CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FAQ

What is a Content Management System?

A content management system (CMS) is a series of tools that allow you to manage (add, edit, or delete) a website's data. The key point here is that this can be achieved in isolation from the style of the site. This means that any member of your staff, who has authorization, can easily update your website, without affecting the site's design.

The style of the site is fixed which enables a non-designer to build great-looking content, and the template takes care of how that content looks to the website visitors.

Many CMS companies use a template drive approach, which often results in websites looking similar. It is important that your site's design does not duplicate everyone else's that you compete with. To avoid having a website that has the same template as someone else's (maybe even your competition) it is vital to choose a company like Marketing@LAW, where we custom design each site for a unique client.

Once your CMS is operational, your site can be easily updated at your own convenience, at a fraction of the cost of commissioning a web company directly.

Are their different types of content management systems? Which type of CMS is best for me?

There are basically two types of CMS - online and offline. An offline system has to be installed like any piece of software. This is installed at the server end, and so can require a good deal of technical know-how to get it up-and-running correctly and safely.

The other type is much easier to work with - the online CMS. As the name suggests, the online CMS is a system that is accessed directly from a website, from within a standard web browser. This means that there is no installation required - as the system is already installed on the server.

Unless you consider yourself a 'techie', your best bet is to stick with an online CMS, like the one provided by Marketing@LAW, as it will make your life easier.

When and where can I change the content of my site?

If you have the login information you can change your site at anytime, from any computer, anywhere in the world. This empowers you to work on your website at a time and location that suits your lifestyle. And if you are running a small to medium sized firm, chances are your lifestyle is already pretty hectic. A CMS can help you to work smarter not harder...all you need is a web connection and a web browser.

This is another great benefit of an online CMS. Your site can be accessed from anywhere, at anytime. Basically, because the system is not installed on your PC, you don't even need your own PC to access it.

I hardly ever update my site... so it doesn't take long to change the content of each page of my site, on the rare occasions that I do have need to update them.

For some businesses, there may be fundamental reasons why their web presence is not considered a key to their business plan. But for the legal profession, web presence is becoming more and more important if not critical. Increased competition makes it more difficult every day to get an edge in the market. Making sure that your site is found, and that when it is found it has relevant and current information, is a requirement to growing a firm today.

Even in those situations where the data does not need to change very much, it is still important to be able to change it easily when the time comes.

Would you send out the same brochure year after year? Nothing ages faster than a website... just a few months with the same data on a page can be a lifetime in cyberspace.

The bottom line is this...if it is accepted that there is a need for your organization to have a website, then when the time comes to update your site, do it easily and inexpensively with a CMS.

I only have three pages...why does my firm need one?

You only have three pages now, but who knows what is round the corner for your business and your website?

There could be a need for more data on those pages, or a requirement for several new pages, when your business website has to switch direction to keep up with changing trends.

There are plenty of other reasons to have more pages than the bare minimum. For example, having lots of pages with good, relevant content can be a great help in getting good placements in the Search Engine listings. Every page that you create is potentially visible to the search engines.

The more pages that you have available, with content relevant to your practice area(s), the more chance that your site will show up in the search engines - meaning more potential clients. Isn't that the point?

I have no web skills... will I really be able to use a CMS?

Of course! If you can type text into a document using a word processor like Microsoft Word, or use an email system, then you will be able to use a CMS. Besides, you can delegate the responsibility to a member of your staff.

With our CMS, making clean, great-looking web pages is possible by doing little more than some basic typing. Mark a title as bold, add a couple of links, maybe add a list... it really is that easy!

You can start with simple changes, and then use some of the more advanced features when you are more familiar with the system. With a CMS, it's easy to make changes to your site, without needing to know any HTML or have any design skills.