A Content Management System (CMS) is essentially a 'back-office' environment to any website. This management environment is where users or the website owner can create, edit and manage the content of their website, without the need web design tools such as Dreamweaver, or for technical understanding of things like HTML or CSS. The popularity of content management systems is due mainly to the power it gives website owners to control the content of their website themselves without having to employ a web designer to make changes or updates.

One of the biggest advantages that a CMS can bring is the ability to communicate in a dynamic way with your visitors. The ability to constantly update content, and keep your website fresh and engaging can help to improve the user experience and even increase sales on e-commerce websites. There are numerous different kinds of content management systems available, but three in particular dominate. Ultimately, the choice comes down to what your own particular requirements are, but all content management systems that Aardvarky recommend are open-source (we would advise anyone to avoid any proprietary systems that tie you to one provider or another). In most cases we recommend WordPress due it its robustness and flexibility to meet most needs, but we are equally adept with both Joomla and Drupal.

A Content Management System has many benefits: