Selecting a Web Content Management System may seem like a complicated decision, but it doesn’t have to be. With a good CMS, you do not need to know what PHP, .Net, MySQL, HTML, and CSS mean. That is what the CMS is for. Your job is to select something that has the capacity to deliver a strong return on the investment that you make in your website while delivering tangible business growth.
Expert Developments has put together a list of the basic necessities for your CMS. There are a lot of them, and this list will continue to expand, as part of a three week focus on CMS basics.
Please feel free to leave a comment, or email us if there is anything we miss through this series.
- Logs and records of web events; while the beauty of a CMS is that anyone with the right permission can edit your website, you need to keep a record of who does what and when. Make sure your CMS keeps a record of all changes made to your website, so you can track down causes of any problems.
- Help files accessible direct through the interface; You don’t want to have to try searching through some strange website, or find that document someone emailed you when your website was built. The CMS you pick needs to have all help files right there in front of you when you are making your changes, so you don’t have to waste hours on just finding the instructions for changes that should only take a minute. Look at the help function of your CMS before making your choice, and make sure you are able to figure everything out without needing to phone support.
- Ability to set up multiple domains through the one interface; while you may be starting small, you want your web presence to be able to grow and expand with your business. Your CMS should be able to have multiple websites run through the one account, reducing administration hassle, and costs. Plan for the future.
- Support is an essential component of your CMS. As your website expands in size and functionality, so will your use of the CMS. It is important that you select a provider that has local support with a high level of familiarity with the CMS product. To test this, try phoning through to their support desk, and see;
- what kind of wait time do you have?
- Is the support desk locally based?
- Do they answer the phone?
- How knowledgeable are they?
These are just the basic requirements for a CMS. There are a range of other considerations that should be pad for large scale businesses , or businesses with specific online requirements for their business purposes.
We hope that this list of considerations helps you in your selection of a CMS. At Expert developments, we are familiar with a range of CMS’s, with MoST being our CMS of choice, and meeting all of the above requirements and more.
Let us know your thoughts on this list of CMS requirements, or any questions you have on the world of websites. We’ll be happy to give you a hand.
Back to part 1
Back to part 2