Content Management Systems
A content management system (commonly known as a CMS) is a web application that allows non-technical webmasters to manage their website and web content in a simple and consistent manner.
There are literally hundreds of content management systems (CMS) available today, each having different capabilities and strengths. Some CMS systems are based on open-source applications but many are proprietary systems, developed by the company that hosts the site and the content management systems.
Content editing using a CMS
One of the primary benefits that non-technical website owners see in using a content management system (CMS) is that they have the freedom to make changes to their website content through their content management system without having to involve or commission their web developers. This obviously has some cost saving advantages.
Generally speaking, the more frequent the amount of editing required on a website, the more viable a content management system or CMS becomes. Unfortunately for most small business that own a website, changes are usually quite infrequent and when the user comes to edit the site though the content management systems they struggle because of a lack of familiarity and practice in using the CMS. The user can easily make mistakes that may need to be corrected by a web developer, usually at a cost.
On the other hand, websites that are static coded in html don't generally allow the untrained user to edit. These sites have no content management systems, so making changes to the content requires some degree of technical knowledge in html. As most website owners don't have these skills, changes would usually be made by the website developers, usually at a nominal charge, depending on the nature of the changes. For low frequency editing this 'pay as you go' method can be very cost-effective.