A Content Management Primer

Content Management Systems (CMS) for websites have been evolving rapidly in the last four to five years. Prior to that time, Web applications, such as events calendar, news tool, and shopping cart, were custom built and content was coded into a website using HTML, a text markup language. Any changes to the content of a website, no matter how small, would need to be made by the Web developer or someone on the website owner’s internal staff who was versed in HTML.

Early content management systems were custom developed for individual websites. Generally, they allowed for user friendly management of a particular content area on the pages of the website without the need, as with direct HTML, to down and upload source files to implement change. Their use required some minor training but, otherwise, no particular technical knowledge on the part of the website administrator. The website developer could build in whatever level of security was required by the owner so that changes in the website could be carefully controlled.

Web developers realized very quickly that most website owners were looking for much of the same features in their CMS and, as Web platforms themselves became more modular, started building CMS’s with greater and greater levels of reusability. Other common Web applications like events calendars, new tools and shopping carts followed the same path to greater and greater re-usability.

Since that time, content management systems have gone from page specific, user friendly front-end interfaces for HTML to becoming the developmental backbone of a website. Today, more of the elements of a website are incorporated into the CMS, including many of the design elements, so that a website is able to be built on the foundation of the CMS instead of being cut and pasted into its design. Some Web developers are creating their own comprehensive CMS and some are opting to license a comprehensive CMS from a third party software developer.

Today’s content management systems allow website administrators to manage many aspects of their website. Web applications such as News Tools, Calendars, Registration tools which were previously independent, are now incorporated into the CMS. Any given Web page can offer multiple areas in which content can be managed as can certain design aspects. Pages can be added and deleted and meta-data, which is the source code descriptive of the page, can be managed by the admin. The feature list of the new CMS’s is too long to include in this article but, as a potential website purchaser, it’s important to make sure the features being offered in the CMS being considered for your project meet current requirements and potential future requirements of the website, for the next three to four years.

Keeping a website current, both in terms of content and a fresh look is of paramount importance. It is important that managing these issues be easy, flexible and secure.