Corporate Web Design by use of Content Management Systems (CMS)

Corporate Web Design by use of Content Management Systems (CMS)

Professional web designers realize that professionally designed websites do not come about simply because one has technical expertise on how to design a website. A number of factors come into play when designing a website. One of these is the purpose of the website. As the saying goes, to a man without direction, no wind is the right wind, and this applies more often than not even when designing websites and especially in corporate web design. A website in our present age can have a number of many uses. It can be an electronic commerce venture, a social networking site or it could incorporate a mixture of both. One of the best ways to design websites with a corporate web design touch is to use a content management system.

What though are content management systems? These are computer applications that can handle rich web content in a variety of formats and that are used to design professionally looking websites. One advantage of using content management systems or CMS is that they come with a variety of templates from which one can choose from. CMS-generated websites are able to handle news reports, media files, RSS feeds and online content streaming. The different types of websites that CMS applications can come up with are simply astounding. In fact, most website designers use, in one way or another, a form of CMS as part of their corporate web design strategies.

CMS can create and control dynamic websites in a variety of ways. Automated HTML and XML templates allow for instant text and look changes while allowing for a single interface to manage the look and feel of the entire website. Since corporate web design projects involve creating websites that grow or need to be enhanced over time, CMS can accommodate such increased demands through plug-ins and utility modules that can be incorporated into the website to enhance its features.

Designing a professionally maintained website can be challenging, but thanks to CMS, managing documents, multiple users that are logged and workflow management are all streamlined. There are many open-source as well as commercially available CMS applications on the web. The two most common are Drupal and Joomla! Drupals installation is easy and has power-packed features that are easy to use. Joomla! is an award winning open source CMS that builds web applications and websites with a lot of helpful features. When selecting a CMS application to use, jot down your requirements being as specific and inclusive as you can, select the CMS applications that meet your criteria, narrow the list down to 3 or 4 of the best and make your selection. Once you make your selection, start and be sure to finish your web design project.