If you are working with a website development company they may ask you whether you want a CMS for your website. Unless you understand what a CMS is and the role that it plays in how your website functions you may not be able to make an informed decision. Here is some information that should make it easier to decide whether to include a CMS in the construction of your company’s website.
What is a CMS?
CMS is short for content management system. This is basically a program which gives you the ability to add, remove or edit images and sections of text that have been placed on a website. This gives the owner of the website much more control over their site than they would have if they did not have a CMS. Here are some of the advantages that these programs can offer you.
You have more control over your own site
When you have a content management system built into your website you have much more control over the contents of the site itself. Quite simply, you can make changes yourself instead of needing your web developer to make the changes for you. This is advantageous for several reasons.
Your site can be updated frequently
This is a huge advantage, especially if you have a dynamic website that responds to user input. Without frequent content changes, both dynamic and static websites can rapidly become stale. If you want users to return to your site repeatedly you need to make sure that the contents are refreshed on a regular basis.
A CMS can save you money
A CMS can save your company money. In the past, individuals would need to pay their site development company to update the contents of their website. This could really add up over the span of a website’s life. For some small businesses, that may have meant that they needed to leave the content on longer than they would have liked to. With a CMS, however, a business can perform this task for themselves and therefore save money while still keeping current data visible to their clients.
Changes can be made in a timely fashion
This is also important for many companies. If you need to add pictures and text you can do so. Removing old information is just as easy. If you are offering products on your website you will want to be able to add information about your products and services that are currently available and remove information on products which you no longer offer. With a CMS you can perform these tasks yourself.
What to look for in a CMS
There are several things to look for in a CMS. The main thing is that it is easy to understand and utilize. If you can’t figure out how to use a CMS you may end up allowing your site to become outdated. The other thing to look for is that it gives you control over the areas you want to change. This may sound elementary but it is very important. Make sure your website development company knows which areas you want to be able to alter before your site has been built. They may need to structure or build it in a specific way for that to be possible.