Well, it doesn't have to be so hard and the solution is FREE

Read on to find out how...

You know how it is. You realise the value a website could provide to your business, then you look into what it takes to get it going and keep it going. You need a web designer. A graphic designer. A web host. A domain registrar. Someone to set up email. And that’s just for a basic website. This can be daunting enough to make many small businesses put their website project in the "too hard" basket there and then.

If you persist and tackle the hurdles you’ll finally end up with a great website and breathe a sigh of relief. You’ll have information about your company, services, and all the latest news. Then the real costs begin to materialise. In order for your website to be effective, it needs to be constantly updated. Regular news, new information about products and services. Special offers and promotions.  And every time you want to change even the smallest detail, you have to go back to your web design company to get them to make the changes. To save this cost, someone in your organisation is tasked with the updates and has to become familiar with FTP, HTML and all those other buzzwords. This seems like a great solution, but the website is rarely this person’s first priority as they already have  a full-time job to do.

It is at this point that many websites fail to live up to their promise. Updates happen less frequently, causing search engines like Google to stop searching your site, and so it is found less often. The potential customers that do make it to your site see information that is months old and think you aren't doing business anymore. They have moved on within 15 seconds. And if they do make it there and want to know more do you have an effective way for people to take the next step towards making a purchase?  Websites that are no more than an electronic brochure will not return your investment. Your site must motivate existing customers to purchase more or generate new customers to make a profit from your website.

Free Content Management Systems Can Make All The Difference

It doesn't have to be so hard.  A Content Management System (CMS) can dramatically simplify the process of keeping your site up to date, ensuring your customers can find the information they need to do business with you.  A CMS provides a way for you to directly edit the content of your website using nothing more than your web browser. You can amend existing pages, add new pages, delete pages, even add entirely new sections to your website with just a few mouse clicks.

A CMS doesn't only simplify the process of managing your site content, it also provides a framework for adding new functionality, such as an enquiry form to allow potential customers to show they are interested. Perhaps you'd like to sell products online? A few clicks later, you have a Shopping Cart integrated into your site. Here are some other modules that are readily installable into a CMS based website:

• Enquiry Forms
• Customer Helpdesk Ticketing Systems
• Image Galleries
• Product Catalogues
• Customer Support Forums

Surely a Content Management System must be prohibitively expensive if it provides all this? Actually no. My preferred CMS is called Joomla! and is completely free, offering more features than many "commercial" CMSs, and there are literally hundreds of equally free downloadable modules for adding extra functionality to your site like those listed above.

If anyone is considering starting a website project, then I would strongly recommend using a Content Management System as the basis of your site. If you find that you are struggling to keep your site fresh and up to date, then converting your site to a CMS is by far the most effective way to ensure you can keep it relavent and dynamic while keeping costs down.

If you'd like advice on how to go about selecting and using a CMS for your website, please drop me a line. You can call me on 02 6061 1441, or reply to this email, or fill in the form here and I'll get in contact with you.

Kind regards,
Paul Murphy
Zencore IT Services