Content Management Systems and Search Engine Optimization
Content Management Systems (CMS) are fantastic because they allow web designers and web developers to pass a project to their customers in the knowledge that the users will be able to update their own web pages. But there is a trade off. Many of the CMS solutions that are available does not produce clean xhtml and css code. I've even come across some CMS solutions that still create tables for non-tabular data. This adversely affects Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).
So what is the solution to the CMS/SEO problem? Some web designers and web developers opt to update websites entirely themselves and do not incorporate CMS solutions into their designs. This solution is not always practical and is less cost effective to the customer in the long term (though it is more cost effective in the short term to pay for support rather than a CMS).
Another solution is to provide a decent CMS which doesn't produce clean enough code and let the developer clean up the user's code afterwards.
Another solution is to find a CMS that does support xhtml and css. The problem with CMS solutions that support the latest technologies is that, in practice, they are usually more complex in design because xhtml is stricter than deprecated versions of html.
The latter solution is more complex in design, more difficult to setup and, unless time is taken to modify it, is more difficult to use for the end user. Afterall, adding all of the extra detail that is required for SEO requires more fields to be inputted in the CMS.
The Best Content Management Systems For SEO
Having a successful business website requires having successful search engine optimization campaigns. That's why, when you're looking to build your company website, it's a good idea to look for a content management system that will facilitate your company's SEO efforts. But what exactly are the features of a good, SEO friendly CMS? Here are a few of the things you should look for.
- Look for a CMS that allows you to easily edit title and description tags, separate from article titles and descriptions.
- A good CMS should let you move pages and sections around at will.
- It should let you easily edit heading tags.
- It should support analytics and RSS feeds.
- It should let you easily create your own filename directory structures.
- It should make creating standard-compliant code simple.
- It should provide accessible site maps for search engines.
The following CMSs are well known and popular among SEO experts. They contain all if not most of the above features and even give you tips on how to improve your SEO efforts.
Elxis
With its built-in SEO management program, Elxis does a great job of helping you optimize your site for search engine marketing by doing a lot of the basic legwork for you.
Drupal
Drupal comes with its own SEO module, called SEO Checklist. It basically guides you through the process of optimizing your site for search engines and allows everyone in your company who's working on the site to keep track of the SEO changes made to each page.
Typo3
Typo3 has a ton of search engine optimization features that let you create and organize metadata, tags and SEO friendly URLs.
CMS Made Simple
If you know how to modify htaccess files, CMS Made Simple can prove an incredibly reliable and helpful CMS. Generate good SEO friendly URLs and have meta tags and page titles built in automatically.
MODx
MODx lets you create optimized URLs, provides you with automatic headers and simple page titles, and allows you to adjust meta-content on each individual page.
Should I Use a Content Management System?
Once upon a time, most websites were created as a static product, one that contained different types of code that made management a total nightmare. That code - using JavaScript, Flash, HTML - was very difficult for many web servers to handle. If you were a web geek, like me, you took the time to learn all the coding techniques that, hopefully, added to you resume, thus fattening your bank account. Plus, without proprietary software and training, these documents were virtually uneditable by site owners. You had to keep someone like me "on the payroll" to make periodic updates and changes. Consequently, they were expensive to maintain so, unless a site owner could handle the task, someone with the skill, knowledge and software had to be hired to perform the necessary maintenance.
Therefore, a need existed to create a system on the "back end" where site owners could perform maintenance activities such as copy replacement, image replacement and add to the existing content without knowing any difficult coding. New technology, called Content Management System, or CMS, was developed. At the core of the system is employment of a database where the user can store content - copy and images - to retrieve and edit. Every site page is stored as simple text. The system converts this simple text into the appropriate HTML and JavaScript when a visitor lands on the page. The system also allows for the integration of a variety of features such as interactive event calendars, log ins with user names and passwords, news feeds, blogs, photo galleries and more.
If you are experiencing a great deal of difficulty maintaining a static site, it may be time to "upgrade" to one that can be controlled through a Content Management System. Here are some of the problems associated with a static website that if you recognize as aggravating, might be that sure indication it is time for a change:
Problems
-You have no control concerning updates and either need to go through your designer/host or not make any at all
-There is no search function available on your site to allow users to find specific content
-Limited features - if any - like logins, contact or request forms, forums, blogs, mailing lists, calendars ort other interactive features that elevate the level of user-friendly available content
Solutions
-Install an open source Content Management System (CMS)
-Transfer all your available content to the new system
-Learn how to use the system to perform your own maintenance (Can you use Word?)
So, what are the benefits from using a CMS?
First, you gain the ability to manage, update, change add or delete your own content. Additionally, through use of a CMS, you will be displaying content that conforms to present web standards. Which is important. Using current web standards will increase your accessibility allowing for your content to not become obsolete. Whenever an upgrade is issued for the CMS, installation is normally but a "click" allowing your site to stay in web compliance. Furthermore, CMS has embedded site search capabilities.
3 Content Management Systems in Brief – WordPress, Joomla and Drupal
Go to a webmaster forum on the Internet and ask, "What is the best content management system for me to use for my site?" Differences of opinion will sprout faster than crabgrass in a front yard.
