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Content Management Systems for Building & Maintaining Your Web Site

An increasing number of website owners are now choosing to use content management systems (CMS), rather than having their websites designed and programmed from the ground up. CMS are website development programs, often free, that allow site owners to build websites from out-of-the-box or customized templates. They also integrate other features such as blogging, comments, forms, surveys, slideshows, and many others, through available modules that can be added and subtracted easily.

If you have visited a blog, chances are you've interacted with a CMS! Many websites, however, are built on traditional blogging platforms, like WordPress, without even using the blogging technology. This is because WordPress is a quick and easy way to create and maintain a website, even if you don't plan on blogging.

The three main CMS we use are WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla. Each of these are open-source platforms, meaning they are created and maintained by a group of contributing programmers throughout the world. As such, they are free and regularly maintained. Webvalence will install the latest version of either of these, along with the necessary database, at no additional charge. From there, a tech-savvy customer can apply a template, create content, and add other features through plugins and modules. Or, a customer can work with us to customize a pre-existing template, or design a new one, and configure the site in any way they like, often at a savings over a new traditionally designed website.

CMS Pros

• Usually free.
• Quick, no-charge installation.
• Many existing website templates are available. You can choose a design and begin adding content almost immediately.
• Having a designer customize an existing template can sometimes help you create a website at a lower cost than having a standard website created from scratch.
• Blogging (RSS) technology is included, so you can syndicate your articles, podcasts or videos.
• Other features you might want, like forms, surveys, discussion forums, polls, slideshows, and many more are available through plugins or modules. Many are free.
• You can enable other users to be contributors to your website and control what they are able to do.
• Large communities of users mean that there are books, discussion groups, and available experts to answer your questions.

CMS Cons

• You will need to learn how to use your new CMS software.
• Because your site will be built on pre-existing software and templates you can often do lots of amazing things quickly, but you might not be able to do exactly what you want. One size will fit most.
• CMS have security risks that standard sites often don't have. Your site will be more vulnerable to hacks. Regular updates help guard against being hacked. If your site is hacked, contact WebValence support immediately for help with restoring.
• CMS are routinely updated (to improve their features and functionality, and also to address the latest security issues). This means that you will need to be aware of available updates (the software notifies you when you log in) and perform upgrades as necessary. These are often one-click.
• Depending on your chosen templates, modules, and plugins, and how well they are maintained by their developers, upgrades to your CMS can cause conflicts. This means your various templates and plugins will also need regular updates. Occasionally, they need to be replaced.

WordPress vs. Drupal vs. Joomla: How to Decide

In practicality, almost any site you might want can be made using one of these three CMS. There are some differences, although it often comes down to your subjective reaction.

In general:

WordPress

• tends to be easier for beginniers to use
• is not quite as full-featured (although this is changing rapidly)
• offers one-click upgrades and plugin installation, so no knowledge of file transfer is required
• is by far the most popular CMS
• has a unified support community
• offers over 1000 free templates

Drupal

• can require more technical skills to operate and maintain
• is very full-featured
• has a good reputation for performing well with high traffic sites
• has a strong support community
• has fewer free templates

Joomla

• can require more technical skills to operate and maintain
• is favored by some designers for offering more artistic flexibility
• has a strong and active community
• offers over 1000 free templates
  
  

To discuss developing your website using a CMS, please contact support@webvalence.com.

 

 

 

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