A CMS is a piece of software that keeps track of all content on your Web site, much like your local public library keeps track of books. Content can be simple text, photos, music, video, documents, or just about anything you can think of. A major advantage of using a CMS is that it requires almost no technical skill or knowledge to manage. Since the CMS manages all your content, you don't have to.

The Black Mantis team work mainly with Joomla!, Drupal and Mambo Content Management Systems.

Most websites utilise HTML (HyperText Markup Language) programming to display the page that you, the user, view in your browser window. CSS (Cascading Style Sheet) formatting was created for use in combination with HTML to speed up the loading of pages that look similar. Black Mantis write in HTML and use CSS and image optimization techniques to make websites that load quickly on most connections. The advantage of using HTML/CSS is in quick loading and simple layout possibilities, but its disadvantage lies in requiring knowledge to update and change the site after construction.

Please visit our portfolio for examples of our previous work in HTML/CSS.

Once your site has been designed, you need somewhere to host it. The majority of sites that offer a hosting service do so at extortionate rates, taking advantage of the fact that the average user is not in a position of good information. Black Mantis offer consultation on the best possible options for the individual client, whether externally with a reputable hosting service, or with us personally.

Please note that sites using CMS require Apache Server/mySQL/PHP to be supported server-side.