In my first blog, I went over some essential features that you need to look for when selecting your hosting company.  So, the next step is to look at several tools and services that will enhance both your web site and your hosting experience. 

One of the most important tools for your hoster to have is a Content Management System (CMS) which allows you to manage your site’s content any time you need to change content on your site.  A good CMS tool can allow for collaboration and site management as well.  It’s very important to continually market your company well and having a CMS tool makes that task easier.  A good CMS tool has an easy-to-use interface and requires only that you have skills in using any basic word processing software.

Since a good CMS tool makes managing your site a much easier task, I want to go over a few features to look for when selecting a CMS tool.  Here are some of the essentials to look for:

Creating & Editing

• Browser-based access
• WYSIWYG Editing - Just like a standard word-processor
• Spell Checker
• Site Preview
• Easy-to-use Interface

Collaboration, & Approvals, Security

• Flexible Users and Groups
• Content Access Rights
• Check-in/Check-out Content
• Workflow Management
• Audits & Reporting
• Version Control
• CMS Training

Publishing

• Scheduled and Manual Publishing - publishing options offer full control and ease of use.

• Automatic Archiving lets you set expiration dates for time sensitive content.
• Friendly URLs improve search rankings with legible URLs.

There are many more features that CMS tools can offer but those are some of the important features that you want included when choosing your CMS tool.  So, when considering hosting options don’t forget these handy tips, and if you need help just gives us a call.

Tags: CMS, Hosting