What is a CMS (content management system)?
Definition
A CMS, or content management system, is software that lets you add and change the words, photos and pages on your website without writing code. You log in, edit a page much like a document, and publish. Some you install and look after yourself; others come built into a website builder.
What a CMS does for a small business
Without a CMS, every change goes through whoever built your site: a new price, a holiday closure, a new staff photo. That's slow and it costs money, so sites go stale. With one, the person who knows about the change makes it, in minutes. For most small businesses, the question isn't whether to have a CMS, it's which kind.
There are two broad kinds. A self-hosted CMS is software you install on a server you rent; it's flexible, but you look after updates, plugins, security and backups, or pay someone to. A hosted CMS comes built into a website platform that runs all of that for you; you trade a little freedom for not having to think about it. Without an IT person, the upkeep usually decides it.
For restaurants, the test is how fast you can change a price or take a dish off the menu from your phone. For churches, it's whether a volunteer can post this week's events without breaking the layout, using their own login. For law firms, it's whether a new practice area page or attorney bio comes out with the same polish as the rest of the site.
What to look for in a CMS
- Editing that looks like the live page, so you see changes as visitors will.
- Editing on a phone, for quick fixes like hours and prices.
- A separate login for each staff member or volunteer, so nobody shares a password.
- Undo, and a way to check your changes before you publish.
- Who handles updates, security and backups, and whether that costs extra.
- Whether you can export your content if you ever leave.
How Future handles it
Future is a hosted website builder with the CMS built in: hosting, security and upkeep come with every plan, with no plugins to update. You edit by clicking any word or photo, or by telling Future what you want in plain words, with Undo, and check the phone view before you publish.
Team members are included, so everyone who edits the site has their own login. Counting you, Starter has room for 2, Pro 5 and Premier 15, and editors' changes wait as drafts until you or an admin publish. Your words, photos and customer details stay yours, and you can export them any time.