Being able to change the website contents yourself can be a major advantage depending on the business you are in. This article examines Content Management Systems .
Take for example the owner of a small restaurant. He wants a website and would also like to be able to change the lunch and dinner menu’s on his website fairly regularly. He has three options:

A) Learn how to change the content himself (learn HTML )

B) Have a designer make changes each time he wants them

C) Get a content management system

{ Lets assume he is not interested in option A so his options are either B or C. }

Option B {static site} carries with it some baggage. Will a designer be available at short notice ? What if he needs the changes made that very day ? Also, there will be charges with each change; or maybe a maintenance contract.

Option C {dynamic, content managed site} With a regular static site, redesigns and updates need to be coded by a designer. Even simple things like phone numbers are effectively “in the code”. A dynamic site on the other hand has a part called a backend. This is a web page that the site owner logs into with their own password. Changes to the site that the public sees are made here. The backend looks a bit like Microsoft word and changes can be made to the content, layout, menus and depending on the system, just about anything.

Making your site’s content manageable. There are many different C.M.S. on the market and you (and/or your designer) would have to select one of these to use. [it is not possible to simply bolt a C.M.S. onto your current website, you need to start with a C.M.S.] The prices range quite a bit and while top of the heap systems can cost thousands, there are actually many open source systems also which are free, and perfect for the vast majority of applications. “Joomla!” And “Drupal” are currently very popular.

Costs. Even if you opt for a free system there are still other costs. To begin with there are added design costs because rather than having a piece of design much like a brochure on the web; you now have something more like a computer application which has some functionality to it. Also there will probably need to be some training in the use of the backend.

What content can be changed. This really depends on two things : a) How well the site was designed and b) how much training you’ve had in the use of the backend. Changing text and photos is pretty easy. Adding pages and menus is not too much harder provided that the site was designed with this in mind. You could even change the layout a bit if the initial design could cope with it.

Extendable. Static sites are only extendable in the sense that more can be added on, and this is not always possible. A Content management system like Joomla for example is an improvement on this because it is built to be extended so adding pages is quite easy. It also has the capacity to take plugins; this means that if you have a C.M.S. you can just plug in for instance a photo gallery or an online shop. In practice proper integration (matching the styles) is often time consuming, but it is often possible to make small or large additions to functionality easily.

Dynamic section. Regular static sites can have dynamic sections, and if you only need one aspect of the site to be dynamic then this might be advised, for instance a dynamic links page; however if you end up needing several of these then it might have been better to have started with a full system from a cost point of view.

Learning your C.M.S. A content management system is a waste if you never change anything. To get the best value you need to learn how to use it. C.M.S.’s are typically not difficult to operate as they are designed for non-techies. Your designer should provide training; or for popular systems like Joomla and Drupal there is lots of data on the internet.

2 Responses to “A static or dynamic website ?”

1. Alan H. says:

   June 11, 2008 at 12:00 am

   Excellent overview. I’ve been using WordPress until recently. I’m now using ExpressionEngine, which is a real CMS, unlike WP.

2. RainRain says:

   June 11, 2008 at 11:02 pm

   Thanks Alan, glad you liked it – E.E. is on my list of stuff to try out, lots of people are going for it

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