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A Content Management System (CMS) will allow you to easily update your web site on your own, without the help of a web designer.
A CMS system is software that allows you to update the content on your web site. It is intended specifically for non-technical users who want an easy way to update the web site. You can do all the basics such as adding, editing, or deleting web pages. You can edit text, images, links, and add documents such as PDF or Word documents. Most CMS systems have built in security in which you can define the areas of the web site specific users have access to.
If you have a web site without a CMS system, you know what a pain it is to update your web site. You either have to contact your web designer to do this, or you need quite a bit of technical knowledge to do it yourself. The end result is that you do not update your web site as often as you should, due to the inconvenience or complexity. Your web site then gets stale with old information.
Having a CMS system changes all of this. Suddenly, it is very easy to update your web site. Just a couple of clicks here and there, and your site is updated. It is no harder than using the software that you are already familiar with. With everything being so easy to update, you will find that your web site gets updated much more frequently. Thus your site remains fresh, with the latest content. It’s a subtle point, but it makes all the difference.
The cost of a CMS system varies with each web designer, and the specific CMS software used. Some systems have hefty prices, and charge ongoing monthly fees. While others are very reasonably priced, and have no ongoing fees. The latter is very cost effective, and is much better than having to pay your web designer to update your web site.
What you cannot do with a CMS system is to change the basic structure of a page – the code that defines the basic layout and structure of a page. This limitation is intentional, as you don’t want your users to change the fundamental look or layout of a page. Instead, you just want them to be able to edit the content of the page. So a CMS system is intended for users to edit content of a web page, but not its underlying structure.
So, a CMS system just allows you to edit the content of the web site – text, images, links, etc. It does not allow you to edit the structure of a web site – page layout, non-content areas such as navigation bars, etc. So if you need to make a structural change to your web site, or need a site reorganization, then you will still need a web designer to handle these more complex tasks.
Insist on a CMS system for your web site. You will find yourself using it all the time, and your web site will remain more current and up to date. You’ll also save all the money that you ordinarily would have spent on hiring your web designer to update the web site for you.
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