Internet Technology Series: Choosing a Content Management System
by Matt Wiseley, Technical Team Lead
02/12/2007
There is a dizzying array of content management system (CMS) options on the market ranging from free open source tools to enterprise solutions that cost more than $100,000. No matter how you slice it, the addition of a CMS to your web site will require an integration investment. In other words, you can't just buy a $20,000 software package and install it on your web site. More than likely, your entire web site will need to be reworked to support the new CMS. This fact can make the software-licensing fee a small part of the over-all cost of adding content management to your web site. So if you're planning to redesign or significantly update your website, now is the time to consider your CMS options.
The most important thing you need to know before investigating content management options is what you really need. To put it another way, you can save a lot of money by identifying what you don't need in a content management system. You can also avoid the costly mistake of investing in the purchase and integration of a CMS that doesn't meet all the needs of your web site.
Start by listing the sections of your web site. You don't need to come up with an exact site map, but a clear idea of what will and will not be included in the site is crucial. With all content management systems, editing a page of static content is a basic feature, and unless you plan to have thousands of pages the number of static content pages isn't likely to significantly alter pricing. The term "static content" used here is defined as a page of magazine-like content: text and pictures that stand alone and are not derived from other content on the site. Examples of static content include a page describing the history of your company or a set of pages describing your company's services.
Dynamic sections you may want to include in your site are news, events, careers, home page highlights, landing page management and ecommerce. To manage this type of content efficiently requires features beyond the ability to enter static page content into an editor. For example, you may want the CMS to list news items in reverse chronological order, only showing articles from the last three months, and placing archived articles on a separate page. Or you may want jobs to be organized by location and then department, with a descriptive page for each department listing its open positions in the selected location.
As you can see, the requirements of your dynamic content sections quickly become complex and very specific. These sections should be considered carefully, and each content management system should be reviewed in terms of its ability to manage these requirements. Some packages will contain pre-configured modules to support News or Careers sections. In these cases, review the workflow and usability of how these dynamic sections are managed and compare them with your original vision. Are you willing to bend to a commercial package's way of doing things?
Also find out what kind of integration effort will be involved in developing your dynamic sections. Even with built-in CMS features, implementation of dynamic content sections often requires custom development. Consult with your interactive services firm to determine the effort and associated cost of integration for each of your dynamic sections, and know that this can vary from CMS to CMS.
Finally, consider using the CMS offering from an interactive services firm. Most firms either have a CMS developed in-house or have partnered with a commercial CMS vendor. In many cases, choosing an interactive services firm is choosing their CMS. This can actually mean a significant cost savings in many cases. If a firm's CMS meets the requirements you have collected for your site, you can save money by using them as a one-stop shop for planning, design and CMS integration. Interactive firms are most efficient when using their own tools, and can often customize their CMS to meet your exact needs rather than bending a commercial software package to your needs.
Call Embarc today to discuss the CMS requirements for your next web project.
