Content Management Systems represent the modern way to build a website. In the past, most websites were built using HTML to control the layout of the web page and format the content within it. Sites built in this way were limited in their interactivity, had to be created by somebody with knowledge of HTML code and server technologies, could take a while to build and upload, and were time-consuming to update.

Dynamic websites

Content Management Systems have been around for a number of years, but it was not until the introduction of popular open source CMS that the concept really took off. The open source movement has been responsible for enormous changes in popular technologies, mainly due to the fact that open source products are generally free to use. Examples include business software, operating systems and content management systems. These are basically built around a database in which all the data for each page is stored. The web page itself is virtual and only exists when a browser requests it. Unlike static websites, a dynamic website can be quick to build and update, and because it resides entirely on the web server, the interface used to construct and edit it is accessed via an ordinary web browser.

Open access

Since all the web building is done through an ordinary browser, anyone is capable of creating and editing a dynamic website built using a CMS. This means that in practice, a site can be built by one person but edited by a number of others. There are considerable practical advantages in this approach; the head of the Department may want to create a web page for his or her department but have other team members add content to it. This is often the way organisations create large websites that are filled with current, relevant content. A positive side-effect is that search engines absolutely love fresh, relevant content, so a website built in this way will naturally be indexed and in all likelihood appear in the top few pages for that topic.

Permission levels

Another benefit of using a CMS to construct a dynamic website is that different levels of permission can be granted to those who will add content to it. For example, the department head may decide that certain individuals are permitted to add content but only in one subject area, while others are able to add content in all subjects. Individuals can be given permissions to write content or just to edit existing content depending on the circumstances. Permission can also be customised so that people submitting content must have it approved before it is published — quite an important consideration if there are legal implications.

Software

There are a number of different content management systems available today, many of which are free to use. Probably the most common open source CMS is the blogging platform WordPress; although designed for creating blogs, this is a fully functional CMS in its own right and can easily be adapted to that purpose alone. The second most popular content management system is almost certainly Joomla; this CMS evolved from an earlier open source program called Mambo, but is now extremely popular all over the world due to its ease of use, sophisticated interface and huge support infrastructure.

Conclusion

Whichever CMS you decide on, you are certain to find it extremely easy to produce top quality website using the most basic of tools — your existing web browser. Other people in your organisation will be able to add or edit content without any prior experience, and ultimate control will always remain with the administrator of the site to ensure that content is appropriate before it is published. CMS really have revolutionised the process of web design.