I’ve had several discussion with clients over the past few weeks about the advantages of having a content managed web site. In the most general terms, this is a site designed in a program that has a content manager. Wordpress is a low end solution. Dog Star Media uses Joomla for its robust capabilities and wide number of free and paid plug-ins to extend capability. There are other content managers out there, too.
The first thing I should mention about content managers is to watch out for the “Golden Handcuff.” There are companies out there that will design you a site with a content manager makes it impossible to move the site from their server. This “Golden Handcuff” keeps you obligated to them until you decide to move somewhere else, causing you to build a whole new site. Dog Star Media does not believe in the Golden Handcuff so when we design a Joomla-based site, you can take it anywhere you want or work with anyone you want.
Secondly, most clients are enamored with the idea of being able to make changes themselves. Content managers make it an easy process to change text, pictures and even add pages. For more advanced users, you can completely manipulate the site if you want. However, our experience is most clients do not do this. They want it but they never use it.
This brings me to the most important point: If you have a content managed site, you should be making regular updates. Adding relevant content helps with your optimization and relevance for certain terms. If you add pages and text and other content related to these words you help. With a content manager you can extend the size and scope of your site.
If you are interested in a content managed web site for your practice, please contact me at donald@dogstarmedia.com. We will get you one that comes without the golden handcuff.
