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Items to Review When Choosing a CMS
CMS Applications
CMS applications are the current most effective method for creating and managing a website, with a number of positive aspects when compared to other ways. Most content management systems permit quick updates to a website, by any level of user from any locale at any time - gone are the days of waiting for a programmer to become available to make an update to your site!
What to look for in a CMS
When you make the decision to use a content management system to build your website another set of choices presents themselves - which one to choose? You will find many content management systems on the market today, but their features vary widely - as do their prices.
Among the most used CMS programs today are WordPress, Mambo, Joomla, and Drupal, all of which are free as open source applications. If you are more inclined to purchase a solution, you will find many options from both large companies like Microsoft and Oracle as well as smaller, start-up companies. Organizations sometimes have to calculate the cost of implementing an Open Source system in terms of time and weigh this against the cost of buying a "off-the-shelf" system that works right out of the box.
You are most likely seeking a content management system that functions well and is simple fo all users to grasp, so I will mainly focus the rest of this article on features that factor into that decision, although naturally this also depends a great deal on the goals of the website and the nature of its users.
Complexity
One of my top priorities when choosing a CMS is "how easy is it for other people to use?" The ease of use factor is particularly critical if the website being made is for another party's use, meaning you will not manage the editors using the CMS. Choose one that has an interface that is simple and easy to understand, and one that uses familiar terminology. For instance, a number of people are unaware of the differences betweens categories and tags, but everyone understands the term page.
Tweaks
Next on my list of considerations is the question of simplicity of tweaking the appearance of the website. Most content management systems have built-in templates that control the look and feel of the website, which is helpful for creating a site quickly, but how simple is it to customize those templates? Also, is it possible to substitute a different template in place of the default page, or even better to use your own templates? I also have a preference for CMS programs where we can use different templates for different areas of the site. Features like these make it simple to insure a consistent look and feel throughout the website.
Management of Files
How easy is it for users to upload files, including images to the site? Is it possible fr editors to produce galleries of their pictures, add video and audio, etc.?
If you are using tracking code to see how visitors are navigating the website, be sure to verify the ease of inserting such scripts.
Layout
Are layout elements such as navigation managed by the CMS or by the editors? A good CMS program will manage the navigation and menus automatically, for example if an editor adds or deletes a page, the navigation is automatically updated by the program.
Search Engine Optimization
It is of vital importance that your CMS complies with this criterion if your website is to found in Google or another search engine. A few CMS programs cannot generate intuitive file names so you end up with names such as:
"http://www.yoursite.com/articles.php?/content-manage"
This makes it harder for the search engine to "read" your web addresses and consequently the ranking may suffer.
In the end, the platform that your editors find most simple to use is a major component in choosing a CMS program. Taking the time to review the CMS programs on the market and the features they offer is a wise use of time that will pay dividends in a professional and well-maintained website.
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