The way webpages and websites are constructed has changed considerably over the last decade or so. Hard-coded HTML pages which were once so popular have largely been replaced with content management systems, or CMS for short. Many platforms are available for creating CMS and in this article we explore and discuss their benefits.
One of the biggest advantages in using a content management system to build your webpages is that a number of individuals can collaborate when new content is added. Individual users can be assigned roles which can vary from administrators who have full access to all areas of the website, to contributors who are only able to add additional material. In addition, other users can have rights as editors or, depending on the system used, authors.
This has great benefits for the owner of the website, as individual writers can contribute posts or pages written in their own style. It has also in direct benefits in terms of search engine optimization because the search engine will regard the website as having more authority when a number of different authors contribute to it. Another benefit is that other content, such as rich media like audio or video files, can easily be added to a content management system without the user having any technical knowledge or experience – ideal for situations where a business encourages the workforce to add their own materiel.
The old-fashioned practice of hiring a web designer to create pages for you, link them together with hyperlinks and construct a navigation menu has almost disappeared since the introduction of CMS. Web designers now focus their talents on building responsive and engaging content management systems for their customers, and no longer have to worry about updating or adding content. They are free to utilize their skill where it is needed most instead of completing numerous amendments for the user.
From the user’s point of view, this also means that there is no delay between deciding to add extra content and actually seeing it live. Updating is done in real time, so posts written daily will show up as soon as they are published. Once again, this is great for ranking well in the search engines as it will be seen as fresh, topical content and that is exactly what is required these days.
Where the post is lengthy, an extract can be shown instead of the full article if required. Another real benefit of a CMS is that as content is added, it will build gradually into an archive that can be linked to either at the foot of a page or in a sidebar. This means that content is never lost, and a valuable resource will appear over time
There are many open source CMS platforms available including WordPress, which started life as a blogging platform, Drupal and Joomla! All of these are free to use, and while this is an attractive and tempting option for inexperienced users to build their own website, it is still a good idea to consult a professional if a professional result is required.
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