Content Management Systems: A Bluffers Guide

What is content management?

If you’ve got more than two people updating your Web site then co-ordinating their changes can be tricky. Remembering who edited what and when can also be problematic. Throw in the fact that different users may want to use different fonts and your Web site can soon become a mess. Sound familiar?  Then you need a Content Management System (CMS).

What is a CMS, and how can it help me?

A CMS consists of a database and software that retrieves content from the database. The content is then wrapped within templates and the resulting pages are sent to the users Web browser. Templates force the content to be consistently formatted with the same fonts and colours irrespective of who created the page.

How is content managed?

Key to all good CMS packages is ‘workflow’ which provides a way for an author to create or update a document, and for it to be approved by someone more senior before publication. Very little Web knowledge is required, as the CMS can provide Microsoft Word-like functions to edit and approve content.  Since editing is usually carried out from within a Web browser, external authors can be as involved in the workflow process as internal authors.

What do I need?

Your Web server needs a database to store content, and the ability to run the CMS software. Installation and configuration of a CMS is usually a simple Web-based activity. Once the CMS is up and running, it’s best to run it in parallel with your existing site whilst content is moved across from the old site to the new. It might be best to get a Web developer to do this as they will be better placed to fix any problems that might arise.

An alternative is to set up a new hosting contract, with CMS software supplied and supported by the Web hosting company. This will cost more, but it may provide peace of mind should you need it.

What features do CMS packages provide?

Many CMS packages are modular and allow extra functionality to be installed at a later date.  Features usually include support for multiple languages; user registration, forums and custom page functions; user ratings and comments; weblogs and content syndication using RSS; advertising and eCommerce services.

Does this mean that in order to become truly eCommerce-enabled, my site should be powered by a CMS?

Absolutely. Integrating an eCommerce / on-line store operation into a CMS package is easy, and can work wonders for your customers.  CMS packages offer user customisation, so they can ‘remember’ items which the customer has purchased, in order to flag up relevant items for their next visit – just as Amazon does. They can also save items for later purchase; automatically email receipts and invoices to them and provide text chat services, allowing customers to talk directly with a customer service representative whilst browsing.

How much does a CMS package cost?

Many CMS packages are free. The customisation and complexity of what you want to do will determine the cost. www.opensourcecms.com is an excellent Web site which lets you try the packages out as both a user and an administrator, before you install and use them on your own system.

Popular free Open Source CMS packages include Mambo, Drupal, and Xoops. Commercial CMS packages include Microsoft Content Management Server, and IBM Workplace.

Surely with CMS packages, my Web addresses (URLs) will be horribly long?

Not necessarily. Many CMS packages can automatically transform complex URLs into simple ones, which are easier for search engines to understand, and for people to remember !

How can Opportunity Wales help me to make the most of a CMS?

Our skilled, impartial advisers will firstly look at your business processes to see how a CMS can benefit them. They will also look at your current Web site operations, and how they can be improved through using a CMS. The adviser will work with you to choose the right Web hosting package – and the right CMS software – to meet your needs.

Our popular Implementation Support service, where you can request more advanced consultancy services from us, will provide even further inspiration and will allow an adviser to work with you to refine workflow, templates, and offer training.

Overall, CMS packages are a panacea to many businesses, as they not only provide functions to devolve content management right to the people that produce it, but they also allow for advanced functions and services to be made available to users at a very low cost.

Find out how Content Management Systems can help you and your business by arranging a free appointment with an Opportunity Wales adviser. Call us on 0845 85 00 888, eMail enquiries@opportunitywales.co.uk, or visit us on the Web at www.opportunitywales.co.uk, where our “Online Guides” section contains further resources on how CMS packages can help you.

Top ten tips

1. Ensure that your Web server can handle all of the requirements that the CMS needs.
2. Save money by finding a Web host that uses an Open Source database like MySQL, and a free Operating System such as Linux.
3. Ask different members of staff in your office whether they like the look and feel of the content authoring screen – as they will be the content authors, is it easy to use for them?
4. If you are selling on-line for the first time, “work up” slowly but surely, as your sales increase. Consider using PayPal at first and then move to a full payment processor when the time and budget is right.
5. Are you selling internationally? Remember to check whether the CMS package can handle multiple languages.
6. Make sure that your “administrator” – the person that will approve authored content, and perform the majority of the day-to-day administration Web tasks is fully trained on the package. Will they be able to train others?
7. Back up your content and CMS package databases regularly. See the “Off-site data backup” article on the Opportunity Wales Web site for more information.
8. Don’t install plugins unless they are out of ‘beta’ test phase, and have been sufficiently tested on the same version of the CMS that you are running.
9. If you can, use an old PC not connected to the Internet, where you can install a version of the CMS and play about with new plugins and versions prior to installing them on your live site.
10. Remember to give each content author a different username and password. It’s easy in a small office to have one account for everybody, but by doing that, you’ll lose the benefits of the workflow and auditing features. Ensure that each author has control over their own content, knows the areas of the site which they are responsible for.