Content Management Systems

By Brandon White

Content Management Systems

CMS - A web software that allows you to update and manage your website with a minimal technical or design background.

Standard on most websites these days.

Costs to you

•Setup•Customizations •Learning Curve•Skill Requirements•Maintenance Time (Ongoing)

Considerations

•Which parts of your site will you update?•How frequently will you update?•Who makes updates, and what is their skill set?•How will the CMS be maintained?

CategoriesOpen Source

“Free”, community developed

• WordPress

• Drupal

• Joomla

Proprietary

Owned by a company

• Ibex

• Flipper

• Wix (SaaS)

Which is “best”?

Drupal

•Not for the do-it-yourselfer•Higher entry cost than WordPress•Good framework for building custom sites

360Toolbox

•Control of content, design is static• Events, Menus, Coupons, Jobs, Promos, Galleries,

Locations, Custom Pages, Pop-up content, Videos

•Feeds content to multiple web properties• Your website, Facebook, Twitter, 360Wichita.com

WordPress

•Low entry cost (out-of-the-box)•Tons of low cost add-ons•Tons of free and low cost designs• Many developers offer customizations

WordPressSoftware

MobileTheme

DesignTheme

SiteSearch Gallery

ShoppingCart

Twitter

UserManager

Multi-Language

AccountLock

SEO

ShippingModule

FAQ

Slider

Feedback

Tons of great low costadd-ons

WordPressSoftware

MobileTheme

DesignTheme

SiteSearch Gallery

ShoppingCart

Twitter

UserManager

Multi-Language

AccountLock

SEO

ShippingModule

FAQ

Slider

Feedback

Third-party themes and plugins are dependant on each other and the core WP software

Software , plugins and customizations must be maintained.

WordPressSoftware

Mob

ileTh

eme

DesignTheme

SiteSearch

Gallery

ShoppingCart

TwitterUser

Manager

Multi-Language

AccountLock

SEOShippingModule

FAQ

Slider

Feedback

WordPressSoftware

MobileTheme

DesignTheme

SiteSearch Gallery

UserManager FAQ

Slider

Find a balance… Don’t try to do too much.

WordPress

•Software is free•Setup typically $750-$2500 •Design themes often free - $100• Plugins often $50-$250• Customizations $50-$200/hour

Ibex

•Developed and owned by 360ideas•Comparable entry price as WP and Drupal•Comparable maintenance costs as WP and Drupal•100% customizable

Questions for your Designer

• Will you “design” this site, or purchase a template?• Is the CMS and design mobile friendly?• What plugins will be used?• If they install plugins, be clear on what you are

paying for.• Are you able to customize the CMS?

Questions for Designers

• Will this CMS scale to accommodate my future needs?• How are software updates and security handled?• Do you provide training and support for the CMS?• What’s the best CMS?• The best answer isn’t “ours”. It’s what will work best

for you

Thanks

Brandon White@bmatthewwhite