How to choose a Content Management System?

If you have not heard the term CMS or content management system you are probably living under a rock someplace and have not heard of Facebook or Twitter either.

Content management systems are all the rage, because they bridge the gap between complicated windows based software for building websites and online access to manage content.

Anyone can login online and use tools, no software installation necessary, no steep learning curve. It is all simple, pretty and easy to understand.

But is it?

Many open source Content Management Systems like Joomla, Drupal or Wordpress offer some great tools, but they are not geared for the newbie or novice and in fact can be quite complicated to use.

As a CMS developer myself I know we always struggle with how much control to give users and how easy something needs to be.

For example, as a developer, I can't imagine how anyone would not know how to create a basic menu and link the pages to the buttons. But most people just don't understand linking or that a menu should be a separate element of a page. So most people can't even begin to comprehend building a navigation menu or why they even would need to know how.

So at pageBuzz after working with thousands of customers we decided that the menu should be automated. When you add a page, it is added to the menu and if you don't want it, then you can exclude it from the menu.

This is backwards and contrary to most CMS programs because they all assume you know what you are doing.

In Joomla, if you add 3 pages, you have to transverse a minefield of options to later create menu buttons that will be mapped to a page. They require you to name the button, add in the url of the page and address other details that are unimportant to most users.

But at pageBuzz, you add a page called "My Vacation" and it automatically appears on the menu, linked to the page.

For the novice, this is great, but for the webmaster, they feel tricked. They want more control of the menu, they want to build it from scratch ad that is why systems like Joomla, Drupal and others are favored by webmasters.

But for every webmaster out there there are hundreds of business owners, so systems like pageBuzz are becoming more popular everyday because they make more sense to the average person.

While Joomla uses terms like "Add Articles" we use terms like "Add a Page". It is a subtle difference however it makes building a website that much easier to understand when you don't use terms that confuse people.

Webpage, pageBuzz, website home page. These terms make sense, the term Home Article, does not.

So just because a system is labeled a CMS does not mean that it is anything like any other CMS, so which one is right for you?

The process of choosing a CMS is going to depend on what you need out of it.

• How much do you know about website design?

• How much do you know about website structures?

• How much do you know about programming?

• How much work can you do yourself with the CMS?

• Is the CMS supported, in other words, can you call for help?

How much do you know about website design?

Ca you design a website? If so, you probably don't even need a CMS, but if you can't then you need a CMS that makes that possible.

Does the CMS have WYSIWYG editors or are you required to upload pages via FTP?

Can you create new pages without having PHP includes or programing elements?

In other words, how easy is it for you to understand?

Ultimately, you will be the one managing the pages. When you need to make a change, can you do it?

Look for a CMS that lets you build, add and manage pages in a manner that you understand.

How much do you know about website structures?

Knowing about file paths, urls and hrefs will be important in designing a website using the popular CMS platforms and open source solutions. Because the people that use them understand those elements and want total control over their use.

Average users on the other hand, just want things to make sense. Add a page, it should be on the menu and like to the page. When they add a photo, they should be able to see the photo they are adding and not designate some URL when the photo resides on the server.

A CMS just offers tools to manage files, if you don't understand what those files are, how they work or if the are text or binary formats then you need some type of CMS that does not require you to know that.

How much do you know about programming?

CMS platforms like pageBuzz include all the programming for you. So if you need ecommerce, it is already there. If you need a used car dealer gallery program, it is already installed. If you need a blog, calendar or rate and review program, it is already in there.

But what if you need something else? What if you want to customize a program, change the code to do something different?

Well, with pageBuzz you just can't. You have access to the look, but not the functionality of the program, so if it does not already do what you need, it is not a good fit for you.

Using systems like Drupal make it easier to install custom programs or modify programs. But that also means you need to write or buy programs that allow modifications and pay for installs, and modifications if you can't do it yourself.

In 99% of the cases, companies can use standard programs that don't have to be modified, so system like pageBuzz are great. But there are things we don't offer such as digital delivery for ebooks simply because the market is just too small.

So if you need that, then you are looking for an alternate CMS.

There is more to consider than just how cheap it is or how easy it is to use, you need a CMS that does what you need. As good or popular as something might be does not mean it is the right fit for your business.

How much work can you do yourself with the CMS?

You need to evaluate the CMS and understand how it works. When you go in six months from now and want to edit a page, will you know how? Can you make updates that you need?

If you have a shopping cart, does it link everything for you or do you have to upload a full size image, a thumbnail and set the urls of the files based on the paths relative to the website root directory.

Those are the issues and differences between systems like pageBuzz and Joomla.

We have made a system for the 90% of the population that does not know website design, joomla has build a platform for the other 10%.

When you choose a CMS, you need something that you understand. Can you build pages, do you have to hire someone else to do it.

If you webmaster builds a website on Joomla, what does that mean to you if you don't understand the tools? Do you save money if you have to pay a webmaster everytime you need to make an adjustment?

Is the CMS supported, in other words, can you call for help?

Most open source CMS programs are free and do not have any support, so if you need help, you are basically on your own. If you read the ads on Craigslist you will see what seems like an endless graveyard of people looking for help with the platforms and not many when it comes to supported system like pageBuzz. That is because our customers can call us 7 days a week and get help from the people that developed the CMS.

In some cases, the users never need help. They are smart enough to go online, do google searches and read what others are doing. But that takes time and if you are not a professional webmaster is that what you want to spend your time doing.

So having a CMS that is supported my cost a few dollars more, but will save a load of time in the long run.

There are countless companies that have support Content Management Systems from Godaddy, to Web.com and even pageBuzz.com. So the cost is not as bad as many people think but the support is priceless.

CMS Industry Specific

There are content management systems that offer industry specific tools. So while pageBuzz offers a great solution to get car dealers online other systems for car dealers don't have the diversity of our platform.

Meaning, if you sell soap, you should not use a CMS this is specialized for used car dealers. And if you sell used cars, don't use a system that is made to sell soap or other products.

We have had our share of car dealers trying to use the shopping cart to display cars for sale. Luckily in our case, we can work with them and show them that we have specialized tools to do that. Initially, they needed to find and install the programs but now we have added tat directly t the signup and they get exactly what they need as soon as they sign up.

The point is, find the right CMS for your application.

If you rent products and need to include return shipping, does the cart support that feature? by the way ours does. If you have products that have 100 different options and each is only one of a kind, can the cart support all those options and deduct them from inventory as they are sold? Once again, yes pageBuzz can do that.

But certainly pageBuzz can't do everything and will never be right for everyone.

you have to consider every detail about every program and how it will impact you as you grow.

You have to consider how much time it will take to make updates. Does the secure interface allow you to collect credit cards via your processor? Is the data secure?

Can you depend on the host to keep the website open? Do they offer support.

"It is not really rocket science, but it does require you to think about what you are doing before you do it. So take your time!"

Take some time to work with the support people and have a detailed conversation about whether or not it is the right fit. Test the demo, if they have one, try it out, look at samples.

This is a big deal if you get stuck with the wrong CMS, it may mean a total rebuild on a new platform soon. So try to avoid making a mistake and just give it careful consideration before you jump in and use whatever is available and cheapest.