The Content Management System

The content management system (CMS) is always a topic of conversation when initiating conversations about a new website for a client. It is an important piece of the equation as it allows clients to manage their websites without having to deal with editing code or manually updating databases.

ExpressionEngine and Craft CMS

At Masonry, we have a few that we love, ExpressionEngine and Craft. We love them for many reasons but the main one is flexibility. Our mission is to build custom, "hand-crafted" websites, and to do this we need a content management system that can adapt to our website strategy, rather than us having to adapt to what the CMS can do.

This isn't, though, a review of content management systems as there are many good ones and the key is to make sure whoever is building your website has the capability to extend the CMS to do what is best for you and your business.

The Formula to a Great Website

Another point here is that any CMS, no matter how powerful and flexible, and no matter how well it is setup by your agency, is not, by itself, a magic potion that will improve your web presence and generate leads for your business.

A great website is consistently being added to, edited, and improved. Your customers like this and so does Google. While a good CMS can make it more efficient to post new content and edit current content, it will take some time and dedication on your end to come up with ideas, write content, and add useful resources that benefit your clients and potential customers. We always recommend to put it on your calendar and make it part of your weekly or bi-weekly schedule to look at your website and make changes and additions based on analytics and customer feedback. Make your website a tool for your customers (or an internal efficiency tool) rather than just an online brochure.

Pieces of a Puzzle

Again, we think the CMS is a vital piece of the puzzle and we take pride in the ones we use and the attention to detail we take when setting one up. We do, though, also feel it is important for people to know that if you want your website and your online brand to improve over time, you are going to have to combine a good CMS with fresh, relevant content. This will take some time out of your day but will be well worth it.