Content management systems are designed to facilitate the easy publishing and managing of various types of content. A CMS simplifies the process of updating content and also makes it easier to create a dynamic website regardless of what you lack in programming experience. Going with such a software tool is never a bad move, but there are some factors that must be taken into consideration before deciding on a CMS.
Do You Really Need a CMS?
The first determination you should make is whether or not your website truly requires the functionality of a CMS. Do you need a simple blog or do you plan to open up an online storefront? Do you intend to publish a lot of content that requires frequent updates? If not, you might be best suited with a conventional site builder and shopping cart, or a user-friendly blog platform like WordPress. Although most content management systems are advertised as “easy to use”, even intuitive software such as Joomla will require some technical savvy on your part, especially if you want to customize your site. Do not make the trendy mistake of dealing with a CMS when your website doesn’t require such complexities.
Commercial or Open-Source?
After deciding that a CMS is really what you need to get the job done, you must then think about the type of software you want to work with. In the beginning, this is a simple matter of commercial versus open-source. If you have a knowledgeable IT staff on hand, you could also have them custom design the software in-house. Ironically, the commercial solutions are the lesser known and often avoided like the plague. This is mainly because of fancy price tags that range into the thousands. If you want to see what the higher price gets you, check out The New York Times and Sun Microsystems as they are few of several big companies with sites powered by commercial systems.
Open-source content management systems are popular amongst the community of individual webmasters and developers. This type of software is generally free and easy to install on the server. Open-source solutions can meet a wide range of needs and even prove to be useful in the business setting. The biggest drawback to these programs is inconsistency and a lack of stability. The source code of an open-source CMS goes through the hands of numerous developers and there is often no official support to rely on. You will also find that even some of the most popular applications have to undergo numerous releases be address bugs and security flaws.
Know Where to Look
Once you determine what type of CMS you need, it’s time find yourself a good product. It shouldn’t be hard to find open-source programs like Joomla and Drupal on the web hosting market, but you will have to search in other places for commercial versions. This could turn out to be a lengthy process, but you will appreciate the time spent once landing on the right software.
August 14th, 2009 at 1:31 am
Thanks for the article i was planning to use cms for my site but was not fully aware of what to use after reading this article i am able to get few things clear. i will go for joomla lets see.
November 24th, 2009 at 5:00 am
Hello, dear WebHostingFan !
… I am planning to set up my own wordpress system (wordpress.org) as I use now 2.5 years a wordpress.com version. I am very satisfied with WP as it is more like “learning by doing” and does not need to read big handbooks.
Therefore I am looking for a cool design (theme), and found that you have created two I am very appreciated to test them 1st in an “offline” version (localhost). It is:
- Soccerine ( http://topwpthemes.com/soccerine/ ) and the modern look
- TunePlus ( http://topwpthemes.com/tuneplus/ )
I have installed a local server ( WampServer ) and connected it with Wordpress.org 2.8.5. Looks realy great !
But, there is a big “But” ! – I have not found an “Editor” in the Dashboard which gives me the opportunity to maintain the slides, headlines etc. … easily. Do you have not a WYSWYG-editor implemented ? – I am not at all an IT expert (rec. To setup the Wampserver and WP system I followed simply a video instruction: http://tinyurl.com/y9ftak8 ).
Would I have to go into the codes directly by the Themes Editor under “Appearance” in my Dashboard ? – That is very risky so I see it. I am not confidenced with php codes… seems too difficult.
I know from other themes, that the programmers created a simple surface for example to exchange the header image. Didnt find anything for your designs ? Maybe I have not found
Hope you can give me an advice for simple maintenance… thank’s, so fare…
Warm regards
Eljay Arem from Europe/North Germany, Hamburg