Do you really need content management for your website?

When it comes to picking a content management system (CMS) there is a seemingly endless choice on offer - but getting your planning right can make the decision easier.

There are several open source options available for integration into a website, and they all do pretty much the same thing - enable you to administer the content of your site - with CMS the important consideration is what they don't do.

At Toast, we offer four different approaches to CMS systems and suggest the best options to our clients.

1. Do you really need a CMS?

Sounds daft, but from experience, we've installed many a CMS system for a client that never gets looked at - they come back to us to administer the site as they don't have the time. The initial costs of setting up a CMS can be saved and updates can be completed by us as-and-when required. Quick changes to web pages take minutes, and are charged as such. If the frequency of updates increases, we can always bolt-on the CMS at a later date.

Great for: Smaller businesses and people that are unsure of their CMS requirement
Not so good for: Larger companies where they will be more than one person wishing to alter the site.

2. Really simple CMS

We use a few systems that allow the text content and images on a website page to be edited and updated. That's it. Simple to set up, quick to use and no-nonsense.

Great for: People that need a limited amount of control of their content. Non-techy types.
Not so good for: Larger websites, people who need to manage site sections/pages

3. Advanced CMS

There are a few applications out there (Wordpress, Text Pattern, Drupal et al) that give you more control over the content of your site. They're more complex to set up and use, but have far more features than the previous apps. If you need to update multiple sections of your site on a regular basis, with multiple users and other functional requirements, this is probably the best option for you.

Great for: Larger sites with higher functional requirements, multiple users, more technically minded folk
Not so good for: People that need specific functionality

4. Bespoke CMS

As the name suggests, this is where we build something for you, that does everything you need and nothing you don't. This is the most expensive of the four solutions, but it's the most future-proof. A bespoke site can grow with your requirements and removes the possibilities of needing to 'start again' 2 years down the line.

Great for: Bigger budgets, specific requirements, long term development
Not so good for: Smaller companies and brochure-style sites

Many agencies have their 'own' CMS systems that are branded versions of open source applications - these are free for commercial use, so be wary you're not paying for something that was free. What you should be paying for is the installing and customisation of these existing apps to meet you needs (as well as the design and build of the site).

If you'd like to discuss your site with Toast, give us a call on 01295 266644. We make a point of not trying to 'sell in' our own system - we'll listen to your requirements and suggest the best option from what is available to meet your needs and budget.