Having products and enabling payments is often not enough to run a profitable store. Merchants also need to manage content blocks, create pages, and communicate with customers through content. Magento CMS offers all of these and even more.
With tools such as CMS blocks, pages, widgets, and editors, Magento goes far beyond basic eCommerce functionality.
It provides all the features merchants might need to run an empowering marketing strategy directly within the platform.
So in this guide, you'll learn how the Magento 2 content management system supports marketing efforts with various tools. We'll also share best practices for Magento CMS SEO and the difference between content tools on open source and paid Magento.
- Main core components of Magento CMS are CMS pages, blocks, widgets, the WYSIWYG editor, and Page Builder.
- CMS blocks or banners are used to display reusable content across multiple pages.
- Magento widgets control where and how CMS blocks appears.
- Page builder helps to create content and layout of the page through the drag-and-drop functionality.
- Magento Open Source and Magento Commerce offer different sets of content management features.
- One important thing Magento content management system is lacking is blog. To create a blog you need an extension.
- To schedule and personalize content in the Open Source stores, merchants use third-party extensions.
What Is Magento Content Management System?
The Magento Content Management System (or Magento CMS) is a content management layer built into Magento Open Source and Magento Commerce that allows merchants create, edit, and manage content on their website right from the admin panel.
It comes with tools to build pages, add promotional content, update marketing sections, and manage reusable blocks across the entire store.
Thus, Magento allows selling products and promoting them in one place rather than relying on third-party platforms for marketing.
Pros and cons of Magento CMS
Content management system in Magento with the default features is sufficient for basic marketing needs, as it comes with a lot of benefits.
But it's an eCommerce platform, mainly focused on selling, which makes some advanced marketing capabilities quite limited.
The Magento content management system allows merchants to create and manage content freely, but its complexity can feel overwhelming when you use it for the first time.
Magento CMS Components
To effectively manage content, Magento provides a set of CMS features, such as CMS pages, CMS blocks, widgets, WYSIWYG, and Page Builder.
The table below quickly overviews what each component is responsible for.
| Component | Usage | Description |
|---|---|---|
| CMS Page | Home page, landing pages, About Us | A full webpage managed from the admin panel |
| CMS Block | Headers, footers, promotions | Reusable content block that can be inserted into pages or layouts |
| Widget | Product lists, banners | Configurable element that displays dynamic or structured content, including CMS blocks |
| WYSIWYG Editor | CMS pages, blocks, product descriptions | Visual editor that lets admins create and edit content on pages, CMS blocks and any other content sections |
| Page Builder | CMS pages and blocks | Drag-and-drop interface for creating layouts |
And now let's have a closer look at how they work.
CMS pages
CMS pages in Magento are standalone web pages with their own URL, like contact us, about us, or the FAQ page.
Each page may include text, images, videos, CMS blocks, and any other elements you wish to add, along with unique design settings and layouts.
You can create CMS pages in the admin panel via Content > Pages and edit them through the page builder or the WYSIWYG editor.
CMS page settings in the Magento admin panel
CMS Blocks
While each CMS page is a non-reusable, unique unit, Magento CMS blocks are small units of information that can be reused on different pages across the entire store or assigned to a specific category.
e.g. you can create a "Black Friday" banner via CMS blocks and show it on several or all pages at once.
The example of the CMS block on the storefront
You can insert CMS blocks in Magento directly to the category page, inside a certain CMS page, or blog via the widgets feature in the WYSIWYG editor. But reusing the same blocks on multiple pages is possible only with widgets.
Widgets
Magento widgets are snippets of code that tell Magento to grab texts, images, videos, category links, blocks, product lists, or other elements and place them into specific spots.
e.g. merchants may use widgets to display a block with a seasonal promotion in the sidebar, a list of bestsellers on the homepage, and a marketing banner on category pages.
Magento widgets are easy to manage, very flexible, and give merchants complete control over where to show content. In short, the CMS block is the content, and the widget is the instruction on where that content should be placed.
Magento widget settings
WYSIWYG Editor
Another important component of the Magento CMS is the WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor. It works as any text editor and has a similar look to the Word document interface.
Magento WYSIWYG allows merchants to:
- create and manage content without coding, and see the changes on the storefront right away
- insert images and videos
- add widgets and CMS blocks
- add links and buttons
- switch between visual editing and HTML if needed
The example of a WYSIWYG editor interface
For even more advanced content management, Magento offers a Page Builder.
Page Builder
Page Builder is a drag-and-drop tool that allows merchants to create advanced page layouts, on top of creating content.
Instead of writing HTML or CSS, merchants can go to the admin panel and:
- add rows, columns, and content blocks
- build complex layouts
- create banners, sliders
- drag product sections onto the page
The example of page builder options
Blog
Unfortunately, there's no blog feature in Magento by default. To create a blog post on Magento (either articles, news, guides, or instructions), promote products, and target long-tail keywords, you need a third-party blog integration. Just like the Magefan Blog Extension.
Example of the blog post search engine optimization section in Magefan Blog
However, blog is not the only feature missing in the content management system in Magento. The features differ based on the Magento edition too.
Magento Open Source CMS vs Adobe Commerce CMS
Both Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce share the same basic CMS capabilities, allowing merchants to create pages, reusable blocks, and widgets and manage them within the admin panel.
