A content management system, or CMS, is software that is installed on your website that permits any authorized user with the correct user name and password to be able to edit the pages of your website easily. If you know how to use a word processor like Microsoft Word, you can use a CMS.
Content Management Systems make a lot of sense for most sites, allowing the site owner or someone the owner designates to update and maintain the content of the webpages on the site. Almost every site we create now uses a CMS. Most site owners desire it so they can keep their site's content up to date. It also makes it easier for us to maintain a site for you (thereby costing you less).
When you call us about a content management solution for your site, we will ask you questions about your goals for your site. This helps us to suggest the best CMS for your website. All content management systems are not alike, they each offer different advantages and, depending on what your goals are, we will choose one that will allow your site to grow, and which offers add-ons that make it easy for you to add more features to your website.
A big advantage of content management systems is the availability of many "extensions", add-ons to the basic setup that can add a great deal of functionality to a website. These extensions are generally simple to install—the average user can usually install and use them and add new features to his or her site with little to no intervention of the web design firm. We see this as a huge advantage in both cost savings and convenience for the web site owner.
We will help train you to use a content management system when we install one on your site. This really requires minimal training, even for those clients less computer-savvy. If you know the basics of a word processor such as MS Word, you can easily learn how to use a CMS with little effort. You will be pleasantly surprised at how much nicer it is to be able to update your own site whenever you choose.
Our choice of CMS's, depends on the website being designed, the hosting platform, and the future growth plans for the website. We also look for those systems with extensive online documentation, allowing you to find instruction on how to use them even when we are not immediately availabel to help. We also look for those systems with large and active forums for help when you need it, in case you want to handle things on your own.
One more advantage of using a CMS is in site redesign. When you want to give your site a facelift, you don't have to redo every single page, moving content from one page to another. Instead it becomes a task of replacing the site template only. All the content is automatically imported into the new template, and the cost of a new look for your website becomes considerably less as a result.
Whether you are looking for a full website design or just need a little help, call us for all your Asheville web design needs: 828-891-2563!