A key to successful online marketing and brand management
There was a time, not too long ago, where web design service providers were primarily focused on creating web pages and building online user interfaces for end users. The idea was to give clients a blank website so that you (the client) could populate it with content of your choice. This put the website designer one step apart from the content hosted on the site they designed – which was what the intent was back then. Evolutions in web designing technologies have changed all of that.
Content Management 101
In today’s dynamic business world, competitive forces are constantly driving change. Some of that change happens so quickly, that many small business entrepreneurs and website owners don’t have time to react. However, if your web site design needs to be updated rapidly to reflect changed realities, then you’d better be prepared to respond – or else the competition will get the better of you!
And that’s where CMSs come in.
Content Management System (CMS) provides the web designer a single, yet powerful, user interface to manage websites and their content effectively and efficiently. As a result, not only is the process of building new websites and updating existing ones streamlined, but the entire process of managing your online brand is rationalized.
When it comes to modern-day CMS’s, the term “content” could be a misnomer. The CMS’s used by your website designing agency are far more sophisticated and feature rich, than those that their counterparts used a decade or so ago. With the right CMS tools, you can:
- add, update or change content on the fly
- create new web pages and introduce new sections to your website in no time
- add or update menu items, and change site navigation choices to reflect changing business requirements
So, it’s more than just content.
But CMS’s can do even more. While the overall website design will still need to be overseen by someone with knowledge and experience designing commercial websites, CMS solutions offer end-users a lot more flexibility than before, on what the site looks and feels like over time.
Brand management
CMS’s aren’t simply about adding new web pages quickly, or effortlessly publishing fresh content daily. The essence of any business, whether online or brick-and-mortar, is their brand. And a uniform web presence helps manage and reinforce that brand.
- If website visitors see conflicting messaging on the website, they are likely to move away – quickly!
- When there isn’t a uniform web design methodology followed across the website, prospective clients are skeptical about the company’s abilities to provide good products and services
- If poor website designing causes existing customers and prospective clients to find it difficult to navigate the site, many half empty shopping carts will be abandoned
It is experiences like these that tarnish a brand more quickly than other operational issues, like inventory stock-outs or higher pricing. And that’s why web designing services today are increasingly using content management tools to:
- Enables their clients to take control of maintaining and managing all content on their own
- Protect brand power by quickly responding to changes needed, on a company’s online platforms, so clients are assured that they are dealing with a professional organization
- Make structural changes, like backgrounds, visual identity (logos and images) and site themes, to the website without requiring highly technical know-how to do so
Today’s CMS solutions also help you to optimize your content so that search engines will recognize and rank your content higher than your competitors. And the best part of it all is that, with a good CMS, you don’t need a web designer to help you with it!
While your web design agency is always available to advise and assist you, your CMS will help you take control of how you manage and protect your corporate messaging and branding. In that respect, a good content management solution is all about enabling you – the business and website owner – and your team to fully take control of the most valuable asset in your company: Your brand!
Invaluable partnerships
Whether it’s laying the foundation of your online presence, or guiding you through major site upgrades and enhancements, your web designing agency will always be an invaluable partner. That’s why it’s important to choose an able service provider as you begin your journey into establishing an online presence.
However, with a good CMS system on your side, you won’t need to rely solely on web design services for the day-to-day maintenance and management of your website and its content. Your CMS will empower you and your team to do that on your own – even without any web designing or programming knowledge!
