What is a website content management system (CMS)?

A web Content Management System (CMS) is a software system which provides website authoring and administration tools designed to allow users with little or no knowledge of web programming/markup languages or the Internet (domains, DNS, etc) to create and manage the site's content with relative ease and often no training. This means you pay a one-time setup cost, and then update the site according to your schedule and needs, without paying a webmaster to add your new information.

Most systems use a database to store content, metadata, or artifacts that might be needed by the system. A presentation layer displays the content to Web-site visitors based on a set of templates that usually allow for impressive graphic design and a very professional look and feel both on computers and mobile devices.

Adding and updating content, as well as administration, is typically done through browser-based interfaces, so you can comfortably use any OS (Windows, Mac, Linux, etc) and any browser (Google Chrome, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc). Unlike web “site builder” applications, a website CMS allows non-technical users to make changes to a website. A CMS typically requires an experienced coder to set up, implement a design (style, look, and feel) and add features, but is primarily a website maintenance tool for non-technical administrators and users.

What are the common features of a CMS?

A web CMS is a software system used to control a dynamic collection of Web material (HTML documents, images, PDFs, and other forms of media). A CMS facilitates document control, workflow, auditing, editing, and timeline management. A web CMS typically has:

• Easily editable content - once content is separated from the visual presentation of a site, it usually becomes much easier and quicker to edit and manipulate. Most WCMS software includes WYSIWYG editing tools allowing non-technical individuals to create and edit content.
• Scalable feature sets - most CMS software includes plug-ins or modules that can be easily installed to extend an existing site's functionality. For example eNewsletters, Event Calendars, and Photo Galleries, so when you need these extra features, it's just "plug and go" for Accuraty. Most open source CMSs have the capability to support add-ons, which provide extended capabilities including forums, blog, wiki, web-stores, photo-galleries, contact-management, etc. These are often called modules, widgets, add-ons or extensions. Add-ons may be based on an open-source or paid license model.
• Standards upgrades - active CMS software usually receives regular updates that include new feature sets and keep the system up to current web standards. They also provide security updates to prevent against malicious misuse of public websites – it is very important to have a web administrator and hosting provider that will manage these responsibilities.
• Workflow management - workflow is the process of creating cycles of sequential and parallel tasks that must be accomplished in the CMS. For example, a content creator can submit a story, but it is not published until the copy editor cleans it up and the editor-in-chief approves it – each of these people has different abilities in the CMS based on their role (responsibilities). This lets many people write content while only allowing a few (or one) to publish them on the website.
• Delegation - CMS software allows for various groups of users to have limited privileges over specific content on the website, spreading out the responsibility of content management. For example, your Event Coordinator could update the calendar but not the Letter from the Owner.
• Document management - CMS software may provide a means of managing the life cycle of a document from initial creation time, through revisions, publication, archive, and even document destruction in higher end systems.
• Content syndication - CMS software often assists in content distribution by generating RSS and Atom data feeds to other systems. They may also e-mail users when updates are available as part of the workflow process. This also allows for easy information re-use on other sites with or without assistance of a webmaster.
• Multilingual - ability to add, manage, and display content in multiple languages.

Advantages

Reduced Initial and Ongoing Cost

Many CMSs are free like Drupal, Joomla, DotNetNuke Community Edition, Orchard, and WordPress. Accuraty Solutions has experience in implementing all four of these CMS solutions and has built websites using them that range from $400 to $30,000. Most common smaller websites with 3 to 10 pages of content cost from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. Hosting a fully managed CMS based website will often cost a little more than a typical static or do-it-yourself website.

Significant changes and additions to an organization or its products and services become significantly easier to accomplish once the website is established in a CMS. Adding an Event Calendar can often be accomplished by the client, or added by Accuraty at a very low cost. In the past establishing and maintaining a mailing list and using it to send a regular Newsletter had significant costs and required a wide range of technical skills – adding these abilities to a CMS can be accomplished at an extremely low cost and training is usually 15 to 30 minutes to get the client/user taking care of these themselves.

Easy Customization

A universal page navigation, structure, and layout is created, making pages have a similar theme and design without any "coding". Many CMS tools use a WYSIWYG system for their content editing/management modes. It makes it easy for beginner users to create custom content, which means when your organization expands, it's simple to add another page of information to the site structure.

Easy to use

Designed for non-technical people in mind, simplicity in design of the admin UI allows content managers and other users to update content without much training.

Workflow management

Being able to control how content is published, when it is published, and who publishes it. Some CMS systems allow administrators to set up rules for the workflow management. A typical example is adding start and end dates to a pool schedule so that it is only visible on the website from April thru September, for example – after September the pages and links simply vanish until they become active again.

Disadvantages

Initial cost of implementation

Larger implementations may require significant planning as well as training. Some CMS projects may require advanced hosting setup and/or integration with other services (database, email, Active Directory, etc). Commitment to training, developing and upkeep are all costs that will be part of any long term solution. Finding a good webmaster and hosting provider can dramatically mitigate this disadvantage for larger website projects.

Cost of maintenance

If done without the assistance of a knowledgeable web company, maintaining CMSs may require license updates, upgrades, and hardware maintenance that is often beyond the skillset of most small and medium organizations. Fortunately, you can count on Accuraty to provide knowledgeable attention in maintaining, managing, and upgrading your CMSs.

Storage and bandwidth

Volume of files maybe large in HTML based systems. A site that contains many files leaves itself open to unexpected issues. For example a client updating the site may create HTML errors or cause the display of content to stray from the graphic designer’s original style and layout. For large websites with significant traffic, a larger CMS can experience latency if hardware infrastructure is not up-to-date. Accuraty has significant experience in tailoring a CMS closely to a clients situation and needs. You can rely on us to make sure compression, caching and other advanced website and application hosting services are setup correctly and maintained for peak performance and savings on your valuable resources.

A website needs to be a useful, living brochure, document, and catalog of your organization as well as it's products and services. It does not have to be a hassle, source of embarrassment, loss of time, or exist outside of your control. When we build you a site, we make sure you get all the pros, and none of those pesky cons. If you think your organization can benefit from switching to a Content Management System, drop us a line.

A Content Management System is a great way to produce and manage any website. It provides organizations with low start-up costs and rapid deployment times. A CMS platform allows organizations to rapidly implement winning Web strategies to easily change and control the appearance and functionality of your web site.