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A typical content management system, or CMS for short, has two main benefits that make this piece of software one of the must-have tools for the modern day web site owner.

The first main benefit of a CMS is that it allows fast, real time updates of a web site without ever having to touch HTML coding or upload each individual page after editing the content through the raw HTML file. As anyone who has ever spent days hand coding and amending content on 200 page web sites will tell you, using a CMS to update content not only saves you time that is better spent creating your content and focusing on your business, it also saves you money that traditionally would have been spent on hiring a programmer to edit the content and re-upload the pages to your site.

Many modern CMS solutions use graphical interfaces and editing functions similar to those found in desktop applications such as Microsoft Word, meaning that there is less of a learning curve with the application as most PC users will be familiar with the format already. This again cuts down on the time needed to learn the functions of the CMS and means one can hit the ground running when publishing new content.

The second main benefit of a CMS is that with a little training, anyone with even limited technical computer skills can update an entire site's content themselves. This gives non-technical folk (i.e. non-programmers) the tools to keep their site updated without incurring development costs each time an amendment is made to the site.

Other benefits of using a CMS include the ability to change your web site design just by uploading one template design that is automatically applied to each page across the site, with many CMSs offer the ability to choose different layouts for each page, if needed. This again saves a lot of time and effort and also cuts down on the chance of errors being made on a page to page basis. Additionally, most modern content management systems are coded to adhere to the latest coding standards and best practices, with the more forward thinking CMS providers designing and building the system to comply with accessibility standards to make sure everyone can access and use both the site and content management system.

Although choosing a CMS from the many out there can seem daunting, especially if you haven't had experience of using a CMS before and are therefore unaware of what is 'good', 'bad' or just plain ugly, it is always best to use one that the person responsible for updating the web site feels comfortable using.

Each CMS on the web requires varying degrees of technical ability to install and operate, but the one that consistently makes the grade for me and my clients in terms of ease of use, ease of installation and the features it contains, is CMS Made Simple, an Open Source CMS packed with simple to install and use add-ons. It contains options to include search engine friendly URLs (which does require a little technical skill to implement), shopping carts and product catalogues for e-commerce sites, blogging utilities and even an email marketing module, all of which are simple to use and all for free and contained in a fully customisable package.

My advice if you don't already have a CMS to update your site and you are currently spending precious hours and money on manually updating the site is to get one ASAP.

It will be one of the best investments you ever make.

Learn more about this author, Darren Harper.
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