The Importance Of Content Management Systems
Content is one of the most important elements of your web site, because it can organically improve your search engine rankings. But that only applies if the content is well written, interesting, and focused. If you have a web site that’s hundreds of pages in size and those pages change regularly because of your content strategy, managing all of that content can be a nightmare.
That’s where content management systems (CMS) become very useful. A content management sys- tem is a tool used to create, update, publish, discover, and distribute content for your web site. This piece of software is usually very easy to use, and it quickly becomes one of the most useful tools you’ll find for developing your web site.
When should you use CMS?
Content management systems are hugely helpful for web sites that have hundreds of pages of con- tent to manage. If your web site is smaller than that, should you use it? The answer to that question is “It depends.”
What it depends on is how much content you actually have that needs to be managed, how much time you have to manage it, and how much of your budget you want to invest in managing it. For the last point, there is good news. Some content management systems are completely free. Drupal (http://drupal.org) is probably one of the best-known free systems. It’s open source, which means that the software is both free and can be tweaked by you to meet your specific needs. It’s through this collaborative development that open-source software applications are improved for everyone involved.
If you feel you need a CMS that’s a little more expensive than free, you can find those out there, too. The cost of the most basic CMS software starts at around $1,500 and increases to more than $7,000 for the initial license. More complex versions can cost as much as $500,000 for the ini- tial licensing. Fees for additional licenses, extra features, or monthly maintenance fees may also apply.
But price should not be the main reason you choose a content management system. Instead, your CMS decisions should be based on your corporate need. And that will vary from one organization. to another.
Choosing the right CMS
If you decide that a content management system is a tool you need for managing your web-site content, you should take some time to investigate the different options that are available to you. Like any other software, not all CMS systems are created equal.
When you begin to look for the right CMS, the first thing you should do is consider what budget you have for the system. Your budget will narrow your field some. Then you can begin considering dif- ferent factors about each company that will help you narrow the field even more:
■Look first at the history of the company. Companies that are new to the market are risky, especially if they are drastically different from existing companies. The length of time that a company has been in business is a good indicator of its strength. This is not foolproof, but you can generally have more trust in companies that have been in busi- ness longer.
■Look at workflow and collaboration features. You know what you need to accomplish with a content management system. Whether it is plugging in content from vendors out- side your company, or allowing for collaboration within your organization, make sure that the services that you are considering can meet all of your needs now and as your organiza- tion grows. It’s difficult to migrate from one content management system to another, so think long-term as you’re making your decision.
■Consider how the software will integrate with your
organization. Do you need software that you install and manage from your own machines or will a web-based program serve your needs better? Also, how will the system you choose work with the technology that you already have in place? If you have to invest in additional technology to support the CMS, the actual cost of the system will be higher than originally thought.
■ Consider elements of personalization, too. How much personalization do you need? Will multiple people need different capabilities? And what about dealing with archived content? Personalization reaches to more than just defining how many users will use the CMS for different jobs. It also means looking deeper into all the situations in which a dif- ferent element of CMS may be needed.
As with any technology, there are many other factors to consider. But these questions will get you started. Then, as you narrow the field you can request references from organizations that currently use the CMS software you’re considering. Remember, though, that a vendor isn’t going to supply a customer reference that will speak badly of them, so also check Internet forums and software reviews to round out your picture of the company that you’re considering. A great resource to compare CMS software is http://www.cmsmatrix.org/
How CMS affects SEO
One real concern many web-site designers have is how a content management system will affect their SEO efforts. In the past, CMS applications often published content with long, complex URLS or created multiple copies, which search engine crawlers were likely to look down on. Today, how- ever, CMS applications are much more SEO-friendly.
SEO has become a large part of owning any kind of web site. Even individuals now consider how they’re going to get their sites to rank well in search engines, and small or even micro-businesses
need more and more technological assistance, including SEO assistance. So CMS companies have listened when customers demanded a management system that plays well with search engines.
Today, most CMS applications are designed to improve your SEO rather than to hinder it. Still, it’s a factor that you should consider as you’re looking for a CMS. Ask very specific questions, like “How does your software or application help with my SEO efforts?” and “What specific elements of your application or software will help to improve my SEO efforts?”
In looking at CMS applications, you should also consider the structure with which it will help you develop your content. Because a CMS is designed to maintain your content in an orderly manner, it can help to solidify your content strategy and your web-site structure.
