Web Design & Marketing Blog

What Are The Benefits Of A Content Management System?

Category: Blog

Written by Estevan Montoya

Have you ever tried to setup a website from scratch? I have done it on several occasions. I have made a template, listed all the pages needed, linked them in the template, started creating content, adding pages, only to realize that my main template had a little HTML error, which led to 20 html files that needed to be corrected. Not only that, but I have I have made that same mistake on multiple occasions. It's not fun! Well, there came a day when systems like Joomla & WordPress came along. This ended my little problems once and for all. Anyone can have a clean and fully automated website in a matter of minutes. Why? Because Content Management Systems handle all the code, and one can just sit back and enjoy the benefits of the system handling the coding.

Just in case you missed our previous article about CMS's and designers, here is the definition of a Web Content Management System:

A web content management system (WCMS) is a software system that provides website authoring, collaboration, and administration tools designed to allow users with little knowledge of web programming languages or markup languages to create and manage website content with relative ease. A robust WCMS provides the foundation for collaboration, offering users the ability to manage documents and output for multiple author editing and participation.  Read More...

Simply put, a CMS handles all the code, you just insert the content. While there are few things that need to done, like installing it on a host, setting up the software, and installing the template, it's nothing compared to hand coding every page of your website and you don't need to design a page from a text editor. They are easy to use and maintain once you get the hang of them, which isn't that long. With that being said, let me give you the benefits of using a Content Management System:

Cheaper Than Hiring For A Custom Site

If you just want a website that is simple, with the ability to add images, make blog posts, and link to your social media, then a CMS is for you. Though a CMS can get just as complicated as a fully custom website, in all reality, most people will not go to that extent. Most small businesses just need something online that has their content and blog posts to help their ranking in the search engines. For those reasons, a person can opt to having a CMS. This will save them time and money. For instance, our LEXY Sites are built on a CMS, we have pre-installed themes, and one can easily sign up. In matter of a few days (pending clients ability to give information about the site), one can have fully functional website. They save because they are not being charged by the hour, rather, the client pays for hosting, which has been built to cover setup time, templates, and other expenses. You are left knowing that you have quality without needing to take out a small loan.

No Coding Needed For General Use

As mentioned, all one needs to do is install the CMS and setup the theme, all that require NO coding. There are even web hosts that offer one click installations so you don't have to go in and install the database and connect it to the CMS. Now, there are parts of a CMS that allow a person to change the code or use custom code in a page or blog post, but it is not required. A person can run the entire website without knowing a single line of HTML, CSS, or PHP. As mentioned, you can get into the code, but that is for advanced users that want to break the limits of their website. To me, it's comforting to know that one doesn't need to have a college degree in web development to run a CMS, yet a person with such a degree can walk right in and take full control of the CMS.

Huge Community Of Users

One of the great things about a CMS is that there are a lot of other people use them. In this group users, there are many that are experts in that particular CMS or in the scripting language that made the CMS. Since most of CMS's are open source, you find a lot of people contribute to the cause by sharing their experience. You can also find forums based on a particular CMS where you can post questions. If your questions is above the average user's knowledge, then a moderator may help. They may even ask for your site info and help make the changes you need. While this is all great, one thing we like to state is the fact that we offer a CMS based affordable website (LEXY Sites), where you can call in and get the support you need.