businesses want files linked to specific tasks, owners and timelines.
Drafts, specs and internal notes are stored within the same workspace as the related work, allowing reviews and updates without switching tools or tracking down links.
Best Suited For Internal Coordination
DMS platforms work well when teams need reliable version control, ownership tracking and collaboration around internal files rather than customer-facing content.
Where Limitations Appear
When used beyond internal documentation, DMS tools lack the publishing structure, SEO controls and performance considerations required for modern websites.
A Better Fit For Public-Facing Content
When content needs to support traffic, discovery and conversions, a web-focused CMS provides the publishing and optimization capabilities a DMS cannot offer.
3. Web Content Management System (WCMS)
A web content management system (WCMS) is similar to an ECM, but created specifically for web content.
A WCMS features a publishing tool and allows users to manage website information by creating and maintaining content, such as service or product pages, without any knowledge of programming languages.
Unlike broader content systems, a WCMS focuses on how information appears and functions on the website itself, making it central to ongoing site management rather than internal documentation.
Joomla is a well-known example, offering flexible templates, role-based access and extensibility suited to businesses running content-heavy sites with frequent updates and multiple contributors.
Ideal For Marketing-Led Websites
WCMS platforms perform best for brands managing frequent updates, campaign launches and content ownership across teams without deep technical involvement.
Challenges At Scale
As content expands across regions, languages or channels, traditional WCMS setups can struggle to maintain consistency and reuse without additional structure.
When A More Modular Approach Makes Sense
For brands managing content across multiple platforms, component-based or headless CMS architectures provide greater long-term flexibility.
4. Component Content Management System (CCMS)
A component content management system (CCMS) organizes the content as reusable pieces rather than finished pages.
Text blocks, images, videos and other elements are stored separately and then assembled wherever they’re needed, which reduces duplication and keeps updates consistent across sites, apps and channels.
Instead of editing a page end to end, the content changes happen at the component level, so one update can reflect everywhere that element appears.
Storyblok is a common example, designed around structured components that support headless builds and multi-channel delivery without forcing teams to rewrite the same content in multiple places.
It also includes a visual editor that lets stakeholders preview how components come together before anything goes live.
Designed For Reuse And Consistency
Component-based systems excel when content must remain consistent across multiple sites, markets or digital products while still supporting fast updates.
Operational Considerations To Plan For
Without clear content models and governance, CCMS platforms can introduce complexity that requires stronger coordination between teams.
Simpler Alternatives For Focused Sites
For smaller or single-channel websites, a traditional WCMS often achieves similar results with less operational complexity.
How To Set Up Your CMS
Before setting up your CMS, you should know that this software has two core components:
- A content management application (CMA): An interface that allows content creators to create, modify, publish or remove content from a website without the need for coding skills
- A content delivery application (CDA): The backend of a website that facilitates content management and delivery by taking the content a user creates and displaying it to website visitors
If you want to decide on the right fit for your business objectives and audience requirements, follow these steps:
1. Choose A CMS
Choosing a CMS starts with understanding how much of your business depends on content and how often that content needs to change.
With 71.3% of all websites using a content management system, CMS platforms have become the default way companies manage and publish digital content at scale.
The real work lies in comparing options based on what matters to your site, whether that’s ease of use, structured workflows, advanced search or multilingual support.
Some platforms are built for speed and simplicity, while others focus on governance and scalability.
The right CMS aligns with your site’s complexity, internal processes and long-term direction rather than a generic feature list.
A Strategic Balance To Define Early
Every CMS decision involves tradeoffs between speed, flexibility and control.
Platforms that support complex workflows often require stronger governance, while simpler systems prioritize ease of use at the cost of long-term scalability.
Making this balance explicit early prevents friction as content, teams and expectations grow.
2. Pick A Domain Name
Choosing a domain name sets the foundation for how your site is found, remembered and referenced over time.
Domain registrars like GoDaddy make it easy to search availability and secure a name at low prices, but the decision shouldn’t be rushed.
The best domain names are easy to pronounce and recall, while being closely aligned with your brand or business name.
It’s also worth considering how the domain will scale as offerings expand and markets change. A clear, recognizable domain reduces friction for customers and partners long after launch.
3. Purchase Hosting
Choosing a hosting provider affects site speed, reliability and how well your CMS performs under real traffic.
