CMSVirtuoLab's own demo

ContentLab · Content management system

Demo: a CMS for the website of the fictional Verhoeven Installatietechniek, with articles, job openings, product pages, review, scheduling and live preview.

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Screenshot of the ContentLab · Content management system demo (CMS), built by VirtuoLab

About ContentLab · Content management system

Type: VirtuoLab's own demo
Technologies: ReactNext.jsTypeScriptTailwind CSS

ContentLab is a demo by VirtuoLab of a content management system for the website of Verhoeven Installatietechniek, an invented Dutch installer of heat pumps and solar systems. The demo is built as a React page with Next.js and TypeScript. First, the content list shows 12 sample items: articles, job openings, product pages and fixed pages, with a status of published, scheduled, in review or draft. Search and filters by type, status and author work. Second, a click opens an editor with a Markdown toolbar, fields per content type, a summary which doubles as meta description, and buttons to publish or schedule. Additionally, a preview at desktop and mobile width updates while you type. Mobile matters: according to StatCounter, phones generated about 65% of web traffic in the Netherlands in September 2026. ContentLab has no database: changes last until the page reloads, and all content is sample data.

CMSEditorial workflowLive preview

What does the ContentLab demo show?

The ContentLab demo is a content management system for the website of Verhoeven Installatietechniek, an invented installation company, built by VirtuoLab with React, Next.js and TypeScript. A tour takes three steps. Step 1 is the content list with 12 sample items: articles, job openings, product pages and fixed pages, each with a status of published, scheduled, in review or draft. Search and filters by type, status and author work. Step 2 is a click on an item, which opens the editor with a Markdown toolbar, a word count and reading time. Each content type has its own fields, such as salary for a job opening or price for a product, and the summary doubles as meta description for search engines such as Google. Step 3 is publishing: directly, for review or scheduled for a date and time, with translations in Dutch, English and German. A preview at desktop and mobile width updates while you type. Additionally, screens for media, content types, languages, users and settings complete the demo. Changes last until the page reloads, because ContentLab has no database.

Which business problem does a custom CMS like ContentLab solve, and for whom?

A custom CMS like ContentLab solves the problem of content editors who cannot see the result of an edit until the page is live. Marketing teams, publishers, webshops with many product pages and organisations with content in several languages benefit most. A standard CMS often shows a form with fields, while the real page looks different on a phone. A live preview per device removes guesswork and saves correction rounds. Additionally, clear statuses such as draft, review and published give a small team a simple approval flow. In practice, a custom CMS makes sense when content has a fixed structure, for example products, vacancies or locations, and a generic editor gets in the way. For a simple company website, a site built with WordPress is often the better and cheaper choice. According to W3Techs, WordPress powered 39.7% of all websites and 58.4% of websites with a known CMS in October 2026. VirtuoLab gives an honest recommendation on both options, based on the budget.

How does VirtuoLab build a content management system for a real business?

VirtuoLab builds a content management system for a real business by starting from the content model, not from the editor. Step 1 is a scope session about content types, fields, languages, roles and the approval flow. Step 2 is design and validation: the editor and the preview are tested with real texts from the business. Step 3 is building and testing, for example as a headless setup with Next.js for the website and PostgreSQL or MongoDB for the content. In a real project, VirtuoLab adds real login with roles, a database, media storage and a publication history, because the demo shows roles and media as screens only. Media handling deserves care: according to HTTP Archive's Web Almanac 2025, the Largest Contentful Paint element on 76% of mobile pages is an image, so uploads should be resized automatically. Finally, step 4 is launch and support. As an indication, a medium-sized web app costs €10,000 to €25,000 with a lead time of 6 to 12 weeks. The exact price follows after a free introductory call.