Jan 10

Written by: host
1/10/2007 8:17 PM 

An immediate benefit of a content management system is that you can add, edit, and update your content as much as you want. More importantly however is the long-term advantages of a database-driven, content management approach.  These benefits can have an even greater impact on an organization’s bottom line.

1. Content management extends the “shelf life” of your site.
   The typical shelf life of a web site is somewhere between two to three years. Most sites get built, and remain pretty much the same over the few years of their use. At some point the site becomes static and old and desperately needs to be redone. At this point the old site is thrown away, and a new site is built. Such rebuilds are usually more expensive than the initial build since the new site will usually do more than the original. A database-driven content management approach allows a site to be improved incrementally simply by making changes to site templates. Such sites can evolve over time, thereby extending their “shelf life” well beyond that of static sites.
   
2. Content management allows future redesigns to your site without having to reformat existing and archived content.
   At some point even a content management site will need to be upgraded with a new and fresh visual design. Whereas static sites require a complete rebuild in these cases, content-managed sites can have a new design applied to its templates. The entire site, including all archived content, will very quickly reflect the new look and feel. This means that future site redesign projects will usually be less expensive than previous development projects, not more expensive, which is the case with static web development.
   
3. Content management avoids the “loss of opportunity” scenarios common to static site development.
   Because content management based sites are easily adaptable, you can implement all the new ideas you get for your site even after it has been completed. Often companies get great ideas for their sites very shortly after going live. This is common because it’s often not until you use a site that you begin to see additional possibilities. With static sites, site-wide changes can be extremely costly, so such ideas usually get tabled until the next redesign. This means that between rebuilds there are missed opportunities that could have maximized a site’s effectiveness. With database-driven content managed sites, site-wide changes such as adding new sections, implementing extranets, or a host of other possibilities, can be easy integrated into the site without having to rebuild it or wait for years until a redesign becomes necessary.
   
4. Content managers can update and add to your site from anywhere, without special software.
   Your organization can classify certain employees as content managers, thus enabling them with access to your website and giving them the authority to add, update, activate or delete content from your site 24/7/365.  These content managers have unfettered access to approved areas of content management from anywhere in the world where a web browser is accessible and Internet access is provided.  Content management systems use simple web forms to administer sites, which requires no additional software purchases for content updates.  A simple word processor is all you need.  Image editing applications like Photoshop or Corel may be necessary if your organization is highly graphic intensive – or a simple image retainer can be contracted with the Developer.