Have you set up a Web site with a CMS? Advise me, please.

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’m planning on updating my business Web site to a more sophisticated Content Management System-based platform, but I’m far from an expert on the topic. I publish a small, niche, B2B print newsletter, and although my expanded business model may include print, what I’m looking for here is basic advice about setting up a CMS-based site. I am not a programmer/coder, and I won’t have time to become one. I’ll be focusing on content and keeping the business running.

The site will have news items, feature articles, links to external press releases, articles, videos, etc. We will probably accept advertising. Naturally, we’ll have a significant social component, since that seems to be the sine qua non these days.

My questions are nearly infinite, but this batch will do for now:

  1. How do I select a CMS/provider/host?

  2. Should I hire someone to set it up initially and hand it over to me to operate and maintain, or will I need a dedicated Webmaster, even if s/he is part time?

  3. If the latter, would I be better off using a provider/host who will provide support?

  4. What are your opinions of the various CMSes out there? Ning, Joomla, WordPress, Drupal, etc.?

  5. How can I guarantee that a CMS/provider I select now will be capable of handling the site if it expands and is very successful?

  6. How much should I expect to pay for all these various alternatives?

I’m particularly interested in hearing from people who’ve actually set up and/or run business sites that use a CMS. Thanks.

2
  1. Try out a demo of several CMS apps and find one you’re comfortable with that does what you need.

Then look for a well-known host that specializes in that CMS. Avoid the cheapest hosting; saving $5 a month on hosting is false economy.

  1. If things are set up right initially, the only ongoing maintenance should be software upgrades (which are important). I’d suggest either finding a good designer who can set things up right for you, and doing the routine upgrades yourself (should be just a few button clicks in most cases). Or, find yourself a managed host, where the web host will do all the upgrades for you (look for “managed WordPress/Drupal/Joomla/whatever”).

  2. I think you’re referring to managed hosting here - it’s a good option, but up to you.

  3. Those are the biggest ones (though I wouldn’t include Ning). I’m a WordPress developer so I’m biased, but you should check them all out.

  4. This is a question you should ask them.

  5. There’s no way to answer that without knowing your requirements, traffic, content etc.

The easiest way to try WordPress is at WordPress.com - set up a free site and try it out. That’s a managed host, and won’t give you the option of installing your own plugins, but it’ll give you a good demo of the basic UI.

(disclosure: I work for the company that runs WordPress.com)

3

I recently tried to start up a webpage/business, and went with Joomla. What I ended up with is a complex monstrosity with a bunch of bolted on extensions that don’t work well together. It’s 85% how I want it, but some of that 15% is stopping it from being very successful. I spent way too much time and money because I tried to do it all at once. I should have built the absolutely critical functions of the site, and then added on as my site grew organically. So that’s the experience I am coming from.

IMHO you need to look at what you want and why you want it. Articulate how each of the features will make you money, and why it will make your site successful. Don’t use a CMS or have a social component because that’s what all the kids are doing nowadays. It’s tempting to look at all of these CMS plugins and think of how much awesome stuff you can have on your website. But it is largely an illusion. Each of these plugins is going to require customization to work on your site, and then upgrading is going to be a pain because you don’t know what will break what. And if something does break, you have a mess to find out what it was that broke.

How do you make your money now, and how do you think you will make money with the new website?

4

+1 for everything treis said.

A lot of people build web sites with grand plans for it to do everything under the sun, or work in very specific ways. They wind up getting stuck on the 20% of things that take 80% of the time and budget. The smart ones realise that most of their plans were based on incorrect expectations about other people’s behaviour, and find ways to adapt. The others keep trying to make the rest of the world do things their way through sheer force of will, until they go broke.

5

I don’t agree with treis on one thing, though. Money may not be the main reason for wanting a CMS. It could also just be convenience. I know that, when my church wanted me to design their website, they specifically wanted it to be easy for various people to be able to contribute to.

You do need to do a costs/benefits analysis, but don’t forget that not all benefits are monetary. At the very least, set a monetary value for your time and frustration.

6

My qualifications: Web developer serving a lot of smaller businesses and organizations.

*1. How do I select a CMS/provider/host?
*
Wordpress. Everything else is overkill. Either host with Wordpress.com (Wordpress.com is their hosted version of Wordpress, Wordpress.org is where you get the CMS to host on your own site), or pick one of the big hosts like Dreamhost, 1&1, GoDaddy or MediaTemple. These guys are not fly-by-night operations.

*2. Should I hire someone to set it up initially and hand it over to me to operate and maintain, or will I need a dedicated Webmaster, even if s/he is part time?
*
Unless you want to spend a weekend or two dicking around with technical stuff, I’d hire someone to set it up initially. You’re probably okay with purchasing a premade template from ThemeForest and slapping your logo on it. Hrrrrmmmm, not familiar with the American market, but if you were going around looking for quotes, something around the $800-1000 price point is okay. Too little and the person is probably talking out their ass, but too much more means they are taking you for a ride. If possible, choose a place with more than 1 employee and that employs someone they’re not related to. Those companies are more reliable, as they are likely not working out of their mother’s basement. They do cost more because they have more overhead costs, but they have more experience.

After that, I think you’ll be pretty good. Forums like the Dope will be able to help you out.

*3. If the latter, would I be better off using a provider/host who will provide support?
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Wordpress itself would probably be the only provider that has direct support. Most hosts won’t touch anything you did yourself, or at least not with a hefty fee.

*4. What are your opinions of the various CMSes out there? Ning, Joomla, WordPress, Drupal, etc.?
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Never used Ning, wouldn’t recommend Joomla and Drupal for anything less than a large organization with many users, highly recommend Wordpress for a small business.

*5. How can I guarantee that a CMS/provider I select now will be capable of handling the site if it expands and is very successful?
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Wordpress.com runs the Cheezburger network, including FailBlog, Autocowrecks, GraphJam and Memebase. If it can handle those, it can handle damn near anything. :smiley:

*6. How much should I expect to pay for all these various alternatives?
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Joomla and Drupal probably cost a little more since they’re such a bitch to deal with.

kushiel’s rule of websites: If you have to ask if you need to use Joomla, Drupal or Wordpress, you probably don’t need Joomla and Drupal. Organizations big enough to need Joomla, Drupal or a corporate solution have an IT department that handles such things.

7

Just to clarify this for commasense:

Those sites, and many other large ones, are indeed hosted on WordPress.com, part of the VIP hosting program. It’s a high-end service, not something you’re likely to need.

Millions of other blogs and sites are also hosted on WordPress.com. They’re on the same servers & network as those VIP sites but don’t have the same degree of customization (you can’t install custom code). You could run a newsletter there easily; whether or not it’s suitable is up to you.

Also, there are other managed hosts for WordPress (wpengine.com), and traditional hosts that provide some degree of support for WordPress.

The basic difference between managed and traditional hosting is that on traditional hosts you can install whatever plugins and themes and extras you want (but may be on your own for supporting them). A managed host won’t - they will have some plugins and themes preinstalled, but only those they’ve vetted and chosen to support.

(disclosure: the company I work for has affiliations with lots of web hosts, including wpengine)