Why You Should Use a Content Management System

Content management systems are a great way to manage dynamic websites and retain control of your content. Not so long ago, the web was made up of static pages written in HTML that didn’t change, needed specific tools to update, and more often, the services of a web designer to do it.

With a CMS, once the installation is complete and the design implemented, it’s easy to manage. Easy enough that many clients go on to run their very own successful websites without outside help.

You should still use a professional web designer to create the system itself as it’s still the best way to get up and running. The same for the design, it really does take an experienced hand to build a competent theme, but once that’s all done, you can do what you like with it.

So here are the 5 reasons you should use a content management system for your website.

Cheap to run. Once you have made the initial investment in having a CMS built for you, the running costs of your site are minimal. If you can maintain and provide your own content, all you pay for in the future is hosting.

Low barrier to entry. Like anything, once you know HTML, it’s easy. But not everyone has the time, or inclination to learn. CMS’ take care of everything for you, so you don’t have to know how to code or build websites. All you need to do is learn how to post something on the internet, and that’s easy.

Control. CMS use logins to control what users can and cannot do on your website. That means you can let other people contribute to your website and assign them levels of access to it. If you’re running a large site for a corporation, each department can have their own privileges, but won’t be able to break anything.

Collaboration. As mentioned above, you can allow other contributors to have access to your CMS site safe in the knowledge there is very little they can do to break something. This allows you to create an active, vibrant web community while safeguarding the overall health of the site.

SEO. Another great feature of content management systems is they are good with SEO. The free CMS’ such as WordPress or Joomla are inherently SEO-friendly, but also come with plugins that add more. Custom CMS are designed from the ground-up to be SEO-friendly and to showcase your company at its best. That save an awful lot of work!

Using a content management system may seem daunting at first, but once you spend an hour or two exploring and seeing what it can do, it soon turns into a powerful, flexible tool for publishing content onto the web.  Thought Mechanics provides WordPress, Joomla, Magento, and Drupal design and development services in Austin, TX.