What is a CMS?

CMS acronym stands for Content Management System. Now let’s see what is a CMS?

Maintaining a website is a big job and it is easy to become overwhelmed with the task as content, as well as the appearance, quickly grows out of date and pages get lost in the shuffle as new content piles up. Add to this the fact that most businesses need to have a webmaster on staff or have outsource their website tasks because someone who is familiar with HTML has to do all of the website work. There is a lot of pressure here knowing how important an up to date website is for a company. This is not a pretty picture!

This is where a content management system (CMS) comes in. A CMS is designed to help solve many of these common problems facing businesses. With a content management system it is easier to put up a website with little to no HTML knowledge needed. A CMS will allow you to create, publish, and archive new website pages. You will also be able to manage the appearance and navigation of a site.

Content Management System Benefits

A CMS allows for a much faster turnaround time for new pages and for page editing. Instead of waiting for a webmaster to make the changes the author can make their own changes. You will find that your site is more flexible and more consistent, there won’t be as much information duplication when you are in control of your own site. There is greater security available with a CMS. A business will also notice a reduction in site maintenance costs. There are many benefits to a content management system one of the greatest of which is that a CMS can assist you in reaching your business objectives with increased sales and increased customer satisfaction.

Choose Your CMS Wisely

There are hundreds of content management systems available today, each one offering different strengths. Determine what your business requires and then evaluate your options.

SEO Friendly CMS

It doesn’t take a web expert to know that your website is only useful if people can find it. This is where search engine optimization (SEO) comes in. SEO is important so that search engines such as Google, and Yahoo can find your site when relevant keywords are searched for. A CMS package or custom CMS that is SEO friendly allows the writer to associate the content with keywords that potential customers are searching for. Effective SEO will bring new readers to a website based on what they have searched for. More readers mean more potential customers or clients.

Here are a few things to consider when looking for a SEO friendly CMS:

• A CMS should allow you to customize title tags for each page level.
• The option of custom URL creation will help to increase page ranks in search engines.
• The CMS should allow you to change meta tags and descriptions when it is necessary.
• Your CMS should allow you the ability to customize your anchor text for links.
• A CMS should be flexible in allowing custom navigation as well as in the process of storing content and keywords.
• 301-Redirect functionality is important in re-directing content when it is necessary.
• A content management system should support RSS feeds.
• A sitemap should be easily generated in different formats such as XML or HTML for each section of the site.
• There should be more text than code since search engines only read text.

Website Builder

We all know that first impressions count and this is especially true on the internet. We have probably all had the experience of searching a particular keyword and opening a website only to close it quickly after finding that it looks old and out-dated. Or finding a website that was almost impossible to navigate and find what you were looking for – talk about frustration. A successful website doesn’t just look nice, it performs properly as well.

If you don’t have a website yet or if your current website could use a little help a professional website builder or website developer will help you to achieve the balance between a great looking site and a functional site. They will work with you to create an online image that fits your business and works to capture the attention of your audience. They will focus on creating a website that projects professionalism while providing up-to-date informative content.

A professional website design firm will begin by analyzing your business goals and objectives in order to determine what your website needs to achieve. They will be able to streamline your business processes with appropriate web development strategies. If having a site that can be managed internally, such as with a CMS, is important to your business then they will be able to work with you to develop a custom CMS that will benefit your business.

A well designed website is an asset to your company as it is frequently the first impression a potential client has of who you are and what you represent. Your business can rapidly grow with a successful online presence. Allow a professional website builder to get you on your way to online success.