Web Hosting Fan

A good content management system (CMS) is an integral part of web site creation and maintenance.  One item that is often overlooked when it comes to choosing a CMS is how effective it is for search engine optimization (SEO).  Pixelsilk is an excellent CMS program that was created with SEO in mind.

Located in Bend, Oregon, Pixelsilk has been in the business of building internet programs for corporations since 1995 and added SEO to their business in 1997.  Combining the two practices brought about the birth of Pixelsilk.

Features

Going beyond simple CMS functions, Pixelsilk brings several features to content management that most programs don’t:

• Full HTML control
• Interactivity with social media applications
• Open architecture and framework
• Real-time search engine optimization advice
• Theme and navigation flexibility

All of these features are critical in keeping up with the competition when it comes to search engine rankings.  Pixelsilk effectively adds on SEO tools without subtracting any of the standard features one would expect in a good CMS program.

Specifications

The Pixelsilk program is a proprietary web-based application.  This means no software downloads are required and one’s web site can be administered and accessed from anywhere.  While the program itself is proprietary and not open source, the framework is open and can be developed through the company’s client and server APIs.

Ease of use

The administration interface for Pixelsilk is much like any other CMS interface – blocked sections of commonly used admin tasks and easy to read pages.  Administrators can add specific user and group roles and modify and create pages just like most standard CMS programs.  The beauty lays in specific sections and tabs that help users create keywords and phrases, optimize for searchable page titles and even in giving on-the-fly advice to further SEO effectiveness.

Cost

Web sites wishing to use the Pixelsilk software must host through the company’s Single Domain Pixelsilk solution which starts out at $149 per month.  Self-hosted solutions are available but the company needs to be contacted and consulted with for further information.

At first glance, the monthly cost may seem a bit high.  However, what must be taken into consideration is that not only is a CMS offered within this monthly charge but hosting and search engine optimization tools to boot.  If one were to price out each of these services individually, the monthly cost does not seem overly prohibitive.

Downside

There is one downside to Pixelsilk.  The company web site really doesn’t give potential customers the ability to check out what’s under the hood unless a personalized walk through demonstration is requested.  The company would fair better if it allowed access to a very scaled down version of the CMS administration panel with test administration abilities incorporated.

Conclusion

It’s not easy to find a CMS solution that is both simple to use and incorporates much needed SEO tools.  Pixelsilk does this splendidly and at a fair cost.  When considering the overall cost of web hosting, web development and SEO consultants, the monthly price being asked by Pixelsilk ends up being a good business bargain.

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