Does My Website Need a Content Management System?
January 26th, 2009 1 Comment
Content Management Systems: CMS
Website content management systems, or CMS, are a simple and affordable way for a business to take control of the content that is presented on their website. Content management systems are available in a range of dynamic applications, and generally involve a password-protected administration area, an HTML site editor, and true simplicity in ease-of-use.
The website content management system, or CMS, has revolutionized the way that website content is created and managed. Perhaps some of the most significant advancements of the Web 2.0 era have occurred in the backend administration of websites. One of the most common and flexible of these advancements is the CMS, which gives users an easy and intuitive means to update and edit Web content without the need to learn any HTML or CSS coding.
Web content management systems are not new and have been around in some form for number in years; perhaps as early as the late 1990s. What is new is the proliferation of CMS platforms and the wide variety of applications we have seen in the past few years. CMS can mean many things from full-blown Web development platforms such as Joomla, Drupal and Mambo to the wildly popular blogging platforms, of which WordPress leads the pack.
CMS Applications
There’s also a wide variety of CMS applications that have been developed on a smaller scale, either for commercial distribution or by Web development companies to aid their Web development processes. For example, here at Web Media Solutions we have developed our own custom CMS application to use for development of standard feature sites that do not require complex dynamic function. We also develop using Joomla, WordPress, and several e-commerce platforms that all contain content management systems.
The use of a content management system can be incorporated into most any web site, though it is best if a CMS is planned at the outset of Web design project. CMS applications have become very popular largely because organizations are aware of CMS as a tool to increase efficiency in administration of a site. Also, content management systems are available at a price that is not prohibitive to using them.
It can also be argued that the cost of a CMS is an investment in the future maintenance of a website. Ultimately it will not take many hours of site maintenance before the costs of a CMS is realized in savings that would otherwise go to a web design company.
The use of a CMS will also likely result in a more effective website as content can be conveniently updated as a simple administrative task. Website updates will be more productive and less expensive than for the company that chooses not to implement CMS technology.
For websites that we develop at Web Media Solutions, CMS is the norm. Even for sites where we are taking care of maintenance, most content additions and edits can be handled quickly and by low technical (less expensive) staff.
In my opinion, use of a CMS will become automatic in the very near future. Web developers that have not embraced CMS will be playing catch-up. Businesses that do not have a content management system application already on their website will wonder why and will probably be looking for ways to catch up with Joneses.
Tags: Affordable CMS, CMS, CMS application, content management system, Control web content, Dynamic website, Web administrator, Website administration system, Website control
July 12th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
I found your blog by chance . but i have to say that it’s great blog very useful information and very interesting subjects just greetings and good luck
i’m not going i will be always checking for updates.I’m very interested in CMS and all its related subjects.