content management systems

A quick guide
One of things that I like to do once a website has gone live is give control of it over to the client. That means content management. Whether you’ve asked for a bespoke system that is tailored to your specific needs or whether you preferred a great off-the-shelf system such as Wordpress, giving you control of your own site is very important.

Below are some further details about each option:
1. Advantages to using a bespoke Content Management System (CMS)

• 1.1 The database exactly matches the data required. e.g. when using a staff module (for example), there are separate input boxes for name, job title, tel. etc. and each of these can then be styled accordingly without any extra editing or technical knowledge. Uploaded photos can be resized as required and presented in a fixed size;
• 1.2 The terminology is easy to understand as we can create the CMS using terms that you understand;
• 1.3 The CMS only offers the options you need and not 100’s of others that are not applicable to you;
• 1.4 A bespoke system is less likely to be hacked & therefore needs less maintenance for security;
• 1.5 The CMS is written in PHP and stored in a MySQL database, both of which are industry standards.

2. Disadvantages to using a bespoke CMS

• 2.1 Blogs that are attached to main sites are an extra cost because we need to convert the blog design into a usable WordPress theme.
• 2.2 It’s more expensive than an off-the-shelf system like WordPress because of its very nature. It’s totally bespoke – we build it specifically for you and your individual requirements.

3. Advantages to using Wordpress as your CMS

• 3.1 There are currently over 8,000 freely available 3rd party add-ons to increase functionality to your WordPress website. For a full list, please click on the following link: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/
• 3.2 It is a common system that is used by many;
• 3.3 The core system is heavily used & well tested;
• 3.4 There is built-in ability for a Blog.

4. Disadvantages to using Wordpress as your CMS

• 4.1 The database is general and doesn’t match the data being typed in. e.g. on a staff page: the site editor would have to remember to style the person’s name, job title, tel. as required;
• 4.2 There are 100’s of options within the admin area which can be confusing;
• 4.3 Uploading images and inserting them into the content is not particularly intuitive.

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If you need help deciding which system would be right for you, please get in touch and I’ll be happy to talk you through the options.