Content Management Systems – Is One Right For Your Business
Saturday, April 17th, 2010A common request I hear often from clients is “We need a site we can update ourselves.” Maybe they had a site in the past with a web designer that was unresponsive or slow getting their work up. Or maybe, they might be so darn excited at the prospect of having their own website that they get a little ahead of themselves. Which ever the reason, here are some things you should know about “self updating sites”.
First of all these sites are commonly referred to in the web world as CMS (content management systems). They allow you, the customer to manage the website yourself or in house. Having said that, it does not mean that with a CMS component you must update the site yourself, it’s just an option. There are many varieties of these systems out there. Some are widely used systems and others are of the custom kind designed by “web techies” that prefer to build their own software. Regardless of the system, most are easy enough for the public (i.e., non web designers peoples) to master. I like to tell clients: if you can use Word, use your email and upload and locate photos on your computer, you should have no problem with a good CMS. If you can’t do one or more of the above actions, then CMS probably is not for you and you should either forgo CMS entirely, let your web designer update your site or pass the job off to someone in your office who is a bit more computer savvy.
CMS sites are dynamic, meaning they change based on user input. They give you the ability to interact with you clients and potentials clients in real time. Ever dream of having a Q&A with you clients and posting it on your website? What about and advice column? Get product feedback? Well with CMS that is all possible. Have you ever wanted to start a newsletter, online forum what about an online store? All of that is possible with CMS too.
Role playing
One of the nice features of CMS is the ability for the designer to design the site and the client to work within that design. Once the site is designed the client can go in, make updates and changes without altering the the look and feel of the site. A web owner can also invite users to add content to the website by allowing access to designated areas of the site. Site owners can even go as far as allowing users to create feature rich online communities right on their own site complete with private messaging and user profiles.
While CMS has plenty of pros, one of the cons can be security. CMS site must be kept current with software releases to remain secure. Like antivirus software, it is only secure if it is up to date. These systems must also be backed up daily.
Finally, a CMS site is one that can grow with you over time. You can start small and build up features as you grow or your appetite for web dominance grows. With CMS the possibilities are plentiful.