However, Adobe Commerce provides more advanced CMS tools and handles content management better.
| Feature | Magento Open Source | Magento Commerce |
|---|---|---|
| CMS blocks and pages | Basic CMS features | Advanced CMS with more control |
| Page Builder | Available | Available (more advanced templates) |
| Widgets | Available | Available |
| Preview before publishing | Not available | Available |
| Magento CMS block scheduler | Not available | Available |
| Dynamic blocks | Not available | Available |
| Multi-store content | Available | Available |
| Multi-language content | Available | Available |
| Content analytics | Not build-in | Built-in |
| Media gallery | Available | Available |
| Blog | Not available | Not available |
So generally speaking, Magento Commerce is better for merchants who need advanced content automation, personalization, and scheduling.
However, there's also a way to achieve this with Open Source. Magefan extension allows you to schedule and display content automatically based on dates, customer groups, or special conditions.
e.g. you can display the free shipping offer only for orders less than $200, from a specific country, for VIP customers, and only on weekends.
Example of the CMS block conditions based on the cart attributes
This way, you can create smarter and more targeted campaigns to boost sales and increase conversions.
How to Optimize Content Using Magento CMS SEO Features?
To be seen by search engines, Magento provides content tools that allow merchants to add well-structured URLs, meta titles and descriptions, headings, product images, alt text to images, etc. Let's review how they work in practice.
e.g., you can create a CMS page called "Spring Sale 2026" and optimise it as follows.
Step 1: Create a SEO-friendly URL
Magento allows you to set a clear and keyword-rich URL for CMS pages, blog or any other content page, like for example /spring-sale-2026. It helps search engines and customers understand what the page is all about.
Step 2: Write an engaging meta title and description
Meta tags and descriptions make your pages stand out in search. So you can come up with something like "Spring Sale 2026: Up to 70% Off" or "Spring Sale 2026: The Biggest Discounts Ever!" for a meta title.
Meta description gives more information to users before they visit the page. Set something like, "Don't miss out! Visit our store and get up to 70% off our spring collection."
Magento search engine optimization for a CMS page
Step 3: Structure content
Magento allows merchants to structure content using headings. Use them to make the page easy to scan and read. They also help LLMs pick up the content to cite and mention.
e.g.
H1: Spring Sale 2026
H2: Best Deals on Jackets
H2: Trousers for This Season
Step 4: Add alt text to images
Since search engines cannot "see" images even if you add them to the page, you should use alt texts. In our case, the alt text, like "spring dresses sale 2026" or "women jackets discount", is enough.
Step 5: Link pages and products
The final SEO feature of the Magento 2 CMS is links. You can add internal links to corresponding discounted products from a Sale CMS page along with some content and info on how to participate.
This is how Magento content features help merchants optimize individual pages and cover basic SEO needs.
If you're still not convinced whether Magento is a CMS, have a look at the following comparison between Magento and WordPress, a standalone CMS.
Magento 2 CMS vs WordPress
WordPress and Magento CMS are often compared since they both provide tools to create and manage content, pages, and media, which makes it hard to choose which has the biggest leverage.
WordPress is designed to publish content. It's simple and user-friendly. However, when it comes to eCommerce functionality, it requires additional plugins. That's why WordPress is a perfect choice for those who focus on publishing posts rather than selling.
Magento CMS, on the other hand, is designed to support selling by providing tools to link content with products. Even though it's less straightforward, it allows merchants to create sales-driven pages and banners to increase conversions within the same instance.
So in simple terms, WordPress helps to grow traffic via content, whereas Magento content management system helps to sell via content.
| Feature | Magento 2 CMS | WordPress |
|---|---|---|
| Primary focus | Built for eCommerce websites and online stores | Built for blogs, company sites, and content-focused websites |
| Best for | Product catalogs, checkout, store content, banners, promo blocks | Articles, landing pages, blogs, company pages |
| Ease of use | More advanced | Beginner-friendly |
| eCommerce features | Advanced features built-in: products, cart, checkout, inventory, customer groups | Requires plugins for eCommerce functionality |
| Scalability | Support large stores with thousands of products | Better for small to medium websites |
| Internal linking | Products, categories, promotions, collections | Blog posts, guides, landing pages, related articles |
| Multi-language | Built-in feature | Requires plugins |
| Blogging | Requires extension | Built-in feature |
| Example | Online fashion store with thousands of SKUs | Fashion blog with style tips and trend articles |
Best Practices for Magento Content Management
Knowing how to use the Magento 2 content management features doesn't guarantee success. To get the most out of them and get better results, you should follow these best practices.
Structure content well
Well-structured content is easy to read. Clear headings, short paragraphs, bullet points, and simple navigation help readers find what they need way faster.
If the structure has a logical hierarchy, it makes the store understandable not only for visitors but also for search engines. Try to use those.
Name blocks and widgets clearly
Give a clear and descriptive name to CMS blocks and widgets to understand exactly what they are used for. This way, they will be easy to find and update, especially when a store has a few content managers.
Keep content updated
Broken links, outdated blocks, and expired offers signal to users and search engines that the website is not properly maintained.
Review CMS pages and blocks regularly to check if the content is still relevant and accurate.
Reuse content with CMS blocks
Use CMS blocks to reduce repetitive work, especially during sales. They help you to display any content several times across your store.
Therefore, you can update content or delete it from one place, instead of visiting each page individually.
If you follow these practices and use all the features on Magento content management system you get a robust tool for managing content and running marketing campaign without leaving your admin.
So don't hesitate to go further and check how to create a website on Magento.
FAQs
If you want to manage a blog on Magento, you need to install the Magefan Blog Extension.
