Monday, 16 August 2010
Why do I Need a Content Management System?
As one of London’s oldest and most experienced web design and development agencies we often are asked why a client really needs Content Management System (CMS) for website management. Our response; in this day and age a website without content management is about as useful as a car without fuel. It is our view that a CMS absolutely critical to provide both time and cost effective website management, here is the background and our reasoning.
The best websites are the ones that are kept up to date with breaking news and current information. In most cases, the client, or website owner, is in the best position to provide updates, but generally does not have the have the time, or the skills, to programme the site. This is where an owner operated content management system (CMS) comes into play, the only truly efficient and cost effective way for most website owners to keep their sites up to date.
A CMS separates design, structure, and content into different layers. The division of these layers allows many advantages throughout the life cycle of the website. Each area of the site can be re-created and adjusted independent of the other areas. The design layer can be completely re-worked for a new user interface without the need for any adjustments to structure or content. The structure can be adjusted for additional functionality with no changes required to design and content. Content can be changed with no need to adjust the front-end design or functional structure. The separation of these three areas creates the flexible strength of a content management system.
The primary advantages of using a CMS are:
Programming knowledge is not required- A CMS site allows non-technical people to add content. All they need to do; is login with their username and password and use the web editor that’s built into the CMS to add their content.
Decentralized updating and maintenance- Using an administration control panel through a common web browser you can edit your site from anywhere that has internet access.
A CMS web site is database driven- This allows you to create manage and store a few, or a few hundred or thousands of pages in the database without the need to update its’ structure each time an update is done.
Integrated Web site management panel- The web based administration panel not only provides the ability to add and edit standard site content, but also provides control over additional functionality such as electronic communications, e-commerce, polls, banners, forums, news management and menus. With this simple online administration interface, you are able to manage all of your web applications in one place.
Create Search Engine friendly pages- The separation of content from design allows you to easily include keywords in the URL of each page. If the title of your article were “Content Management” your URL would be written as: "your-domain-name.com/content-management". This makes it easier for search engines to index your content and boosting your website’s ranking in the search engines - driving more customers to your pages.
Website maintenance has changed dramatically in the last few years which is primarily down to powerful CMS systems. Content Management Systems have effectively levelled the playing field for the operation of websites. You no longer need a highly trained expert to make changes, allowing anyone with common computer skills to keep your site bang up to date. Even small organisations can now maintain a professional website efficiently and cost effectively.
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