5 Reasons You Should Upgrade To A CMS
If you're thinking about hiring the services of a web design company, you might be told to look for a CMS, or Content Management System, as part of your solution. This is a smart idea.
While software tools like Front Page and Dreamweaver were the way site design was done in the past, that's not true anymore. In the case of older pages, all work was done by the design firm, which then used FTP to upload files to your server, letting your website go live right away.
However, there was one big challenge to this method - making changes of any kind required either expertise in using this very specific software or hiring the designer again. This was true whether the change that needed to be made was just a word or two, or whether you needed to put in whole new pages.
Since very few firms have in-house staff trained on webdesign with Dreamweaver, and it costs quite a bit to keep hiring your webdesigner to make changes to your site, it leaves them in a difficult position.
Now, one of the more popular options is using a CMS as the basis of the website instead. However, not everyone knows what a CMS, much less why it's so much more popular than older methods of site building.
CMS, at its most basic, is a piece of web based software that offers full web design functionality for anyone from a novice to a trained developer. There are different CMS products out there, offering different kinds of functionality, but all of them offer WYSIWYG content development that's a lot like using a word processor, with simple editing methods that even the newest staff member can learn quickly.
The most advanced CMS offerings can be integrated with online sales, CRM facilities, product and stock management, e-learning, membership management, credit card processing and shipping utilities. In fact, those are only a few of the options available!
The nice thing about a CMS is how it integrates all these diverse functions into a single system, while still making them available all staff members you'd like to give access to. That means that your staff can help you in adding new content or changing old content on your site, independently of a development staff and without paying high hourly rates.
Something else you'll appreciate about using a CMS for your site is that you won't need to use FTP to upload files whenever a change is made. Since it's complicated to train end users in the correct use of FTP applications, this can really help you save money and time.
A CMS can be used by lots of different people, and since it's based on the web, those users could be spread across the globe. All that's needed to use the CMS is a browser, approved login, and access to the Internet.
This can really boost productivity, and you won't have to buy programs like Dreamweaver or Front Page for each staff member who needs to be able to change the site's content.
Since a CMS is built on a central database, it'll give you quite a few more benefits, too. This kind of searchable system separates form from function, letting you change the look and feel of your site without risk of loss of valuable data.
That central database also allows you to generate a number of different queries, representing information differently. You won't have to make tables and charts by hand, since all the information is in the system - just allow the CMS to do the formating for you.
So, before you get involved with a design company, be sure you ask about their CMS products and arrange for a live demo. You'll soon see that these systems offer a lot of benefits over the old way of doing things. - 16655
While software tools like Front Page and Dreamweaver were the way site design was done in the past, that's not true anymore. In the case of older pages, all work was done by the design firm, which then used FTP to upload files to your server, letting your website go live right away.
However, there was one big challenge to this method - making changes of any kind required either expertise in using this very specific software or hiring the designer again. This was true whether the change that needed to be made was just a word or two, or whether you needed to put in whole new pages.
Since very few firms have in-house staff trained on webdesign with Dreamweaver, and it costs quite a bit to keep hiring your webdesigner to make changes to your site, it leaves them in a difficult position.
Now, one of the more popular options is using a CMS as the basis of the website instead. However, not everyone knows what a CMS, much less why it's so much more popular than older methods of site building.
CMS, at its most basic, is a piece of web based software that offers full web design functionality for anyone from a novice to a trained developer. There are different CMS products out there, offering different kinds of functionality, but all of them offer WYSIWYG content development that's a lot like using a word processor, with simple editing methods that even the newest staff member can learn quickly.
The most advanced CMS offerings can be integrated with online sales, CRM facilities, product and stock management, e-learning, membership management, credit card processing and shipping utilities. In fact, those are only a few of the options available!
The nice thing about a CMS is how it integrates all these diverse functions into a single system, while still making them available all staff members you'd like to give access to. That means that your staff can help you in adding new content or changing old content on your site, independently of a development staff and without paying high hourly rates.
Something else you'll appreciate about using a CMS for your site is that you won't need to use FTP to upload files whenever a change is made. Since it's complicated to train end users in the correct use of FTP applications, this can really help you save money and time.
A CMS can be used by lots of different people, and since it's based on the web, those users could be spread across the globe. All that's needed to use the CMS is a browser, approved login, and access to the Internet.
This can really boost productivity, and you won't have to buy programs like Dreamweaver or Front Page for each staff member who needs to be able to change the site's content.
Since a CMS is built on a central database, it'll give you quite a few more benefits, too. This kind of searchable system separates form from function, letting you change the look and feel of your site without risk of loss of valuable data.
That central database also allows you to generate a number of different queries, representing information differently. You won't have to make tables and charts by hand, since all the information is in the system - just allow the CMS to do the formating for you.
So, before you get involved with a design company, be sure you ask about their CMS products and arrange for a live demo. You'll soon see that these systems offer a lot of benefits over the old way of doing things. - 16655
About the Author:
For a powerful adaptable web design platform, try Mintox from Clue Design. It is a custom designed Content Management System with tools for rapid website development, content management, customer & member management.
posted by KnowledgeableIdiot @ 2:04 AM
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