Content Management Systems: How to implement, edit and manage your content with Shopify

Shopify offers its very own content management solution. With it, you can easily create custom content and publish it in your desired position in the online store. In this post, we'll show you how it works and what you need to keep in mind. We'll also explain what content models are and how they can be created with content.

Content Management System - Definition

A content management system (CMS) is software that allows users to create, edit, organize, and publish digital content such as text, images, videos, and other multimedia elements to a website. A CMS facilitates the management of web content without requiring extensive technical knowledge. It provides a user-friendly interface through which content can be created, formatted, and published without requiring HTML or coding knowledge.

A CMS allows multiple users to work on different content simultaneously, often assigning roles and permissions to control access. It also separates the design and structure of a website from its content, increasing flexibility and customizability.

Advantages and disadvantages of content management systems

Overall, CMSs provide an efficient and flexible way to create, organize, and present content, resulting in a better user experience and streamlined management of your e-commerce website. However, using them also comes with disadvantages. Let's summarize which advantages and disadvantages CMSs have:

Functions of a Content Management System

The extensive features of content management systems make them an indispensable tool for creating content, organizing it, and running a responsive e-commerce website that is easy to manage and customize. Here is an overview of the most important functions:

Content Editing

CMSs allow for easy creation, editing, and formatting of text, images, videos, and other content on the website.

Media management

With a media library, you can upload, organize, and reuse images, videos, audio files, and other media resources.

User management

You can set different user roles and access rights to enable management and collaboration between different team members.

Responsive design

Modern CMSs offer the ability to customize content for different screen sizes and devices to ensure an optimal user experience.

SEO tools

Many CMSs offer built-in SEO features that allow you to optimize meta tags, URLs, and other elements to improve search engine visibility.

Templates and themes

CMSs offer pre-built templates and themes that control the design of your website and are customizable to adjust the look and feel.

E-commerce integration

CMS can be seamlessly integrated with e-commerce platforms to manage product pages, catalogs and orders.

Versioning

Versioning feature allows older versions of content to be retained and restored as needed.

User-friendly interface

An intuitive dashboard makes it easy to navigate and manage content, even for users with no prior technical knowledge.

Plugins and extensions

Many CMSs offer a wide range of plugins and extensions to add additional features such as forms, social media integration, analytics, and more.

How to choose the right content management system

Choosing the optimal content management system (CMS) depends on several factors specific to your needs and goals. Here are some steps and considerations that can help you choose the right CMS:

Needs analysis:

• Functionality: What functions do you need? This can include blog post management, e-commerce integration, user management, SEO tools, multilingualism and more.

• Technical requirements: Check the technical requirements, such as server requirements, programming languages, database support and integration options with other systems.

User-friendliness:

• Ease of use: Make sure that the CMS has a user-friendly interface that is easy to use, especially for users without technical knowledge.

• Editor functionalities: A user-friendly editor makes it easier for less tech-savvy users to create and edit content. Drag-and-drop features, visual editors and clear, simple interfaces are crucial for accessibility.

Flexibility and customisability:

• Themes and templates: make sure the CMS offers flexible design options that can be customised to suit your brand and aesthetic requirements.

• Plug-ins and extensions: Check the availability of plug-ins and extensions to add additional functionality.

Scalability:

• Growth opportunities: Choose a CMS that can grow with your business and is able to handle increasing content and visitor numbers.

• Performance optimisation: The CMS should be able to guarantee high performance and fast loading times, even with high traffic.

Security:

• Security features: Look for integrated security measures such as regular updates, protection against hacker attacks, user access control and SSL support.

• Community and support: An active community and regular security updates are indicators of a secure CMS.

Costs:

• Budget: Take into account both the acquisition costs and the ongoing costs for licences, hosting, maintenance and extensions.

• Cost-benefit analysis: Make sure that the CMS offers good value for the costs invested.

Integration and compatibility:

• Third-party systems: Check the integration options with existing systems such as CRM, ERP or marketing automation tools.

• APIs: A CMS with robust APIs facilitates the integration and expansion of functionalities.

Support and documentation:

• Technical support: Ensure that sufficient technical support is available, be it from the provider, a community or external service providers.

• Documentation: Good documentation and tutorials facilitate implementation and ongoing operation.

Demo and test phase:

• Try it out: Use free trials or demos to try out the CMS and see if it meets your requirements.

• Get feedback: Get feedback from your team and other stakeholders who will be using the CMS to check that all requirements are met and also that all interfaces to other systems are stable.

By carefully considering these factors, you can choose the CMS that best suits your specific needs and goals. The right choice of CMS can significantly impact the success of your website by making content management more efficient and providing an optimal user experience.

Content Management System - Examples

Contentful

Contentful is a content management platform that allows businesses to seamlessly create, manage, and distribute content across various digital channels. It features flexible API structures that allow for easy integration with a wide variety of applications and platforms.

Storyblok

Storyblok is a headless content management system that enables businesses and developers to create, manage and deliver content across multiple channels, regardless of the presentation layer. Through its API-oriented architecture, it offers flexibility in content distribution and seamless integration with various applications and platforms. We and our customer Horando also rely on Storyblok.

