Should I use a content management system?

Once upon a time, most websites were created as a static product, one that contained various types of code that made the administration a total nightmare. This code - using JavaScript, Flash, HTML - was very difficult to handle for many web servers. If you were a web geek, like me, you took the time to learn all the coding techniques that you hopefully added to your resume and thus gained weight in your bank account. Furthermore, without proprietary software and training, website owners could not edit these documents. I had to keep someone like me "on the payroll" to make periodic updates and changes. Therefore, they were expensive to maintain, so unless the site owner could handle the task, someone with the skill, knowledge and software needed to perform the necessary maintenance.

Therefore, there was a need to create a back-end system where site owners could perform maintenance activities such as copy replacement, image replacement and adding existing content without knowing any difficult coding. A new technology, called Content Management System or CMS, was developed. At the heart of the system is the use of a database where the user can save content (copy and images) to recover and edit. Each page of the site is saved as simple text. The system converts this simple text into the relevant HTML and JavaScript when a visitor arrives at the page. The system also allows integration of a variety of features such as interactive event calendars, usernames and passwords logins, news sources, blogs, photo galleries and visitor management systems.

If you have a lot of difficulty maintaining a static site, it may be time to "update" one that can be controlled through a content management system. These are some of the issues associated with a static site that, if you recognize as aggravating, can be a sure indication that it's time for a change:

problems

-You have no control over the updates and have to go through your designer / host or not perform any.
-There is no search feature available on your site that allows users to find specific content
- Any limited features, such as logins, contact or request forms, forums, blogs, mailing lists, calendars, or other interactive features that raise the level of easy-to-use content.

solutions

-Install an open source content management system (CMS)
- Transfer all your available content to the new system
-Learn how to use the system to perform your own maintenance (Can you use Word?)

So what are the benefits of using a CMS?

First, you can manage, update, change, add or delete your own content. Additionally, using a CMS displays content that complies with current web standards. Which is important. Using current web standards increases your accessibility by allowing your content to become outdated. Each time an update is issued to CMS, the installation is usually a "click" that allows your site to comply with the web's compliance. In addition, CMS has built-in search features on the site.