Content Management Systems give you more control
Tinstar Design manages the content of numerous clients' websites on a regular basis. We are sent new text or images which we integrate and upload in a fast, efficient manner. However, many of our clients want to be able to add content to their own websites without damaging the formatting of the site, and without having to learn complicated software. They do this by integrating a customised content management system.
What is a Content Management System?
This one's easy - it's a system that enables you to manage the content on your website. The content could be text, images, PDF files or an entire product database - it just depends what you need.
A content management system (CMS) enables a client to make instant changes to their website through any standard browser like Internet Explorer, Safari or Firefox. This means that their website can be up-to-the-minute, won't need special software to upload any pages, and they won't have to pay designers to do it on their behalf.
A CMS can handle everything from just a single page to a complete website, and is a fantastically useful tool.
Do you need a Content Management System?
How often do you update your website? If it's no more than once every couple of months, or even less, then it is more cost-effective for you to get your website designer to make the changes on your behalf. However, if you want to make weekly changes, upload your own images, have a blog or news page, then a content management system is for you.
How does it work?
We use the combined technologies of PHP and MySQL to create content management systems. PHP is the programming language which tells the web pages what information to display from the online MySQL database. You know if a page has been written using PHP because in a browser address field the web page will end with '.PHP' instead of '.HTML'.
A MySQL database is very much like an Excel spreadsheet. When you add a news item, blog entry or product via a browser to your website, a new row is created in the database. Each row (as with Excel) contains text fields, into which the new information is put. If a news article needs an image, a date, a headline etc, each one of these elements will be put into its own field. Then the PHP script will display these elements in a pre-formatted manner.
But if your website has a CMS, you don't need to worry about any of this. You just go to an administration area, click 'add a new item', complete a simple online form with your information, click submit, and it appears on your website. You can edit and delete items from the same area.
Call us to find out more
If you would like to talk about your requirements, or would like an estimate of cost, please complete the simple form opposite and we'll get back to you as quickly as possible. Alternatively, don't hesitate to call us on 01590 679490.
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