Cloud CMS (SaaS) for Websites
A cloud CMS, often called a SaaS CMS or hosted CMS, is a content management system that runs on the vendor's servers while the site owner works in it through a browser and pays a subscription. You do not have to buy a license, rent a server or look for an administrator to install updates, because the vendor takes that part of the work off your hands.
What is a cloud CMS?
Seo-Gen CMS works exactly this way: the system runs on the Seo-Gen agency's servers, and clients get access to the admin panel by subscription and focus on their own websites. Below we explain how the cloud model differs from a self-hosted CMS and a website builder, who is responsible for what, who owns the data and where this approach has its limits.
A cloud content management system is software that the vendor installs once on its own servers, maintains itself and opens to clients on a subscription basis. Clients see only the admin panel and the website itself, while servers, the database, file storage and updates stay on the vendor's side.
In Seo-Gen CMS one installation runs many websites, and each of them has its own domains, languages, design, mail, forms and data. A site on this cloud-based CMS is rendered on the server with Next.js, data is stored in PostgreSQL, and images are kept in S3 storage and cut into twelve sizes for different screens.
What does the cloud CMS vendor take care of?
Every Seo-Gen CMS plan includes the same set of technical work, and you do not pay anything extra for it. The list below comes from the subscription terms, so it stays the same for a single website and for a network of several websites:
- hosting the site on the agency's servers instead of a separate hosting plan;
- system updates at no extra cost and security updates;
- scheduled backups and restoring from them;
- an automatic HTTPS certificate for every connected domain;
- monitoring of the website and response to outages;
- free fixes for errors made by the agency;
- support by email, via a Telegram bot and directly from the admin panel.
If the website is completely unavailable, the agency starts fixing the problem immediately on any plan. The response time for other requests depends on the plan and is faster on higher plans, and every request is registered under its own number.
Security and HTTPS
The HTTPS certificate is issued automatically when you connect a domain, and a setup assistant tells you which DNS records to add at your registrar. The owner does not have to watch the certificate's expiry date or renew it manually with a third-party provider.
The second side of security concerns the people who work in the admin panel: how they log in, what they change and which sites they can access. All of this is configured in the system itself, without third-party plugins that would have to be installed, set up and updated separately.
Two-step login
Besides the password, the system can ask for a second step at login: confirmation via Telegram, SMS or a WebAuthn passkey. If an employee's password falls into the wrong hands, a stranger still cannot get into the admin panel or change anything without that second step.
Devices that an employee uses every day can be marked as trusted, so the second step is not needed at every login. For convenience, staff can also sign in with a social network account if that is how they prefer to access the admin panel.
Activity log and roles
The activity log records which staff member changed what on the site, so a disputed edit is easy to find and trace back to its source. If a change turns out to be a mistake, the page can be rolled back to an earlier version through its change history without restoring the whole site from a backup.
Each employee's role is set separately for a specific website, so a copywriter on one project does not see the settings of another. When someone leaves the company, their role is removed and their access to the network's sites is closed.
The site owner's area of responsibility
The cloud model does not take the whole website away from you: content, decisions and access stay in your hands. It helps to agree in advance where the vendor's work ends and yours begins, so that neither side expects too much from the other.
| Task | Seo-Gen | Website owner |
|---|---|---|
| Servers, updates, backups | Yes | No |
| Texts, photos, products, prices | AI assistant in the system from the Business plan | Yes |
| Meta tags and page structure | Tools in the system | Fills them in or orders the work |
| Staff access | Technical side | Decides who gets which role |
| Custom development | Done based on an estimate | Sets the task and approves the estimate |
When a client chooses a cloud CMS, the first thing I ask is in what form page URLs, meta tags and redirects can be taken out later. In Seo-Gen CMS the structure and URLs are exported as JSON or CSV together with canonical URLs, structured data and 301 redirects. With such an export, a move to another system can be planned so that old URLs are not lost and search engines do not run into a wave of broken links.
What we actually did
Dental clinic · Kyiv and Chernihiv
+44% clicks from search
A domain with no history and a site on a website builder. We built the semantic core for both cities, reworked the landing pages and built the link profile from zero. In four months: 34.8k clicks, impressions 1.32 → 1.76M, DR 0 → 41.
