A WCMS, or Web Content Management System, is an intermediary platform that allows users to create, customize, and manage all the content on their own website. It can be used independently or in conjunction with other applications, and it can be installed on an online server via the internet or on a local server.
The most popular reason for using a WCMS today is that it enables the creation and management of websites quickly and without requiring advanced technical knowledge. These systems typically have highly visual and intuitive interfaces, making them accessible for anyone to use without difficulty.
WCMS platforms can be classified as either proprietary or open-source, though a more interesting distinction is based on their ability to manage multiple channels. Each type has its own characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages, which we’ll outline below with a focus on CMSs for channels and the web.
Proprietary CMS
This type of CMS is owned by companies that sell licenses to other businesses or individuals to use the platform. Generally, these systems are more restrictive and do not allow duplication or alterations to the applications unless a developer license is obtained.
It’s also important to know whether the CMS can function outside the hosting environment of its owner, as many are designed to work exclusively within their creator’s ecosystem. In some cases, transferring the CMS to a different server may cause it to lose its format or display incorrectly. For this reason, it’s crucial to understand these details in advance if there’s a possibility of moving the CMS to another server.
The cost and limited flexibility of these CMS platforms are often the reasons why small businesses tend to avoid this option, instead preferring open-source systems that are more versatile.
Open-Source CMS
These CMS platforms are the most popular, and even if you have no prior knowledge on the subject, you’ve likely heard of WordPress. These systems do not require a license to use and can be customized without needing specific permissions.
In addition to WordPress, other well-known names include Joomla and Drupal. As an interesting fact, the official website of the White House in the United States was built using Drupal in 2009, but the Trump administration decided to switch it to WordPress. The main goal of this move was to reduce costs.
The biggest advantage of open-source CMS platforms is cost savings, as there’s no need to pay for licenses, nor are users tied to long-term contracts. However, a drawback is that they can be somewhat more rigid in terms of design, and you may need an expert with the necessary skills and experience to modify the CMS to suit your needs.
A New Approach: Headless CMS
One of the most significant innovations in the CMS world in recent years is the Headless CMS. This new system emerged from the need for businesses in the digital age to attract consumers with personalized content across multiple channels at all stages of the customer journey.
Traditionally, a CMS was a system that allowed users to create content and manage the entire workflow, from creation to publication on the web. This was achieved through WYSIWYG editors or HTML, with the results stored in the backend database. The CMS would then display this content via the frontend built into the CMS.
The headless CMS takes a different approach. This system focuses solely on creating, validating, and storing content in a repository, but it does not handle the task of delivering that content to a website. In other words, the final steps of the traditional CMS workflow (also known as coupled CMS) are removed. As the frontend components are considered the “head” of the CMS, this new approach is called the “headless CMS.”
Headless CMS is gaining popularity because it allows for the creation of unique user experiences and offers developers greater flexibility to innovate. It also enables website owners to stay up-to-date with design trends, as updating the frontend is much simpler than re-implementing the entire CMS.
Without a “head,” frontend developers are free to create as many “heads” as they want and adapt them for all the channels they need using APIs. These channels are numerous today, including websites, apps, smartwatches, digital billboards, virtual reality devices, and smart home assistants.
While this was possible with traditional CMS platforms (such as WordPress, which adapts to web, mobile, and tablet interfaces), the increasing complexity of channels—especially due to the Internet of Things—has outpaced the capabilities of traditional CMS to meet the needs of major brands.
Additionally, headless CMS is particularly recommended for those who only need a content creation tool (and a repository) and want to dispense with the rest of the workflow they don’t require.
Another significant advantage of headless CMS is in terms of security. As it is isolated from other layers, a headless CMS can be hidden and is less vulnerable to the cyberattacks that occur daily.
Leveraging the rest of Ximdex’s services and its multi-format, multi-channel, and multi-platform capabilities, its headless CMS allows publishing on any communication channel, developing B2B, B2C, and B2M applications, in any technology, while managing semantic information effectively.
In conclusion, CMS platforms have been widely used for many years, each with its pros and cons. However, in today’s technological context, headless CMS is gaining popularity over traditional systems due to the growing number of channels emerging. This type of CMS provides the flexibility needed to adapt to the ever-expanding range of channels available today.
