Is a Content Management System Right for You?

Posted on 23 December 2008 | by Ryan Battles

Introduction

A content management system (CMS) is a type of web-based software that plugs into your website in such a way that updating content becomes much easier than without it. Without a CMS, any updates to your website will require sifting through HTML code to find the right text to update. If all that is required is to change a word or two, this is usually not that difficult. However, if you need to add or subtract content, the challenge becomes greater. So the first question to ask yourself is, “Will I need to update content on this website.” For most clients, the answer will be “yes.” If you feel that your website will not need to be updated in the next three years, then perhaps a content management system won’t be the right choice for you.

The Disadvantages of a CMS

The disadvantages of using a content management system are few, but they must be carefully considered. Some content management systems force you to keep a certain design scheme, only allowing you to change the basic layout of elements and color choices. This leads to websites that are easily identifiable as “cookie cutter” designs, and don’t stand out from the crowd. Fortunately, not all content management systems force the designer to use a limited layout, and ExpressionEngine is one of them (Jovia’s CMS of choice). The other disadvantage, of course, is development time and cost. Again, if you don’t ever need to update content, or would rather pay a web professional to do it for you, then a CMS might not be right for you.

The Advantages of a CMS

The greatest advantage of a CMS is the flexibility that it provides. Content can be easily added, subtracted, and edited in a manner similar in ease to using a word processor. Depending on the skill of the CMS engineer, adding pages and subpages can also be a very simple process. When it is done correctly, the client will only need to publish a new page under a certain category, and all aspects of the website navigation will be automatically updated, including the main navigation, footer navigation, and site map. Another advantage of a CMS is the ability to delegate content publishing. Various people within the organization can log in under different usernames, and be given control over limited sections of the site. This leads to a more frequently updated website, and prevents burnout for one person. If you’re worried about losing control over content, don’t worry, any good CMS will allow updates to be approved by a senior editor before the change is made. The third advantage of a CMS is the ability to easily reuse content, and program dynamic page displays. The following are a few of the techniques that Jovia uses on our homepage to take advantage of these features:

• Our customer testimonials and featured portfolio project can be changed with a couple of clicks, they are pulled from our portfolio page dynamically, and the links are automatically updated depending on which project is displayed.
• Recent writings are displayed, pulled from posts made to our blog.
• The copyright in the footer will always display the current year automatically.

Finally, and perhaps more importantly, a CMS protects the layout integrity of the page. When content is edited, the underlying code remains hidden, and unable to be altered. This prevents simple updates from becoming layout disasters.

Conclusion

A CMS can clearly be an asset to the usefulness of your website. Most clients will need to update items on the page sometime within the next three years, and the ease with which the CMS makes this possible is worth the extra effort in coding. When choosing a CMS, make sure that you choose one that overcomes the “cookie cutter” layout limitation, and allows for the reuse of content, dynamic programming, and advanced user privileges. In our experience, we have found the ExpressionEngine CMS to fit all these criteria and more.