What is a CMS, and does your business need one?

A CMS (content management system) is software that lets you update your website — text, images, blog posts — without touching code. It's the difference between calling a developer for every change and doing it yourself.

When a CMS helps

• •You want to publish blog posts or news regularly.
• •Your content changes often (menus, listings, events).
• •You have someone in-house who'll keep it updated.

When you might not need one

If your site rarely changes, a lean, fast, hand-built site can be simpler and faster than a heavy CMS — especially if updates are handled for you. The right answer depends on who's editing and how often.

Managed updates: a middle path

With a managed service, you don't need to learn a CMS at all — you just ask for changes and they get made. You get the flexibility without the admin.