While pricing matters, it’s equally important to evaluate uptime history, security measures, scalability options and the level of support included.
Providers like Bluehost and HostGator are popular because they offer plans that balance cost with performance and compatibility with common CMS platforms.
Hosting should support growth without forcing frequent migrations or upgrades. A stable hosting setup reduces technical disruptions and keeps your site accessible as demand increases.
Why Infrastructure Becomes A Trust Signal At Scale
As traffic scales, hosting quality becomes a trust signal.
Performance issues, downtime or security gaps affect rankings, but they also shape how users perceive the reliability of the brand behind the website.
4. Install The CMS
The next step is to install the CMS. This step may vary depending on the platform you choose, but it is typically simple and quick to set up, as most CMS have pre-defined steps for installation.
5. Install Plugins
Next, you need to install plugins to extend the functionality of your website, such as SEO tools or a plugin to create forms. You can choose between free and paid plugins, depending on your goals.
6. Customize Your Website
Customizing your website design shapes how visitors perceive your brand from the first interaction.
You can start with free or paid themes and adjust layouts, colors and typography, or work with a designer to create a custom theme that reflects your brand more precisely.
This step goes beyond appearance and influences usability, trust and how easily users move through the site.
With 59% of users saying they’d rather spend time on a beautiful, well-designed website than a basic one, design choices directly affect engagement.
Thoughtful customization helps your site feel intentional, credible and aligned with the experience users expect.
7. Upload Content
Uploading content is where your site takes its final shape. Most CMS templates include draft pages that provide structure, making it easier to replace placeholder text and visuals with your own material.
You can also build custom pages and define content types that reflect how your business organizes information.
Before publishing, review SEO fields, metadata and URLs to keep everything consistent and searchable.
Benefits Of Using A CMS
A content management system offers the following key benefits:
1. Requires No Coding Skills
A CMS reduces reliance on developers for everyday updates, allowing content teams to publish and refine pages independently.
This speed supports consistent site maintenance and faster iteration.
To remain effective over time, this flexibility works best when supported by design systems and content standards that keep pages aligned as contributors increase.
2. Facilitates Easy Collaboration
CMS platforms allow teams to work in parallel across content, design and technical maintenance.
Collaboration is most effective when permissions and workflows are clearly defined.
Without structure, increased access can introduce inconsistencies and publishing risk.
3. Offers Built-In Features
Another benefit of a CMS is that it comes with a wide variety of built-in features that you can add to your website to extend its functionality and optimize the content.
For example, you can install SEO plugins to ensure your website content is fully optimized for search engines. If you’re using WordPress, you can install Yoast SEO or SEOPress.
4. Allows Access To Multiple Users
A CMS allows you to create accounts for as many users as you need. Simply create a separate account for each user and they can log into the CMS and manage or update content.
5. Enables Content Scheduling
When you use a CMS, you can schedule content easily without any technical skills.
With a few clicks, you can schedule anything from blog posts to landing pages and emails to be published or sent at certain times.
6. Provides Instant Updates
You can easily update your CMS website by yourself, without the help of a developer. You can make changes on your own, from replacing an image to redesigning the website. Just log into your account, go to your dashboard and edit/update any web page.
Top 5 CMS Platforms For Businesses
When it comes to CMS platforms, there are numerous options. While the basics are similar, each platform has certain advantages, depending on what you’re looking for.
Here’s a breakdown of the most popular CMS platforms:
1. WordPress
Without a doubt, WordPress is the most popular website builder and CMS platform out there for any type of website or business. We would know; we specialize in custom WordPress sites.
Building a website is free on WordPress, but you need to purchase hosting and a custom domain. Around 33.57% of websites in the U.S. are built in WordPress, including well-known brands such as The New York Times.
Building a site using WordPress is quick and easy, and you can customize it using ready-made themes and plugins from the WordPress directory. No need for a wireframe, as you can set up your website within minutes. Posting or updating content or creating pages is very easy, as the CMS is simple and user-friendly.
Pros:
- Free website builder
- Affordable hosting
- User-friendly
- SEO friendly
- Large number of plugins available
Cons:
- You need to install multiple plugins for additional features
- Frequent updates can disrupt the operation
Pricing: WordPress offers a free plan and a range of paid plans, including Personal (starting at $4/month), Premium ($8/month), Business ($25/month) and eCommerce ($45/month).
