While HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) has long been the standard for website design, ever since the www exploded onto the scene in the early 90’s. This powerful programming language not only forms the building blocks of all webpages, but it is also used to code the design, structure and content of websites. Over the past few years CMS’s (Content Management Systems) have made it easier to create, publish and edit the content of websites without having to know how to code in HTML or using software programs on the PC or FTP (File Transfer Protocal) programs to upload pages.
Although a CMS still uses HTML, the software platform is a much more streamlined and automated way to create and edit website content directly on the web. A CMS provides users with an interface so they can easily create, publish and edit website content without having to code in HTML.
For the purposes of this blog, let’s look at some of the advantages of using a CMS to create a small business website.
CMS’s Provide a No-Fuss Installation: By using a CMS, a small businesses can launch a new website in a matter of minutes, ranther than days. This is especially true if the web hosting service the small business utilizes offers the most popular CMS platforms, such as WordPress, Joomla and Drupal, pre-installed or quick installation links that are ready to use.
Once installed, a CMS is ready to go with some minor personalizations and choice of template or theme. A small business owner can immediately start adding content and customising their design using simple theme option settings.
CMS’s Do Not Require Technical Knowledge: Yes, not only is the installation of most CMS’s quick and hassle free, but the back end interfaces are user friendly and requires almost little or no training. Most of the popular CMS platforms have been developed with easy website content creation and publishing in mind, and their graphical user interfaces (GUI) are similar to popular word processing software interfaces.
CMS Customisation Can Also Be Done: With the most popular CMS platforms, there are thousands of pre designed themes that can be customized to fit the needs of most small businesses. It is also easy to find a designer who can modify a theme or create a custome theme for a low price point.
A CMS Theme can be easily changed and modified with a few clicks or the addition of the many plugins and widgits that are available. The real beauty of CMS themes and available plugins is that users can make changes to their entire website simply by loading a new theme or adding a custom CSS (Cascading Style Sheets).
CMS Allows For Collaborative Content: Many small business teams often do not work in the same office space or even the same city. A CMS allows a small business owner to control what goes on their website (while still allowing others in their organization to post new articles or product descriptions), without it being published until they have approved it.
CMS Plugins Can Offer A Quick Way to Impliment Ecommerce: WP e-Commerce and Woo commerce are two of the most popular and strong e-commerce plugins of WordPress. Both plugins are easy to download, install and takes very little time for updating. A small business can add new products very easily. These plugins have a lot of functionality and are very suitable to people who are beginners at e-commerce. Similar e-commerce plugins can be found for most other popular CMS platforms.
Now that you have heard some of the reasons for using a CMS as your small business or start-up website, be sure to follow us over the coming days to learn more about choosing the right CMS for your business website.
