A content management system (CMS) supports the creation, management, distribution, publishing, and discovery of corporate information.

It covers the complete lifecycle of the pages on your site, from providing simple tools to create the content, through to publishing, and finally to archiving.

It also provides the ability to manage the structure of the site, the appearance of the published pages, and the navigation provided to the users.

The most common use of a CMS is to manage web content. In some circles, these systems are called web management systems (WMS).

How do I know if I Need CMS?

Ask yourself these questions:

• Do I want to add announcements or news of my business or other enterprise?
• Is there any part of my site that should be updated on a regular basis?
• Would I like a photo gallery on my website?
• Would I like an events calendar on my website?
• Would I like to change the look a little for various holidays or other occasions?

If the answer to any of those questions is “Yes” you should consider getting a content management system.  You still have the option to pay a web master to make those changes for you, but that will add up to a lot of money in the long run.

If we are running a substantive web site without a CMS, you will hit a wall where your eBusiness is no longer sustainable because you can’t update your site reliably or quickly enough. From that point, you will need to tear down almost your entire web infrastructure to put a CMS in its place. As more and more companies are hitting this wall, it’s no surprise, then, that the CMS market is at the start of an escalator.

So the question now is what should I search for in a CMS?

Look for these features in a CMS:

• Add/Edit Pages
• Add/Change Images
• Free Automated Software Updates
• Remote Hosting Updates (FTP)
• Dynamic Navigation
• Add Pages w/ Automated Navigation
• Multiple Websites
• Supervisor Review
• Template Control
• Attach Files (Word, Excel, PDF, PowerPoint, Flash)

*Did You Know? Content Management Systems (CMS) allow non-technical contributors to maintain and update site content without programming knowledge or special software tools. Typically content on the website is editable using a “What You See Is What You Get” (WYSIWYG) model. In addition to maintaining existing content, CMS administrators can upload images or videos, create pages, sections or categories, and add or edit menu structures.