Following are three brief reviews of what are arguably the most popular free and open-source content management systems available on the Internet -- WordPress, Joomla and Drupal. These briefs are the opinions of a webmaster who has built and maintained sites on all three systems.
WordPress
Pros: Anyone venturing into building a Web site on a CMS for the first time should consider WordPress as a strong choice. It is simple, intuitive, easy to use and easy to install. Templates and plugins are readily available on WordPress.org and easy to install as well. This system is ideal for someone with light technical skills.
Cons: Being one of the simplest systems also makes it one of the most limited systems. As sites grow, they require more features and functionality. WordPress is largely known as software ideally used for blogging; anything beyond blogging requires something more sophisticated. The community forums at WordPress.org are moderately helpful for new and inexperienced users.
Joomla
Pros: Joomla is designed for the masses, just like WordPress. It is extremely popular in part because it has a nice visual interface that makes it easier to use than other systems. The community forums at Joomla.org are extremely active and helpful for new users. The site also has an extensive number of available plugins, which are easy to install. Joomla is best suited for someone with moderate technical skills.
Cons: The quantity of plugins is weakened by the quality of plugins. Not all of the plugins integrate effectively and must be discarded. The HTML editing interface is quirky at best. Security also is an issue; the community forums tend to show a high number of hacking problems on member sites. Like WordPress, the software is limited in what it can do with the layout and presentation of pages.
Drupal
Pros: By far, Drupal is the most technically advanced of the three systems. It is highly respected for its tightly built architecture, speed and effectiveness. Security clearly is a top concern. Layout and presentation are less limited than WordPress or Joomla. As a result, Drupal is a CMS that appeals to webmasters with strong technical skills.
Cons: The interface is the least intuitive of the three systems. Drupal is well-known for having "a steep uphill learning curve," a quote that has appeared often in discussions about its strong points and weak points. In addition, the forums are the least helpful of the three systems if the post comes from a new and inexperienced user with weak to moderate technical skills.
Choosing a Content Management System
No hosted solution can offer you the flexibility of simply getting your own cheap (or free) web host and creating your own blog.
Some of the major players in this industry are: WordPress, B2Evolution and ExpressionEngine but there are plenty of other lesser known but just as solid solutions available as well. Browse our list here to see the full choice (there are likely more, we simply haven't found them yet).
Let's run over some of the main features most common when people are looking for a blog solution.
1. SEO:
If you aren't familiar with this term yet, you will be. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and basically means that the software offers a way to optimize the way URLs, Content and Links are viewed in order to give you the best possible exposure when being spidered by a search engine web crawler.
2. WYSIWYG EDITOR:
Wysiwyg stands for 'What You See is What You Get' and basically means that as you are typing your article or blog post, you are able to format and use the same type of options you would have available in your favourite word processor.. and that what you see as you type, is how the text will look once published. There are several commonly used WYSIWYG editors used by most blog platforms. The top two are TinyMCE and FCKEditor.
3. IMAGE Handling:
By default, most wysiwyg editors only offer you the ability to add images via url and not to upload directly from your computer (which is a pain IMHO). One of the things you need to be conscious of is whether the blog platform you are choosing offers image uploads or whether it's going to be more difficult to add an image to a post.
4. THEMES:
Not everyone is a designer, I will be the first to admit that without a base theme to start from, I have the imagination of a piece of granite... so for myself and most users, it's important that the Blog software is either a) easy to theme or b) offers a good selection of starter themes to choose from.
5. EXPANDABILITY:
Depending on what you want to do with your blog, you will likely want the option to take advantage of some of the services offered on the web for bloggers to share their posts with the world and/or to monetize the blog. In order to be able to do this, you need to be able to either code well in HTML/PHP or be able to choose a platform that has add on modules to help you do this quickly and easily.
Now that we've covered the basics (and I'm sure there is more.. this is just designed to be a starting point)... we will now look at some of the major CMS platforms available and what they have to offer.
THE PLAYERS
1. WordPress
Designed initially as a simple blog platform, this software has exploded into somewhat of a cult classic in the world of blog software. WordPress offers more themes, modules, options and expandability than any other blog platform released to date. The best part? It's still extremely easy to use and very very simple to install. WordPress meets all of the above and more but it's not for everyone. Some may simply not find the interface appealing and others may simply want to try something different.
2. ExpressionEngine - Another very good cms solution with a massive list of features. It doesn't match Wordpress as far as available themes and modules but it has alot of the key options out of the box without the need to installing anything additionally.
3. MovableType - MovableType is a strong competitor of Wordpress and only recently went Opensource when it became apparent that Wordpress was succeeding quite well by going this route. MovableType main downfall in my eyes is it's difficulty to install. It does, however, have very good support, nice themes and a good selection of modules.
4. B2Evolution - One of the few that offers out of the box ability to run multiple blogs from a single installation. Updated frequently and with a fair amount of themes and modules, B2Evolution is a strong up and coming blog platform.
There are plenty of other platforms out there as well, I couldn't possibly cover them all in one article.
You'll want to explore the choices available and find out which one suits what you need. The only way to truly do so is to try them out. Most of the sites offer demos which you can try.
Source: http://www.ezinearticles.com/?Choosing-a-Content-Management-System&id=3045491
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