What is a Web Content Management System?

A Web Content Management System is a program that usually sits on a web server and allows the user, via a browser interface, to make changes to the contents of one or more websites, without the need to involve specialized technical help to do do. It offers features such as automatic scheduling of content publication and de-publication, image and other media control and many other features.

The advantages of a (Web) Content Management System (WCMS)

1. Publication of material on the website can be set to a particular date and time. So too can the automatic removal of a given piece of content be set to a specific date and time. This is useful for the publication of time-sensitive announcements such as product releases, press releases, employment opportunities and so on.
2. Image and other media are controlled automatically. No more fiddling with image sizes and formats. No more waiting for your business partner's nephew Vinnie to come back from vacation and make the necessary change to HTML for you.
3. Links inside the website are adjusted automatically when a page is removed. Links to a page that were created automatically are automatically removed when the page is removed.
4. Usually, the entire WCMS program can be access via a browser user interface. You don't need to install a program on your PC. This means that you can add and maintain content from any computer that has a browser installed and access to the Internet.
5. Your website will have a consistent look-and-feel across all pages, images, fonts and styles. Say goodbye to web pages that look like ransom notes.
6. The content is stored separately from the style of the website. The style can be changed at the click of a button, without the need to realign all of its content, and the WCMS rebuilds all of the pages with the new style. This means that you can give your website a complete refresh without investing in reworking the content.
7. Some WCMS systems built web pages that are optimized for search engines. The WCMS system used on this website is called Big Medium, and produces immaculate HTML code, very easily read and indexed by search engines.
8. Different access can be given to different contributors to the website. A good WCMS might have Administrators, Webmasters, Designers and Writers. A Webmaster might be allowed to add a complete new section to the website or perhaps swap out the logo with a new one. A Writer might only be able to add content a page at a time.