How to make most out of Free CMS Software?

It was a time when a CMS software cost several thousands of dollar. So it seems huge initial investment for small business and even in case vendors try to charge monthly or yearly maintenance fees for the use of their CMS Software, it was this small business find it hard to make most out of it. So all those business try to stick to static web pages and avoid using costly CMS for their business sites.

But now the time has changed. The open source community has progressed to such an advanced stage that you no longer have to pay a single cent for the use of such software. So hope now you are looking for such Open source CMS to make most out of it, after all it is totally free, Right ? No Problem. All such Open source CMS software is available with detailed instruction of installation. You can even find readymade solution for your trouble shooting problem at the time of Installation. All such community has progressed to such an extent that now you can find solution to each and every problem in any of community forums or chat rooms.

Step 1: Choose cPANEL hosting. - I highly recommend choosing Linux hosting with cPANEL control panel because you can install all kinds of software easily. Just choose your desired software (e.g. WordPress, Joomla, Mambo or Phpnuke) and then click "install". The installation wizard will guide you through the entire process. It's painless, and it's fast and error free.

Step 2: Choose a software that you are comfortable with. - You don't have to know the technical aspects of the software. But you do need to know how to operate the software. Most CMS comes with intuitive admin control panel. You can configure the entire site (e.g. install themes and plugins) from within the admin control panel. WordPress is so advanced that you don't even have to download additional plugins or themes to your local computer. You can install the add-ons directly on your website.

Step 3: Login and configure your website. - There are many settings you can configure, depending on the CMS you are using. The most important thing is to ensure that your site is search engine friendly. For example, you can install a plugin known as "SEO Platinum" and that helps to keep web pages search engine friendly. You want the site to be search friendly because the web pages tend to rank better when they are search optimized. That means free traffic for your site! The thought of being able to acquire new customers without having to pay a single cent sounds exciting.

Step 4: Learn simple HTML.

Without a CMS, you are highly dependent on your webmaster if you want to make changes. What if your webmaster charges a fee every time you want to make some simple changes? The minor changes can add up to quite a substantial expense. To avoid having to pay through your nose, pick up some simple HTML. At the very least, learn how to format texts and create text links. You don't have to become an expert programmer. But being HTML savvy allows you to update your own sites quickly. Hope this article will help many of you to make most out of this entire open source software. In the next coming post we will be looking how to install the wordpress or pligg software as a platform.