Web CMS Explained
CMS, in regards to website development, is an acronym for Content Management System. Web CMSs are used as a foundation for building and managing websites. Site creation is done through a series of relatively simple steps to create complex sites that the developer might not have been able to create individually on a realistic timescale. There are three primary content management systems that millions web developers utilize:
- WordPress (WP)
The Most USed Content Management Systems
These three CMSs are open source programs developed with PHP, allow easy visual and content management and have an easily navigable back-end dashboard for simplified website administration. The differences for each of these CMSs are in their individual strengths:
- Best for blogging
- Massive component (addons) library easily available
- When required, WP is the easiest to isolate programming code and modify
- Developed for ease of use, users of all levels can easily build a website via WP
- Great for sites with multiple types of content
- Huge online support community
- Content management via dashboard is extremely easy, allowing vast quantities of content to be easily
- Well suited for the advanced computer users who might not necessarily be programmers
- Once learned, allows the highest degree of customization available
- Small community of high-level developers and users, making community support extremely reliable
- Best for expert users and developers
Why Use a CMS?
Both businesses and individuals can benefit greatly through the use of Web CMSs. For personal users, the ability to easily set up a full featured website and expeditiously manage his or her content is paramount when deciding to develop a site. Businesses, on the other hand, tend to utilize content management systems to bypass massive program development and implementation costs.
Processes involved in deciding on using a CMS or not generally involves weighing website requirements versus CMS capabilities. If a CMS does not have a required module or component available, said module being a large portion of the site, developing the website from the ground up is likely a better option. However, if the site is content driven or only requires light programing for small applets, a CMS is a far more expeditious and money-saving option.
Often, when companies implement a CMS for their websites, there is a range of issues that they may encounter. These complaints range from difficulty in determining the requirements for CMS utilization to the CMS did not work as advertised. In most instances these issues can be completely avoided by hiring a developer or team that has extensive knowledge and expertise in the specific web CMS being used. If a new hire is not possible, fixing these issues might prove somewhat problematic but not impossible as finding information and support via the strong online communities for all content management systems is simple as visiting one’s preferred search engine and looking for the fix.
Web CMSs are extremely powerful when in the right hands and companies should ensure that their web developers are both CMS savvy and knowledgeable in PHP. Taking this precaution will guarantee a professional-looking website and high-end functionality.