| What is a CMS ? |
What is a CMS ?A CMS or content management system is web server software that creates and manages a website and its content. It runs from a database, and there are no web pages of the traditional type on the server - pages are created by the application (an application = a program or software) as required.This type of database-driven website is called a 'dynamic' site, as it has the potential to change as needed. Page content is easily edited online, and the changes go live immediately. Therefore a text detail can be changed and published within a minute or two. The older type of website using HTML pages and similar is called a 'flat' site as it is static - once created, it cannot be changed except by developer input (a developer = a programmer or coder). Most new business websites will use dynamic technology, ie databases, as the capability of these sites is so far in advance of the HTML page type. CMS featuresIn essence a CMS, or its direct-sales equivalent, an ecommerce site, is a new form of online business technology. Everything about these new websites is entirely different from the old format, and therefore both new methods and a new way of looking at online business are called for.A CMS site may have the following features:
In fact the range of functions and features is limited only by the special capabilities of the particular CMS chosen. Types of CMSContent management systems can all publish text and images to the website, but after that, each has different strengths and capabilities. For example, a CMS might be good at publishing rich media, or have extensive ACL ( the ability to assign different privileges to different user groups), or be exceptionally capable with design and display issues. Some are better with very high page numbers, or high traffic, or with a combination of public and private areas and functions like intranet / extranet and web publishing combined. Some function best as publishing tools operated by one person or a small team; others work well as a community or multi-team facility, with many contributors.It is necessary to precisely define the current and possible future needs of the organisation, before choosing a CMS. CMS HostingWeb hosting for CMS is slightly different from that for the older type of website. In particular, hosts need to be more capable and better organised - since the servers need to have more functionality, be more precisely managed, and be more secure. In effect, anyone could host HTML-page websites, but this does not apply to CMS hosting. The general standard needs to be much higher, if only for security reasons. This is because a CMS server needs more software on it, and all server software can be made vulnerable by less-competent hosts.It is therefore important to choose a good standard of hosting, and the choice should be made from those who specialise in and advertise CMS hosting as a primary facility. The cheapest hosting is not a good idea, due to lower standards, and the likelihood of there being too many websites on the server. The best quality of shared hosting for CMS has about 50 sites per server; good hosting has around 200 sites per server; and average hosting has 300 or 400 sites per server. The page load time lengthens for every 50 database-driven sites added to a server, and the difference in speed between these server levels is obvious in practice. With more sites on a server than these numbers, a website slows down more, and such hosting is better for personal websites, not business ones. SEO for CMSSearch optimisation for CMS websites is different from HTML site work. This is because the first stages are always technical adjustments to the server and CMS, and the knowledge required for this has little relation to that for standard website SEO.Content management systems are far more complex than HTML page websites, and the issues are completely different - many issues, if not most, do not even exist in the world of standard websites. It simply means that specialists get the best results. Let's discuss how to improve your CMS website results
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