Having worked with clients on the development of their web presence over the last 10 years, one of the key issues we have identified is ensuring that a site is kept up to date. A static site which is updated a couple of times are year is likely to do your image more harm than good, so the question is how do you keep your site fresh & up to date. In my view the answer is content management in some form or another. In is most basic form, a content management system (CSM) allows a non technical user to update & edit content on a site through (usually) a web interface. Historically, CMS systems have been very expensive to implement, but this is no longer the case, and there is really nothing to prevent the use of a content management system on any site, but the question is which one. In my opinion, the answer is “It depends on what you are trying to achieve”, as different solutions offer different benefits. For this reason, we would use a range of tools to meet the clients requirements. Our starting point is always: “What are your business & marketing objectives, and how can we use the web to help you achieve these?” With this in mind, we now focus on the use of the following systems:
- CRE Loaded – For E-commerce sites, where the prime objective is direct online trading
- Joomla – For information based sites where dialogue with users is a priority
- WordPress – for blogging functionality
- Slideshow Pro – For image & video gallery functionality
With the exception of the last (Slide show pro) these are all open source, and all have basic versions that can be downloaded for free (you will find links to them on our links page). What we bring to the party is the experience of working with these tools to ensure that they meet your objectives. Having developed many sites using these tools, we have the skills to maximise functionality & cut development times (our record is 4 days from agreement of design to the site going live!). We also have the marketing skills to ensure that your new site will become central to you business development programme. But ultimately, whether you do it yourself, or use a company like ourselves to develop your site, the benefits of a site that you can manage yourself are extensive, and definitely worth consideration. If you are looking for help in developing your web marketing, or are after some advice on the best direction to take, feel free to call us for a chat, we are always happy to talk.
