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. A good CMS program will let you update your site rapidly, even allowing users with little technical savvy to do so from any location.

What to look for in a CMS

Once you have decided to apply a CMS for making and maintaining your website, you will find the next choice you need to make - which CMS application is best for you? 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. Among the proprietary applications there are also a number of options, with offerings from big companies including Microsoft and Oracle. One important consideration is the amount of cost involved in setting up and learning an Open Source program in comparison to the cost of purchasing a turnkey proprietary system.

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

A top consideration for me when evaluating a content management system is the level of ease of use for others. This is especially important if you are creating a website for someone else to use, as you will not have control over the abilities of the editors. Choose one that has an interface that is simple and easy to understand, and one that uses familiar terminology. Many individuals don't see the difference between "categories" and "articles", for example, but all know what the term "page" means.

Tweaks

The next option take into consideration is the ease of customizing the appearance of a website from a CMS. 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? At this point it is also worth asking if you can use your own default template simply instead of the one supplied with the program. I also have a preference for CMS programs where we can use different templates for different areas of the site. CMS programs that support these features helpyou keep a consistent appearance and navigation across your website.

Management of Files

Is it simple for editor to add files, such as pictures, to the website? 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.

Flow

Is the Navigation created automatically? If editors add, rename, or delete pages, are the menus changed by the program automatically?

Search friendly URL's

It is of vital importance that your CMS complies with this criterion if your website is to found in Google or another search engine. In some content management systems, the program is unable to do this, resulting in file names like:

"http://www.yoursite.com/articles.php?/content-manage"

Names such as that make it more difficult for search enines to properly index your website and as a result your search engine rankings will be hurt.

Lastly, the content management system that you or your userbase is most comfortable with is always an important factor. 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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