part 5 > Maintenance: why you need a web site content management system

Deciding if you need a web site content management system

To outsource or not to outsource? For any business with a web site, that question should be addressed before the development process has begun. Especially if you run an eCommerce web site, you know how quickly things can change. No sooner do you publish your latest product catalog than you take on a new product or discontinue another. Perhaps you've decided to offer a sale this month, or want to spruce up a description to sound better than the one you read on a competitor's site last week. Whatever your maintenance needs, someone's got to sit down and do the work. The question is: who?

Do you need help updating your site? Contact us to find out how we can make web site maintenance cost-effective for you.

Will a web site content management system work for you?

There are two options for web site maintenance: hire someone to do it for you, or do it yourself. The problem with the first option, although tempting to busy business owners, is the cost and the lag time between "new product" and when that product may appear on your site. Imagine the bill from your developer every time you add a new color t-shirt or flavor of cheesecake. Imagine that your customers can't wait to pick up your new holiday tableware but your developer can't schedule you in until sometime around February.

The most cost-effective and efficient solution to your maintenance woes is a web site content management system. A web site content management system will allow you to make updates in-house, on your schedule and in real time.

If you have frequently changing inventory, a web site content management system can save you time and money. Like every part of the eCommerce development process, this requires planning. Decide, down to the very last detail, what you want to edit. For product information, you may want to edit price, shipping cost, product name and description. You may also want to create your own lists of related products and upsells, control sale prices, even adjust available options such as size and color. Carefully outline your business needs so that your content management system will accommodate them.

And be sure that you choose a developer who will customize a user-friendly system. A good web site content management system will put you in control without forcing you to learn new technology or sit for hours deciphering code. If you can use a browser and a "submit" button, you should be able to use your web site content management system. Good systems are form-based, as easy to use as the checkout form on your site. And your system should be modular so that next month when you realize you need an extra feature, a new computation or an additional report, they can be added cost-effectively into the existing system.

Web site content management system security considerations

Beyond the basics - determining what you want to edit and designing a comprehensive interface to do it - you must also consider security. The security of your web site content management system can come in various forms. For an eCommerce web site, it may be sufficient to require a valid username and password. For sites with more sensitive data, you may want to put your web site content management system behind a security certificate.

You can also set "permissions" for your web site content management system. This is especially useful if your organization is large, if you have legal requirements to meet or if you want to carefully control information on your site. Setting permissions will create an administrative hierarchy. For instance, you may want to assign limited access accounts to staff members who can edit information in only one area of your site. You may wish to set up a system of checks and balances, in which your staff can enter data that only appears on your site after it's approved by a manager.

Your web site content management system should be developed in tandem with your database, since all editable information must be stored there. As you plan your eCommerce web site, take some time to lay out plans for a web site content management system so that you'll end up with a product that is a true asset to your business.

Want to know more? Contact us to find out how a content management system can work for your web site.

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