Shopify Content Management

Shopify also offers its own content management features, which we will discuss in more detail later in the blog.

What is Shopify Content Management?

Shopify's content management features help you structure and create content to match your online store. Content can be added, managed, and reused in the Shopify admin area. Content models contain important information, such as the name of the model or the relevant meta fields that need to be defined for the content of the content.

The advantages of Shopify Content Management

Shopify Content Management offers a number of benefits for online merchants looking to manage and showcase their content:

Integrated Ecosystem

Content Management is seamlessly integrated into the Shopify e-commerce ecosystem. This allows for a seamless connection between your online store and content, improving the user experience.

Ease of use

The content management user interface is designed to be intuitive and user-friendly. It doesn't require any special technical knowledge, so you can create, edit, and publish content without much effort.

Flexibility

Shopify offers flexible design options for your content. You can use templates or create custom layouts to ensure that your content is presented in the best possible way.

SEO Optimization

Shopify's content features ensure that your content is optimized for search engines. You can define metadata, alt tags, and other SEO elements for your content to increase visibility in search results.

Responsive design

The content you create is automatically optimized for different screen sizes and devices. This ensures consistent display and usability on desktops, tablets, and smartphones.

Multimedia content

You can integrate different types of content, including text, images, videos, and interactive elements to create an engaging and varied experience for your customers.

Timing control

You can create content in advance and schedule when to publish it. This makes it easier to manage marketing campaigns and seasonal content.

App integration

The Shopify App Store offers a variety of apps that you can use to extend the functionality of your content platform. For example, you can integrate apps for social sharing, email marketing, and more.

Easy product integration

You can seamlessly integrate products from your Shopify store into your content. This is especially useful for linking content and products together.

Analytics and tracking

Shopify Content Management provides built-in analytics tools that allow you to monitor the performance of your content. You can see which content is performing well and how users are interacting with it.

What are content models/entries and how can meta fields help?

A content model is composed of different components (e.g. text, date or image). The models help you create a consistent and reusable content. This is less about the look and feel and more about the components you want your model to have. For example, if you want to create a content model for testimonials, you can include fields for text, image, and rating, as these form a basic structure for customer testimonials. Subsequently, you can make different entries for testimonials in this content model and publish them afterwards.

How many models can I create and how many fields can I add to a single model?

In Shopify Content Platform, you can create up to 50 custom content models and manage them from the content dashboard in your admin area in Shopify. You can also add up to 40 different fields in the model and finally populate the models with entries.

5 steps to create a content model in Shopify's content management system:

Step 1: Build a content model

In your Shopify admin area, click the Content tab and select "Create Content Model". You can also create the model from the "Metafields" section. Next, you can give your content model a name.

Then click Add Fields and select the type of content (e.g., single-line text, multi-line text, images) you want to display in this model.

Now you can start configuring your content model.

Once you have saved your content model, you can start making entries in your model.

Step 2: Create content entries

Content entries are created from content models that you have previously set up. Here you can create up to 50,000 content entries per online store.

To create an entry, click Content in your admin area in Shopify. Then click Add Content, and then select the content model in which you want the content entry to appear. Add your desired content, of course you can edit the entries at any time.

Step 3: Decide where you want your content to appear

Once you have created and saved your content model and content entries in the Shopify Content Platform, you can decide whether you want them to appear only in your store or on other channels as well. Also, as long as you are working on the entries, you can set them as draft until you are satisfied.

Step 4: Selecting content entries for individual products

After you have set up your content model, added some content entries, and created the metafield reference definition, you need to link each entry to the parts of your store where you want it to appear. To link a content entry, you need to go to your admin area in Shopify and click on the section (for example, a product or page) where you want your entries to appear.

You can use metafields with your content models to display dynamic content in your online store. When you create a metafield content reference, you can display different content entries in different areas of your store.

Step 5: Publish the content

Once you have created a content model and added a content entry in the Shopify Content Platform, you can set the content entry active and display it in your store using Liquid.

Soon, there will be an option to connect the content directly to your online store via the online store editor. Until then, the only way to insert it is through the Liquid code.

When the entry is published to your store, your changes will automatically be applied wherever the content entry is used.

Important: If you delete your content entry, it will be removed everywhere it appears in your store or on other channels.

How do I add brand elements?

Brand elements can be added in Brand settings and then used in multiple applications and sales channels. For example, you can add a logo that will be displayed in the store or in additional sales channels. After you create your brand elements, you can edit them at any time. Saved changes are automatically applied to the channels for which you use the brand elements. This way, you can ensure that your brand has a consistent recognition value.

Conclusion

The new Shopify Content Platform helps you create your content quickly and easily. Thanks to the many customization options, you can create your content completely individually and publish it in the sales channels you choose. In doing so, you can design the content to match your brand. Moreover, the new Shopify content platform allows you to create content on static, as well as dynamic pages. And it's easy to do, without programming.