Empowering clients to edit their website content usually involves using a CMS to power the website - this is a database that holds the website content as data and delivers this to the user by populating page templates on request.
These are generally required for larger websites where content is being updated regularly by non-technical staff. The CMS will track changes and make updates site-wide and generally ensure the user does not 'break' something.
Of course, a CMS is much more than just about managing web content - these systems typically have a range of extra functionality as standard and more can be added as required.
4W recommend 2 systems depending on client needs - Expression Engine and Featurecreep CMS. Both produce code that validates to standards, search engine friendly URLs, multi-lingual support, RSS of content, membership registrations, email marketing and other common functionality.
Initially created as blog publishing software, the system has evolved into a flexible, modular web publishing system that is feature-rich and supports a variety of add-on modules including image gallery, blog/moblog, discussion forum, simple ecommerce using Paypal, a Wiki and many more - so you can pretty much publish any type of website. Perfect for small business owners.
Built from the ground up to be fully accessible and standards compliant this publishing system has all the usual feature-set available plus delivers XML data via XSLT, so that there is an intermediary technology between the database and website which then allows for the data to be manipulated in different ways for delivery to other platforms such as mobile devices, web TV and any future devices that may arise.
This solution is more expensive but the Featurecreep team provide a professional service and work very closely with clients establishing information architecture and functional requirements prior to building a bespoke solution based on their core CMS. This solution is perfect for larger companies and those looking to foreign markets (they have recently completed two dual English and Chinese websites with an automated translation mechanism using a 3rd party translation service).
The ecommerce feature of this CMS is also more developed and feature-rich than that of Expression Engine.
A good question, given the cost to implement - if your website is fairly small (less than 30-50 pages) and the content is not likely to change that much, your budget is limited, and you do not require the extra features of search, registration, e-newsletters, etc, then you could manage with Adobe Contribute.
There are simpler (and cheaper) options as well for the smaller website owner who justs wishes to edit content, such as Contribute from Adobe - desktop software that allows the owner to browse the pages and edit as they wish. This only works for websites that are not powered by a database. Adobe Contribute is £105 + VAT in the UK (as of January 2007).
From start to finish this project has been extremely exciting. 4W have created a stunning website which not only looks great, but has a function that works for our business as well as our customers. I would have no hesitation in recommending them.
- James Dickinson, Build It Green Ltd
CMS Comparisons
Lists open-source (free) to commercial systems.
OpenSourceCMS.com
Try out demo versions of the best PHP/MySQL based free and open source software systems in the world.
You Need a CMS and Your Clients Need a CMS
Articles at Evolt.org by Martin Burns.
CMS and the Single Web Designer
An article at A List Apart in 2002.
Choosing a CMS
Choose between a commercial, open source, or customised CMS.
Full Service Web Design Agency in Bristol
14 Orchard Street, BS1 5EH, United Kingdom
Tel: 0117 9055021 Email:
