{"id":1330,"date":"2012-12-14T17:06:45","date_gmt":"2012-12-14T17:06:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dental-media.co.uk\/marketing\/?p=1330"},"modified":"2012-12-14T17:06:45","modified_gmt":"2012-12-14T17:06:45","slug":"systems-for-dentists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dental-media.co.uk\/marketing\/content-management\/systems-for-dentists\/","title":{"rendered":"Do I need content management for my dental website?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Advantages and disadvantages of content management systems (CMS)<\/h2>\n

A CMS is a tool which allows a website owner to make updates to a website without referring back to the original designer. This is fine in principle, however, all is not quite as straightforward as it may seem and there are certain advantages and disadvantages to consider when deciding if you actually need a CMS for your dental website. We consider the pros and cons here:<\/p>\n

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Initial cost<\/h3>\n

A CMS is typically underpinned by a complex suite of software and database which allows the user to write data dynamically to a web page. Unlike a static website, the page is often formed “on the fly” with the content being pulled from the database and embedded into the page structure each time it is requested by the viewer. Establishment and testing of the database infrastructure can be quite time consuming and consequently costs more than a site that comprises of “simple” static pages. As a guide, a CMS can cost anywhere from \u00a3300 -> \u00a31000+ depending on the scale of the site which equates to a lot of “pay-as-you-go” updates from your dental website designer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ongoing cost<\/h3>\n

A CMS is built using software that has a finite life-span which will need maintenance to keep it secure and up-to-date with latest features. This could mean a cost of a few hundred pounds per year depending on the scope of the updates. All of this needs to be factored into the cost-benefit equation.<\/p>\n

Ease of use<\/h3>\n

This is probably the most important consideration. Many people are familiar with Microsoft applications like Powerpoint which are very flexible and easy to use – indeed its really quite straightforward to make an excellent presentation with such tools with very limited training. The mistake that many people make is believing that CMS are exactly like Powerpoint whereas in reality they are not. Whilst CMS’s are becoming more capable all the time, you still need a reasonable level of skill and patience to use them. I’d go as far as saying that to create a great looking and professional page using a CMS actually needs the skills of an experienced designer.<\/p>\n

So how can a CMS add value to a dental website?<\/h3>\n

Despite the negative factors, a CMS can bring value if its implementation and limitations are considered carefully. Having built hundreds of websites for dentists<\/a>, our experience suggests that a CMS can be very useful for making relatively small changes to website text and perhaps uploading images to a gallery using a predefined template. This is great for changes to a news page, offers or perhaps staff biographies. More complex changes to page layouts and navigation systems are perhaps best left to the designer to ensure a professional result. However, if you envisage making quite regular, albeit relatively simple changes to your dental website, then a CMS can prove cost-effective and save you money.<\/p>\n

A typical CMS implementation for a dentist might simply be to manage 3 or 4 frequently amended pages – a CMS for this would be around \u00a3300. Additional pages can be added to your CMS later, so it need not be an expensive “all in” decision at the start of your web project.<\/p>\n

Summary<\/h3>\n