Technology never stands still. As the owner of a web design business, I have to keep on top of the moving trends in my industry or become obsolete. This year, the technology I have embraced is Content Management Systems. Once you have a CMS, you’ll fall in love and wonder how you ever survived without it (just like your cell phone!)
The Benefits of a CMS include:
- Take control of your website! It’s a great feeling to be in charge. Update your own website whenever you like, without having to wait for someone else to do it.
- Save Money! You no longer have to pay your web developer to make those minor updates any more.
- Easy to Update! No technical skills or HTML knowledge required. Most CMS platforms have a built-in editor that is as easy to use as Microsoft Word.
- Built-in Blog. Add a blog with a click of the mouse. It’s that easy. Now you just have to start writing those blog posts!
- Easy to Add New Pages – Click “Add a New Page,” enter the page title, and start typing the copy. Easy as 1, 2, 3.
- Plug-able Add-ons: Some CMS platforms, such as WordPress, allow you to easily install new features.
- Multi-user Environment. Create different “roles” for your users to control what pages in the CMS they have access to.
- Up and Running in no Time. Most hosting companies allow you to install a CMS with a click of a button in your control panel. They automatically install the database and CMS files for you. Your website is now ready for content and customization.
- Template or Custom Design. Installing “out of the box” doesn’t usually get you a pretty web site, but you can choose from different templates (some free, some not) or you can hire someone to create a custom design for you.
- SEO Friendly. The early content management systems were not SEO friendly and used long, hard to remember URL strings. Today’s CMS programs are built with SEO in mind. They use shorter, SEO-friendly URLS and allow you to customize your titles and meta-tags with your chosen keywords.
- Affordable. CMS technology use to be only for very large corporations who could afford the cost of implementing a CMS. The technology has improved greatly, making CMS software easier to install and customize, therefore bringing the price down so that small businesses can afford to have a content management system.
If you are already using a CMS – please share with us what you love about it in the comments below.
Tags: blog, cms, Content Management, SEO, web site design, WordPress