WordPress: Blog and CMS – what is it and why do I need it?

CMS, content management systems, are relatively new in the market, and while many are still not familiar with them, they have the potential to dramatically simplify the maintenance of both websites and intranets.

What is a CMS?

A content management system is software specifically designed to manage a website. It is installed by the web designers, but is intended to be used by you. I use a popular software package named WordPress. WordPress is an award-winning CMS that is easy-to-use and very extensible.

• First off, it provides you with a simple, non-technical way of updating your content. This is typically (but not always) done via a web-based interface that works much like Microsoft Word does.
• Just point-and-click, type in the new words, and Click Save. Your site is instantly updated.
• Equally easy is adding new pages, deleting old ones, or restructuring the site to match your new business model.
• The CMS also automates menial tasks, such as applying the same page layout and appearance across the site. Menus and other navigation are also automatically produced.
• Along with the many other administrative tools, this leaves you to concentrate on the words, and not on the technology.

What are the benefits  of using WordPress?

A content management system makes life much easier in many ways:

• You are no longer dependent on the web designers making changes for you.
• Changes can be made any time they are needed, day or night. This is increasingly important as your business comes to rely on the website as a communications channel.
• All the technical details are simply handled by the CMS, allowing anyone to manage and update the site.
• Multiple staff can keep the site up to date, instead of being restricted to just one person. The CMS will track who is doing what, avoiding potential confusion.
• The CMS ensures that all the pages are consistent in design, and will build all the menus and other navigation for you.
• The many other powerful features of the CMS allows the site to grow in sync with your business.