Frequently Asked Questions: Content Management

Q. What is a Content Management System?

A. A Content Management System, also called a CMS, is a way for website owners to manage and organize the pages, files and images on their site.

Once considered only necessary for very large sites, a CMS is actually one of the best ways for a small business owner to organize and update a website.

Back to top

Q. What CMS does Visual People provide with its websites?

A. We have our own CMS based on the open source software called Textpattern. You can use Visual People’s CMS to make changes to your website, including editing text, adding pages and inserting images. We provide training and a manual for how to use the CMS, and our clients consistently remark about how easy it is to use.

Back to top

Q. Why is having a CMS beneficial for my small business website?

A. With an easy-to-use CMS, you can make changes to your website yourself, saving time and money. Or, an authorized employee can make changes without needing to learn and understand complex code.

Since adding the Visual People CMS to all our small business websites, we’ve found that business owners take a greater interest in keeping their sites updated. A regularly updated site is more useful for customers and gets higher search engine rankings.

Back to top

Q. What kind of computer and/or software do I need to make updates?

A. You can use your existing computer with just about any current web browser software (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, etc.) and an Internet connection. Because all your content is stored on the web server, you don’t need to use just one computer or any special software. With a login and password, you can access your site from anywhere.

Some web designers offer to set you up with Adobe® Contribute software, which is one way to make website updates. The problem with Contribute is that you need to purchase the software ($170+ per license) and learn to use it. Visual People’s CMS is easy — you don’t need to buy or learn any special software — and you can use it from anywhere, not just a single computer with the Contribute software installed.

Back to top

Q. How much does the Visual People CMS cost?

A. Our CMS is included with every website that we create. There is no additional charge, no setup cost and no monthly fee. We think it’s that important!

Back to top

Find out more