We've been in the web business a long time, and we know: Static content gets stale. Boring. Overlooked. Customers get tired of seeing the same thing over and over again, and then they and click somewhere else. That's just the way people are. Websites need to be current, so that search engines see your website is active and your customers see you're actively providing new deals, great services, and useful products.
Changeability is a fundamental aspect of website design, and is often overlooked by small businesses and amateur developers. Once a website is built, it can't just sit there. It needs to be updated.
Chances are, also probably not.
The other option is to have your web programmers set up a Content Manager, so that you or your staff can update your website inhouse.
CMS
A Content Management System, or CMS, is a new buzzword that's wafting throughout the web. It's become pretty commonplace these days. Just like it sounds, a CMS helps you manage the content of a website. It's basically a layer of software that exists between you and your web server, and knows how to translate your instructions into code the web server understands.
There are a ton of Content Managers out there, many of which are free and "easy to use." At first glance, that sounds awesome, especially for smaller businesses on a tight budget... but have you ever heard the expression, "you get what you pay for?"
The most prevalent CMS out there is WordPress, and that's a little scary. Sure, with WordPress, just about anyone can update their website. The thing is, when you install WordPress -- or any Content Management System, for that matter -- you're installing an interface that can directly access the depths of your website.
Why is that so scary? Think of it like this: Your website is your castle, and the gates are guarded by a complicated maze of pitfalls, traps and dead ends. Woe to those who dare enter malevolently, for only the true nobles who know the maze's solution can breach the castle walls... right?
Well... when thousands of castles are surrounded by the same maze, invaders only need one solution. Once they've found it, thousands of castles are at stake. And here's where this little analogy doesn't do the problem justice, because we're not actually talking about primitive berserkers blundering their way down narrow labyrinth corridors and banging on the walls of a keep. We're talking about simple, automated programs, written by intelligent hackers with malicious intent, that can attack a multitude of websites simultaneously and conquer with the speed of the digital age.
We're not even exaggerating here.