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1) OK, so what is a Content Management System? A Content Management System (CMS) is a web-based interface (linked to a database) that allows users to update a website (adjusting existing content, or adding new pages) without having to know any HTML. At its simplest, that might mean correcting a spelling mistake or updating a phone number on an existing page. However, a more useful example is something that’s much more complex and entirely normal: posting a new press release. The user logs in, adds the heading to a specific field, enters the body of the release, and finishes by selecting some categories to describe the story. The CMS will automatically put the title, date and first paragraph on the homepage, create a new page for the release, and also add the story to an archive by date and category. More complex systems have extra features such as review and approval processes, or timed publishing (and removal). |
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| 2) What are the benefits? Many people using existing CMS's just assume that this is how all sites are updated. But without one, the above example would involve manually changing several existing pages (the homepage and archives), and creating a new page from scratch for the story itself. Then if you wanted any other page to link to the release – such as a list of latest stories in the sidebar of pages – you’d have to change all those manually as well. A CMS drastically speeds up these cumbersome steps, and decentralises the site updating process, freeing up the technical people (assuming you have any) to do other work. And it means the people who know the content are the ones who can update the website. |
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| 3) OK, I’m sold – how much will it cost? How long is a piece of string? You can get a CMS for nothing, or spend up to several hundred thousand euros. It really depends how complex your site is, and what you need it do. What’s often overlooked are other essential costs: training, customisation, and ongoing support. Our prices start from £600 for the DZcms which includes website development and features including search, gallery, contact form and more (please contact us to find out more). |
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