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The Pros And Cons Of Content Management Systems
b>The Pros and Cons of CMS Benefits
Content Management
Systems A CMS can provide the ability to
edit your own site, so you can
Before the importance of web frequently add new material. If
marketing was fully understood, you are running an online
Content Management Systems (CMS) community, this benefit may be
were developed as a way for large your most important
and small companies to easily consideration. Blog, forum and
build and maintain websites. As a wiki software are all types of
result, there are some CMS's in content management systems that
use today that do not provide the promote online collaboration.
best marketing results. This Some of these CMS's are so simple
article explores the different to install that you can build a
types of CMS's, their pitfalls, decent looking site within a few
and possible strategies to hours.
overcome those problems.
If you have an e-commerce site
What is a Content Management and sell a large number of
System? products, you will need a content
management system to manage your
A content management system is a online catalog. A variety of
web program that allows a user to well-developed electronic stores
build a website without having to are available that support
edit the HTML and CSS source code product databases, and provide
files. Common CMS implementations reasonably good search engine
include: custom CMS programs, optimization capabilities.
site builders, standard template
sites, online stores, and blogs. If you need a CMS, consider
installing an open source system
to avoid depending on a single changes without major, expensive
vendor. OpenSourceCMS provides work. Some "site builder" CMS's
information on content management offer instant website templates.
systems that are supported by Unless you want your website to
multiple hosting providers. look "canned," you should avoid
using the same templates as
Potential CMS Problems everybody else.
We have seen CMS's that make it If you install a proprietary CMS,
difficult to access and edit the you will become dependant on the
source code. Some times the CMS publisher for ongoing support,
contractor needs to be involved design modifications and
in significant website changes, installation of additional
leading to inflated costs and features. Should that vendor go
project delays. When source code out of business, quote you
is not available for unreasonably high rates, or just
modification, it can be much more be too busy to handle your
difficult to implement best requests promptly, your only
practices search engine option is tearing out the CMS.
optimization. Some CMS's don't
comply with web standards, so Enterprise Level Content
they create a risk of Management Systems
incompatibility with search
engines and visitors' software. For large companies, web
development shops offer CMS
At times clients have been solutions under the premise that
frustrated by their CMS design the client can save money by
limitations. We see a way to maintaining the site themselves
improve the site, but the CMS using non-technical staff. Most
can't implement the design IT departments are overburdened,
so they are more than happy to Site Builder Tools and
install a CMS so the "headache" Standard Templates
of maintaining the site can be
passed to the marketing For small sites, companies like
department. Unfortunately, the Yahoo! and Network Solutions
savings is often an illusion, offer online CMS's that allow the
because the CMS hinders the user to instantly create a
site's marketing effectiveness. website. Inexpensive site
builders solution may be
In general, content management appropriate for websites that do
systems are not the best solution not involve a substantial
for corporate marketing sites. marketing investment. For sites
They may be appropriate for that will have a significant
portals or catalogs that would be marketing budget, using a
expensive to implement without a "McWebSite" does not provide the
CMS. Search engine optimization best return on investment. If you
is easiest when you have direct plan to use web marketing to
access to the source code. generate sales and sales leads,
Switching your marketing pages to you probably need to tear out
standard HTML design has a cost, this type of CMS and replace it
but in the long run you will save with standard web pages. With a
money on site updates, hosting tool like Macromedia - Contribute
charges, and you will get better 3 you can still have the power to
results from your Internet edit your own site.
marketing campaign. If you have a
catalog, using an open source CMS E-Commerce Sites, Online
may provide the flexibility to Stores
optimize the pages for search
engine referrals. Online stores are usually build
with a CMS so the own can easily
add products, change pricing and something, or as a feature within
perform routine administrative a corporate website. If you need
functions. This functionality to add content frequently and
cannot be achieved with a custom want to publish visitor remarks,
HTML site without a substantial a blog is an ideal solution.
investment. Therefore, this type However, most businesses don't
of CMS usually makes good use them because blogs require
business sense. However, most considerable effort to generate
online stores are not built to new articles and police user
implement best practices search comments. Allowing users to post
optimization. Either you need to to your website invites comment
select a system that works well spam, trolling, and other
out of the box, or you may need nuisances.
to ask your developer or hosting
company to make modifications to Conclusion
the CMS.
If you are using a content
Blogs management system, and plan to
invest in Internet marketing,
A weblog is actually a content then you need to investigate
management system combined with a different CMS's. Then you need to
module that allows users to enter make a strategic decision,
feedback. If you turn off user depending on your specific
feedback, a blog can be used to business requirements, whether to
create a standard website, where tear out, replace, modify, or
each article is a page. Blogs may keep your current CMS.
be appropriate solution for a
site that isn't trying to sell
About the Author:
Jonathan Hochman is an Internet marketing consultant in Farmington, Connecticut. He has two degrees from Yale University in computer science. For additional information, see http://www.jehochman.com/
Read more articles by: Jonathan Hochman
Article Source: www.iSnare.com
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