E-commerce · international
+96% clicks in two months
A catalog of digital 3D models. We clustered the semantics, rebuilt the hub pages and fixed duplicates and indexing errors. Google users 247 → 532, CTR 2.4% → 4%.
Medical center · Ukraine
+68.75% visibility in the first month
Narrow visibility and a small semantic core at the start. Semantics, landing page structure, metadata and internal linking, then gradual link building.
How much does a cloud CMS cost?
A cloud CMS is paid for with a subscription per website per month, and all the technical work from the vendor section above is already included in that price. A Seo-Gen CMS subscription starts from UAH 990 per month for one website, and the full plan comparison is on the page “Seo-Gen CMS pricing and plans”.
One-off work is paid separately from the subscription: a website on a template, migration of an existing site, building from a design mockup and custom development, with the total fixed in an estimate. AI features are available from the Business plan, and usage above the included volume is billed within a monthly cap that you agree on in advance.
Who is Seo-Gen cloud CMS right for?
If your team needs the source code, its own server or development by in-house programmers, it is better to choose a self-hosted system from the start. In that case a cloud subscription would get in the way, and it is better to find this out before the move than after six months of work.
The cloud model suits those who need a working website with a solid SEO foundation and do not want to keep a server administrator on staff. Below are the typical situations in which the Seo-Gen cloud CMS fits a business best:
- small and medium businesses without their own technical specialist;
- companies with several websites for branches, brands or cities;
- WordPress site owners tired of constant plugin updates;
- projects in three languages: Russian, Ukrainian and English;
- businesses that need domain mail, form submissions and newsletters in one system.
Tell us what website you have now and how many sites are in your network. We will pick a plan and explain how to move your website to the Seo-Gen cloud CMS.
Answers to your questions
Can I get the source code of Seo-Gen CMS?
No, Seo-Gen CMS works as a cloud service, and clients do not receive a copy of the software or its source code. The agency keeps the system on its own servers, updates it and fixes its own errors at no extra cost.
At the same time, all the website content belongs to you and can be exported in open formats at any moment. Texts, URLs, media files, meta tags, form submissions and the full database leave with you if you decide to change platforms.
What happens to my website if I decide to leave?
After the contract ends, the agency hands over a final export: texts by language, structure and URLs, media files, meta tags, redirects, form submissions and the full database. This set is enough to rebuild the website on another system and keep page URLs intact for search engines.
You do not have to wait until the contract ends, because you can request an export during the work and keep a fresh archive on your side. The agency does not charge anything extra for a data export, either during the subscription or after it ends.
Can I move my website to a cloud CMS from WordPress?
Yes, a WordPress site moves through the built-in import: the system itself takes pages and blog posts, images, menus, forms, links and SEO data together with the visual design. The import has been tried on the DIVI theme and reads Gutenberg blocks, and if the theme is different, the team goes through the site page by page and fills in whatever the import missed.
For Prom, Shopify, Magento, Horoshop, OpenCart and other engines there is no automatic migration, so Seo-Gen staff move the site by hand together with URLs, meta tags and 301 redirects. The estimate lists what will move and which deviations from the original are acceptable before any work starts.
Can I order custom development for my business?
Yes, custom development for specific tasks is done by the Seo-Gen team, and each piece of work is priced with an estimate before it starts. The estimate shows the scope and the amount in advance, so you decide on the work knowing the final price.
The source code stays with the agency, so editing the system itself with your own programmers is not possible. If this is critical for you, it is better to discuss the task in advance and decide together whether the cloud model covers it.
How quickly does support respond to requests?
Requests are accepted around the clock by email at support@seo-gen.com.ua, via the support Telegram bot and directly from the admin panel, and each one gets its own number. The response time for regular questions depends on the plan, and on higher plans the answer comes faster.
When the website is fully down, the agency begins the fix right away, and this rule applies equally to all plans. Agency errors and breakages after a system update are fixed free of charge, while custom work at your request is billed based on an estimate.
A cloud CMS suits those who want to focus on their website and business while leaving servers, updates, backups and security to the vendor. Seo-Gen CMS adds SEO in the core, many websites from one login and data that stays yours and can be exported at any time.
If you need your own server and your own code, a self-hosted system will serve you better. In other cases the cloud model takes more worries off a business than it adds and leaves time for the website itself.
We reply within one business day. No newsletters, no “just a reminder” calls.
He will look at the site himself instead of passing it to a manager.
