Website Content Management Systems (CMS)

From large companies to home-based businesses, Red Label helps a wide range of firms effectively manage their website content. Some web development agencies use thier Content Management System (CMS) as a tool to lock companies into their program for the life of their website — but we don't!

Red Label believes it's best to lay out all website options upfront, rather than bind clients into working with us by pushing CMS and mentioning the details of backend ownership afterwards. Before building any website Red Label goes through a rigorous needs analysis (see web design) to ensure we build on a platform that is just right for your goals.

A website developed with a content management system allows for quick creation, editing, management and publishing of web content, including onscreen text, pictures / images, multimedia and more. A good CMS system is user friendly enough for someone with basic computer skills to be able to make significant updates to the website. There are a huge number of CMS options available to choose from but most fall into one of the following three categories:

1) Free template based open source content management systems, such as: Joomla, Drupal, DNN and WordPress to name a few

2) Proprietary content management systems that web development companies have created in house (these typically have names related to the company that created them)

3) Custom content management systems built specifically for the client

Content Management System Options Pros & Cons

1) Free template based open source content management systems:

Pros: They are cost effective. They can be hosted anywhere depending on your needs which means lower maintenance costs and you can take your website to almost any programmer should you want to make changes that go beyond the basics.

Cons: Of the three options they typically offer the least flexibility in terms of design, functionality and future expansion. They also tend to be the least user friendly of the three options as most of the people who are fans of pushing this model are the same programmers that build with them.

2) Proprietary Content Management Systems:

Pros: Most companies that have invested the time to build a CMS system have built a platform that is fairly flexible and user friendly. Their designers should be able to make almost any design work with the platform. They also tend to have relatively low up front costs associated with them.

Cons: There are two major drawbacks and a few secondary issues that come with the proprietary based Content Management System platforms. The first major issue is that they almost always lock you in with the web development team that owns the system. You can’t take your website to a new programmer if you are unhappy with the service. You need to build an entirely new website content management system (although you can usually take your design with you). The second major drawback is that typically you end up paying more for hosting -- sometimes a lot more. If you are paying $200 a month or more in hosting you should ask why. Finally a less common but clear challenge we hear is adding new features can be like pulling teeth. If your website is a part of your business and you are trying to be innovative with your website it might be extremely difficult.

3) Custom Content Management Systems:

Pros: Custom Content Management Systems offer the most flexibility. They do not lock you into a particular developer or company. Any web programmer will be able to make major changes to your website. This means if you are unhappy with the service you are receiving from your web developer you don’t need to start from scratch as you can take your website and your money elsewhere. You can host with any provider. You have the option of keeping the user interface as simple or as complex as you and your business need.

Cons: Custom built web content management systems are built from the ground up which typically (but not always) means they have a higher upfront cost than the other two options.

At Red Label we recommend building custom content management systems for our Vancouver and Calgary based clients. Every business is unique and companies choose Red Label to create a website that reflects just that, the uniqueness of their business. For some companies a website will be the single most important communication tool at their disposal. For others, a website is only one small part of a much larger integrated communications platform. By creating a website content management systems from the ground up we can put together a site that has all of the right functionality and helps contribute to your business as necessary.