A content management system (CMS) allows users with little knowledge of web development to create and manage a site's content. Instead of calling on a web designer to make changes, staff can do it for themselves.
Website Content Management Systems
Website maintenance for non-technical users
Creating a site using a CMS requires more development time initially, but once in place means staff can manage it for themselves. Pages can be edited, created or moved, images and video uploaded, and more, all using a browser based interface aimed at non-technical users.
Custom-built CMS or existing system
If your site has requirements that can't be met by existing systems we can discuss options for a bespoke CMS. Otherwise, I would recommend using an existing system such as WordPress, with a customised theme to match your branding and design guidelines.
These examples of Content Management Systems will give you an idea of the kind of site editing tools that can be created. Every website has its own unique requirements, so contact me if you need more information.
Bespoke Content Management System 1
Garside Waddingham are a residential and commercial estate agency based in the North West of England. Parts of their website change daily, so an easy to use content management system was an important part of the project.
The CMS is available only to Garside Waddingham staff. Once logged-in they can edit the website pages. The structure of the management system reflects the public site, so finding the appropriate editing function is easy:
Any changes to page content are immediately applied to the public website. System users can update page titles, taglines, main content blocks, logos, background images and more. New pages can be created, and the display order of pages within a section can be changed through a simple drag-and-drop function:
Pages within the site can be linked to one another, or to external addresses. These links can be re-ordered, edited or removed at any time. A similar function allows users to attach PDF documents to any page, making them available for download on the public site:
Staff can add items to the site news section, setting publication and expiry dates to control how long they appear for. Images can also be added to each story.
Access to the management system is controlled through user accounts. Each user can be given specific system rights, to limit which parts of the public website they can edit.
The admin system has been designed to work on any standards-based web browser such as Safari, Firefox, Chrome, Opera or Internet Explorer.
Bespoke Content Management System 1
TTA Press are the publishers of magazines such as Interzone, Black Static and Crimewave. Their website provides information on these plus news, competitions, free stories, discussion forums, podcasts and more:
The management system allows TTA staff to edit the site content:
As well as providing the standard editing functions described above, the TTA Press system also has a site-wide image manager:
Images can be uploaded to the site and then attached to a page, or shared amongst several. Larger images can be shown as a thumbnail preview which automatically links to the full size version. The display order of images attached to each page can be updated via a simple drag and drop function.