More on: Cloud CMS (SaaS) for Websites
How does a cloud CMS differ from a self-hosted CMS and a website builder?
There are three ways to run a website: install a self-hosted CMS on your own hosting, assemble pages in a website builder or work in a cloud CMS on a subscription. The difference between them comes down to who is responsible for servers, updates and security, and how far you can go with your own customization.
| What we compare | Self-hosted CMS on your own hosting | Website builder | Seo-Gen cloud CMS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Servers and hosting | Rented and configured by the owner | The builder platform | Agency servers, included in the subscription |
| Updates and security | Installed by the owner or a contractor | The builder platform | The agency, at no extra cost |
| Backups | Set up by the owner | Depends on the platform | On a schedule, with restore |
| SEO settings | Often through extra plugins | Depends on the platform | In the core: canonical URLs, hreflang, sitemap, 301 |
| Source code | The owner has it | No | No, data can be exported at any time |
| Custom development | Anything, by your own developers | Within the platform's limits | By the Seo-Gen team, based on an estimate |
The table shows the general picture, and a specific self-hosted system or builder may differ from it in the details. The main choice here lies between full control over the code and the server and having someone else run the technical side of the website for you.
Self-hosted CMS on your own server
You download or buy a self-hosted system, install it on your own hosting and then maintain it yourself or through a contractor. This option gives you access to the source code and freedom to customize, but along with it you take on updates, backups, certificates and troubleshooting.
For a company with its own developer this is a normal arrangement, while a business without a technical specialist often ends up with outdated plugins. A cloud CMS takes exactly this part of the work off the owner and leaves them the website content and decisions about its growth.
Website builders
A website builder also runs in the cloud and is sold by subscription, which is why people often confuse it with a cloud CMS. The difference lies in who the tool is made for: a builder expects the owner to assemble the site from ready-made blocks and manage without outside help.
Seo-Gen CMS also offers a block editor and a gallery of industry templates, but behind the system stands an agency that migrates existing sites, builds pages from design mockups and extends the system based on an estimate. The core already includes SEO tools, three languages with separate texts, mail on your domain, newsletters and a dedicated Telegram bot for every site.
Who owns the data in a cloud CMS?
The Seo-Gen CMS contract states that website data is the client's property and explains how to receive it. You can take an export at any time at no extra cost, and after the contract ends the agency hands over a final export, so you can leave the system with all your data.
Data export contents
The contents of the export are described in the contract terms in advance, so you do not have to argue for them when parting ways with the vendor. The export is put together so that the site can be rebuilt on another system without copying pages by hand one by one:
- page and blog texts for each language in Markdown or HTML;
- site structure and page URLs in JSON or CSV;
- media files in the formats in which they were uploaded;
- meta tags, canonical URLs, structured data and redirects;
- form submissions in CSV and site settings;
- a full export of the website database.
This set works both for a move and for your own archive, which is worth keeping regardless of any plans to change platforms. You can request an export at any point, including long before the contract ends.
Many websites from one login
One Seo-Gen CMS installation runs many websites, so a network of sites for branches, several brands or different cities is managed from one admin panel. Each site still has its own domains, languages, design, mail, forms and data, and they do not mix with one another.
The header, footer, breadcrumbs and 404 page live in global zones, and one edit changes them on every page of the site at once. Each site in the network has its own global zones, so a new header for one brand stays on that brand's site only, and the network summary shows all projects together.
Advantages of a cloud CMS
The main advantage is that the technical side of the website stops being your concern: servers, updates, backups and certificates are handled by the agency. Costs also become more predictable, because hosting, system updates and fixes for the agency's errors are already included in the subscription.
New features arrive in the system without reinstallation and without paying for the update, and the SEO tools are built into the core and do not depend on third-party plugins. You can work in the admin panel from any computer with a browser and internet access.
Limits of the cloud model
Clients do not receive the source code or a copy of the software, so installing Seo-Gen CMS on your own server or handing it to your own programmer is not possible. Custom development for a specific business is done by the Seo-Gen team, and each piece of work is paid for separately based on an estimate.
The website runs on the agency's servers, so the cloud model will not suit companies whose internal rules require everything to be kept on their own hardware. Automatic migration is currently available only from WordPress, and the Seo-Gen team moves sites from other platforms manually based on an estimate.