2. Shopify
Over 3.6 million U.S. websites are built on Shopify, a leading platform in the eCommerce industry.
The platform’s CMS is intuitive and easy to use, with lots of built-in features for everything your e-store could possibly need.
There are multiple plugins to add if you want to customize your website, such as Plug In SEO, which helps you optimize your store for search engines, or Wishlists Plus, which allows users to pick their favorite products and bookmark them.
You can also extend the platform’s functionality by integrating third-party apps such as Mailchimp for adding to or updating your subscribers list.
Pros:
- Easy to use
- Customizable
- Hosting is included
- SEO tools are available
- Great customer service and 24/7 support via chat, email and Shopify Academy
Cons:
- Content editor isn’t as flexible as other website builders
- Shopify charges transaction fees and subscription fees for the apps you’re using
Pricing: The Basic plan starts at $29/month. There’s also a Shopify plan starting at $79/month and Advanced plan starting at $299/month.
3. Drupal
Drupal is highly praised for its reliability and performance, although it is not as simple as WordPress.
Drupal comes with thousands of free themes, modules and advanced security features that allow you to customize your website. The open-source platform does require some web development experience, so it is ideal for large businesses and government agencies that require large databases and are content-heavy.
Pros:
- Open-source and free code
- Easy to create your own content (web forms, blog posts, pages)
- High security
- Excellent performance that supports high traffic
- Easy to scale
Cons:
- Requires basic coding skills
- Advanced interface, created for web professionals
Pricing: Open-source code is free on Drupal, so you only need to pay for hosting.
4. Magento
Magento, now known as Adobe Commerce, is another CMS leader in the eCommerce industry, with more than 250,000 companies worldwide using the platform.
Magento makes content management easy. The Page Builder allows you to simply choose a page layout and add your content. Some pages such as Home and About Us are already there by default.
The flexible, open-source platform allows you to modify the source code to fit your website needs and requirements, but it does require a bit of a learning curve. Typically, this CMS is reserved for a certified Magento development agency, which can take advantage of the numerous extensions it offers.
One of the major brands that uses Magento is Coca-Cola.
Pros:
- Plenty of features available
- Open-source platform can be modified to your requirements
- Scalable
- A large community of users
- Regular security updates
Cons:
- The platform has a steep learning curve
- Can cause your website to slow down if you don’t have a dedicated server
Pricing: Magento is available in several pricing options. The open-source Magento Community Edition is free, so you pay for hosting only. The Enterprise Edition is proprietary, so you pay an annual fee, starting at $22,000/year.
5. Squarespace
Squarespace is an all-in-one CMS built for businesses that want design control, content management and commerce handled in a single environment without heavy development overhead.
In the U.S., 12.16% of all websites use Squarespace, representing just over 5.6 million sites, which reflects its broad adoption for marketing sites, portfolios and direct-to-consumer sales.
The platform combines a visual editor with integrated tools for content publishing, eCommerce, scheduling, email campaigns and analytics, all managed from one dashboard.
Its value comes from faster launches, predictable costs and the ability to manage brand presentation, sales and customer engagement without stitching together multiple systems.
Pros:
- High-quality, mobile-responsive templates
- Fluid Engine drag-and-drop editing for quick layout changes
- All-in-one platform for content, e-commerce, email and scheduling
- Built-in SEO tools and analytics reporting
- Integrated selling features for products, services, subscriptions and bookings
- Hosting, SSL and updates included for simpler maintenance
Cons:
- Limited flexibility beyond templates without custom code
- Fewer native integrations than WordPress
- Design-heavy pages can impact load times if unmanaged
Pricing: Squarespace offers a free 14-day trial, with the cheapest plan starting at $12 a month afterwards.
Optimize Your CMS Platform With Digital Silk
Choosing a suitable CMS for your business needs and industry requirements is only the first step to building a reliable platform that generates leads and maximizes conversions.
Digital Silk uses data-driven strategies and in-depth market research to develop user-friendly, conversion-focused and engaging interfaces for businesses across industries.
As a recognized web design company, our services include:
- Custom web design
- WordPress web design
- Shopify web design
- Magento web design
- Custom web development
- Branding services
- Digital marketing
Contact our team, call us at (800) 206-9413 or fill in the Request a Quote form below to schedule a consultation.
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