How to Select the Best Content Management System for your Website

Content Management Systems

Which one is right for you?

Courtney PembertonSchipul – The Web Marketing [email protected] x537

Today we will talk about:• What is a CMS?

• Why a CMS will change your life

• What options are out there? – an overview of WordPress, Drupal and Tendenci

• What questions do you need to ask yourself

• What is a realistic budget

What is a CMS?

According to Wikipedia…• A content management system (CMS) is a system

providing a collection of procedures used to manage work flow in a collaborative environment. These procedures can be manual or computer-based. The procedures are designed to do the following:– Allow for a large number of people to contribute to and share

stored data– Control access to data, based on user roles (defining which

information users or user groups can view, edit, publish, etc.)– Aid in easy storage and retrieval of data– Control of data validity and compliance– Reduce repetitive duplicate input– Improve the ease of report writing– Improve communication between users

In other words…

This guy is saving time

You don’t have to be one of these…

Hi, we’re developers!

You don’t have to know this…

<HTML>

And you won’t feel like this…

The WYSIWYG

So why invest in a CMS?

• Let’s recap:– Saves you time– Easily update your website without

having to be a developer or know html– It’s a collaborative effort because it’s so

easy• But what else…


• “Ease of use changes behavior”–Dynamic and real – time content– Rich media– Search Engine Optimization

• Position yourself as a thought leader

www.hitechelectric.com


• “Ease of use changes behavior”– Dynamic and real – time content– Rich media– Search Engine Optimization


www.cmcconstructionservices.com

Search Engine Optimization

www.saurageresearch.com

www.gnapartners.com/blog

With over 1200 CMS options out there, we will just focus on 3 today….1.WordPress: Used for websites with basic

content updates like posts, pages and basic categorization; easily integrated

2.Drupal: Necessary for custom functionality requirements and typically used for large, robust websites

3.Tendenci: Best for organization and B2B websites that can utilize out-of-the-box functionality and modules; custom plug-ins available

Open-Source Options• WordPress and Drupal

• Open – source: A main principle and practice of open-source software development is peer production by bartering and collaboration, with the end-product, source-material and documentation available at no cost to the public. - Wikipedia

WordPress – 62.4%

Drupal – 8.79%

http://trends.builtwith.com/cms



WordPress• Used for websites with basic content

updates like posts, pages and basic categorization; easily integrated

WordPress: Easy Install• GoDaddy’s One-click Install

http://www.ehow.com/how_4791402_install-wordpress-godaddy-hosting-account.html

WordPress: Self sign-up• WordPress.com

– Hosted by WordPress– Everything is taken care of: setup, upgrades, spam, backups, security, etc– Secure Dashboard– Content backed up automatically– Cannot upload a custom theme or modify the code– Can’t upload plugins

• WordPress.org– Self-hosted– Upload themes and plugins– Complete control to change the code (technical skills recommended)– You are in charge of spam protection, upgrades and back-ups

• More info: http://en.support.wordpress.com/com-vs-org/

WordPress: Easy Integration• Integrates with other softwares easily

–Mail Chimp: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/mailchimp/

– Eventbrite: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/eventbrite-for-the-events-calendar/

WordPress: Blog and Website

• Use WordPress to power your website and blog without having to setup two different websites

www.stetsonassociates.com www.stetsonassociates.com/blog

WordPress: Templates• Thousands of template options out

there, for example:– Themeforest – www.themeforest.net–Woothemes – www.woothemes.com

WordPress: Plug-ins• Extended functionality and access to

over 18,000 plug-ins

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/

Stores Rotator

BlogShopping Cart

Things to think about…• Limited customization to plug-ins

• Installing plug-ins will require a developer at some point

• Permission levels are limited

• Open-source is free, if you have the skill set

Drupal• Necessary for custom functionality

requirements and typically used for large, robust websites

• Let’s talk legos…

Drupal: Powers LARGE sites

Drupal: Passionate Community

Drupal: Infinitely Customizable• Over 6,000 modules available– Gmap - http://drupal.org/project/gmap– CiviCRM - http://drupal.org/project/civicrm– Ubercart - http://drupal.org/project/ubercart– Drupal API – complete customization

For example – IKEA Houston’s Shopping Cartwww.ikeahouston.com

Drupal: Creative Content• Contextual Content

www.lockebryan.com/our-team

Drupal: Permissions• Granular Workflows for viewing

content

• Organic groups fosters collaboration

www.fairwaysupply.com

Drupal: Self Sign-up• Drupal Gardens

www.drupalgardens.com

Things to think about…• Drupal configuration is not easy if you

are a non-developer (not a good out-of-the-box solution)

• Functionality may become unsupported because it is community-driven

• Open-source is free, if you have the skill set

Tendenci• Best for organization and B2B

websites that can utilize out-of-the-box functionality and modules; custom plug-ins available

Tendenci: SAS• The goal of Software as a Service is

to lower cost

• Software that brings in more revenue for organizations

• Hosted on the cloud (Amazon)

Tendenci: Out-of-the-box• Tendenci Core

Calendar Events[source of revenue]

www.schipul.com/events

Job Board[source of revenue]

www.prsahouston.org/jobs

Photo Albums

www.culintro.com/photos

Stories

www.discoverygreen.com

Business Directories[source of revenue]

www.houstontech.org/directories

Articles/Press Releases

www.milleroutdoortheatre.com/news

Tendenci: Membership Management

Tendenci – Newsletter Integration

• Campaign Monitor

www.campaignmonitor.com

Tendenci: Plug-ins• Flexible framework allows for custom

plug-ins at a competitive cost– Ex. Videos gallery– Ex. Staff– Ex. Before and After Photo Gallery

Videos Gallery

www.thinkla.org/videos

Staff

www.schipul.com/staff

Before and After Photos

www.austin-weston.com/before-after

Tendenci: Self Sign-up

www.signup.tendenciapp.com

Things to think about…• Limited flexibility in hosting options– Higher security

• Smaller community of developers

CMS Recap1.WordPress: Used for websites with basic content

updates like posts, pages and basic categorization; easily integrated

2.Drupal: Necessary for custom functionality requirements and typically used for large, robust websites

3.Tendenci: Best for organization and B2B websites that can utilize out-of-the-box functionality and modules; custom plug-ins available

Budget• Budgets vary• Dependent on CMS• Dependent on complexity of your

website• Ex. Schipul’s price range

Questions to ask1. What do I want my website to do? It’s all about

the functionality and complexity of your website

2. Where do you want your website hosted?

3. What is your timeline?

4. Who will be updating my website(s) and how many will need access?

5. What is your budget?

Resources• Wordpress.com• Wordpress.org• Drupal.org• Drupalgradens.com• Tendenci.com• Signup.tendenciapp.com

Thank you! Call Me!Courtney PembertonBusiness Development Associate281.497.6567 [email protected]

Schipul – The Web Marketing Companywww.schipul.comBlog.schipul.com

Tendenciwww.tendenci.comBlog.tendenci.com

How to Select the Best Content Management System for your Website

Technology

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