Content management systems (CMS) allow you to easily update your website. Even non-technical people can easily add or update text, photos, videos, and other content with well-known CMS platforms like Joomla and Wordpress. In this article, we take a look at 5 reasons to build your website on a Content Management System.

The web can be a very scary platform. It is built on a variety of programming languages; HTML, CSS, JavaScript, AJAX, Flash, and so on. Few of us have the time or patience to learn everything there is to know about all of these different languages, let alone the skills needed to bring them together for a fully functional and appealing website. That's why the website, despite its growing prominence for most organizations, has often been placed into the hands of one or two web "gurus," who may not even be full-time employees of the company.

There are many problems with the web guru model. First and foremost - it can make updating the website content a time-consuming task. In today's world, visitors expect websites to be updated frequently; and if they aren't, they will quickly get bored and leave.

Thankfully, many tools have been built to take the world of the web out of the clutches of the few and privileged gurus and into the hands of those who should have the most say about the content of the website. Content management systems (CMS) like Joomla allow individuals with little or no programming language experience to control the content - and in some cases even the appearance - of their website. Here are 5 reasons why you should upgrade your website to a content management system like Joomla.

1.) Update Content Frequently

Without a CMS in place, updating the website can be such a dreadful task that it perpetually gets pushed to the backburner. However, the company website is a very powerful tool, and it deserves greater attention and focus. Visitors expect (and demand) updated and relevant content. Plus, your business will benefit by having updated product information, updated news releases, and so forth. Don't allow your website to become a stale billboard - turn it into a thriving community with relevant content for your visitors.

2.) Convey Your Message

When you tell somebody else what you want, something almost always gets lost in translation. If you are the one with a vision for what should be on your website, you should be able to do it yourself. As the saying goes, "If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself." There is nothing wrong with delegating responsibility, but completely relying on the web 'guru' to understand and convey your message appropriately is unnecessary. With a CMS in place, you'll be empowered to easily make the changes you want to see.

3.) Added Functionality

The website is not simply a great marketing or promotional device - it's also an extremely powerful tool that can help you cut costs and improve the bottom line. Bringing business processes online can cut costs pretty significantly. For example, a Gartner study found that it costs (on average) $8.50 to process an invoice manually, but only $3.44 to process it online. 1

Robust CMS solutions like Joomla don't simply allow you to enter text content - they are powerful platforms that can be easily expanded to offer greater functionality on your website. At extensions.joomla.org, you can find thousands of extensions and additional components that can be easily integrated into your website. And, since the components are all within the accessible framework of Joomla, updating the content of the components is easy as well.

4.) Work as a Team

When all the work is given to one poor soul, it may be impossible for that person to keep the website up to date. However, with a good CMS you can divide and conquer, delegating certain individuals or groups to certain portions of your website.

5.) Seamless Transitions

If all of the website responsibilities have been given to one individual (who may be external to your company), what happens when that person moves on? You don't want to be stuck with a website that nobody knows how to update. With a CMS in place, making employee transitions should be a painless process. Training new employees can be done quickly, so you can make sure your website continues to be a valuable tool even as the generations pass.

Conclusion

In today's business environment, the old web guru model simply doesn't work. Thankfully, tools have been developed so that you can be empowered to update your website yourself without relying on a technical expert. Although web experts are needed to help you set up a highly functional and well-designed website, the actual content that appears on your website is of critical importance to your company - so make sure that you have a website in place that allows you to have control over this aspect of your business.


NOTES:

1.) Gartner, “The Redesign of the B2B Order to Cash Process.”