April 15, 2008

To CMS or Not to CMS?

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When clients need a new website or an overhaul of an existing site, we usually discuss the pros and cons of managing the website using a Content Management System (CMS). A CMS is typically server-based software that allows website administrators to edit content on a website.

A CMS goes beyond HTML editing software in a number of ways, including:

• A CMS allows users to create, edit, delete, schedule and order pages on the website and have them show up in the site navigation.
• A CMS provides an interface to update more complex content than just pages with text and images.
• A CMS allows administrators to set different levels of administrative access so that users can be assigned to update only certain areas of content.
• A CMS allows administrators to set up an approval process so that pages are edited, reviewed and published separately.
• A CMS manages files and uploads so that users can add multi-media content from their desktops to the website.

So how do you tell if your website could benefit from using a CMS? Here are some suggestions:

• If you're constantly updating a lot of information that needs to be displayed by date (calendar) or alphabetically (list of books), updating a page of this information by hand can be a hassle. A CMS allows you to treat each entry separately, and then can automatically display the data sorted on the page.
• If you need to display the same content in a variety of formats, including HTML, RSS feeds, mobile, print, etc., a CMS can publish the content to different templates so that it only has to be updated in one place.
• If you need to allow multiple users to update information on the site, a CMS makes it easier for them to avoid writing over each other's work. Many CMS allow users to "roll back" a page to a previous state in case a mistake is made.

There is a wide variety of content management systems available. A great resource for comparing them is www.cmsmatrix.org. You can search for the right CMS for your needs based on a number of different variables, including platform, programming language, cost, user ratings, etc.

Most content management systems can provide out-of-the-box templates and functionality, but you should expect there to be significant development time necessary if you want to integrate a custom look and feel for your website.

Further questions? Just send us a quick email.

— Megan

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