What is a Content Management System?
It used to be back in the day that you put a web site up on the web and then left it. Well, as search engines started rewarding web sites whose content was regularly being updated, it became more important for web sites to be easier to edit. Also, most marketing these days drives people to a web site where visitors should be able to easily connect the offline advertising or message with what’s on the company site. That means, content will probably need to change often, to coordinate with whatever special, incentive, message etc. is out there. Now with social media booming, integrating the content with your social pages, content that is constantly changing, is another reason why “How do I keep my site up-to-date?” is a growing issue.
There are 2 basic ways you can address edits:
- Hire an outside developer, agency, IT person to make the edits for you
- Utilize a program, software or Content Management System (CMS) so you or your staff can self-edit
So, what is a CMS? It’s typically a log-in, non-public system, meaning anyone who visits the web site will not know of its existence. Only people provided with a username and password would be able to access it. Through this system, personnel would be able to edit information, typically text, such as pricing, specials or even photo galleries. A CMS is not usually used for pages like About Us or Contact Us, mainly because that information is pretty much going to stay the same for long periods of time.
When trying to decide which option is best for you, here are some things to think about:
- How much time do you or your staff have to spend on editing the site?
- Most of my clients really want a self-editing CMS, but don’t realize that even with a user-friendly system, that it still requires them to sit down and make the edits themselves.
- Depending on how much time you have during the day, it’s sometimes quicker to just E-mail a change and have someone take care of it for you.
- How quickly do changes need to be made?
- If you want to be able to make changes instantly, a CMS may be the way to go.
- When working with an agency or IT person for example, there will probably be a 24-48 lag time between your change request and that change being executed.
- How comfortable are you with learning a new system?
- There are thousands of ways you can build a CMS, but bottom-line, you do have to be comfortable with learning a new system, making mistakes and experimenting.
- Even the most intuitive of systems will take a little time to acclimate oneself to.
- Cost versus Need
- Ask yourself – how often do you need to make changes on the site? If it’s not often, you may just want to use a developer or IT person.
- If you feel your site needs to be updated frequently (1x per week for example), you may want to pay to develop a CMS.
- A CMS will cost you more upfront, but depending on your developer or agency’s hourly rate for example, if edits are frequent enough, a CMS may be worth the additional upfront costs.
I would like to bring up that even if you have a Content Management System, you will still need a developer in many cases. A CMS is a tool to edit easily editable information that needs to be refreshed frequently. So, the key is 1) easy-to-edit content and 2) content that needs to be edited often.
CMS is not usually a creative editing tool. For example, if you have a photo on your home page, you may be able to take down or upload a new photo, but you will often times not be able to edit the photo itself, for example to re-size the photo, fix the coloring, etc. Also, anything that moves, for example your navigation, flash intros, videos etc. are usually not included in a CMS as the time to develop a useful CMS to edit such functions would exceed the benefits and would probably also be too complicated for the average person to be able implement, even with a well-developed system. For these types of changes, I suggest using a professional web programmer or developer.
Bottom line, there are a ton of “can’ts” and “cans” when it comes to developing a CMS. It will be important for you to outline what you want to be able to edit and then place the onus on the person developing the site or functions to tell you whether or not it’s logistically possible, and if they are honest, whether or not you really need a CMS based on your objectives. As mentioned, sometimes using a developer for 2 to 3 hours per month can save you a lot of headaches and may actually be cheaper. One last thought – if you want written instructions or a manual on how to use your CMS, make sure to let the developer know. It may lead to an increased cost, due to the extra time it would take to develop a manual, but it may be worth it if several people will be using the CMS for example, or if you learn better by reading.
Brought to you by CEA Marketing Group. www.ceamarketing.com
