Common methods you use for clients that want to make their own updates

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1

Hi,

What is the most common method you offer to your clients when they want to make their own updates?

Go with a CMS (like joomla, WordPress etc.)?
You offer to create your own CMS?
Do you teach them to do it through a program like Dreamweaver or the like?

Can you guys share your experiences or methods when a client asks for options on making their own updates?

Thanks a lot!

2

CMS is the simple answer. There are so many available (both free and commercial) that there’s little need to create your own. Of course, if you know how to and you have the time, you will better understand the software, but even then, I suspect most people use what’s already out there.

3

I have the same method as Ralph has. Unless it’s a site so simple and so small that even the most simple CMS would be overkill, I always include a CMS. Which CMS I use depends on the client’s requirements and appropriateness. I also guide my clients and offer to support them in the first months in their interacting with the administration of content, unless they’re already familiar with the “inner workings” of the tool.

4

I am looking at Wordpress as an avenue for a website building biz. I just want to use it to make and design websites for people.

I need to be able to do e-commerce and have an events calenday of some sort. Also it needs a newsletter subscription area and possible a private members only login area.

So I guess my question is can I do a complete website that does not include a blog or do all sites have a blog feel to them? Can the clients also update their own sites fairly easily?

Also, I guess I would be in charge of paying hosting and domain fees for them.

5

Thanks a lot for your comments!

syed20110-

I think you posted this in the wrong forum - I think everything you want to do can be done with WordPress and your page doesn’t necessary need to looked like a blog site.

6

If the updates is limited to changing text content and updating images then I will in 99% of the times provide a simple customised CMS for them. A typical situation for me is the admin’s CMS for their online store products. All the product information and image meta data is stored in a database and I provide forms in the admin module to add/edit/delete products and their images and to perform other functions as well like add/edit/delete categories.

If they need flexibility in formatting their text content, I use the tinyMCE editor in my CMS forms.

7

WordPress has features and plugins for that sort of thing.

So I guess my question is can I do a complete website that does not include a blog or do all sites have a blog feel to them? Can the clients also update their own sites fairly easily?

WP is essentially a blogging tool, so you do have to hack it around a bit if you are not going to use it as a blog. But it is getting easier, I believe. Clients can update certain content, depending on how you structure things. There are other CMSs (free and commercial) that are better suited for non-blog sites IMHO.

Also, I guess I would be in charge of paying hosting and domain fees for them.

I’d say it’s better to let them do that. In the end, it’s their hosting and their domain, so it’s better for them a) to be in control of it and b) take responsibility for it.

8

Unless they’re computer and design savvy, giving them access in a tool like Dreamweaver (or, heaven forbid, FrontPage) usually means they’re going to break your design by making their own additions and modifications that they think look good, such as a pink 24pt capitalized Times New Roman heading on the homepage when your site design is red, unless you chuck in a whole lot of !important in your stylesheet to override their inline styling. A CMS can often make it a lot easier to keep things consistent by locking down the options they have to your pre-defined styles. You can give as many instructions and style guides as you want, if options outside of your guide are available, they will use them.

Also if it’s a plain HTML site (not a DW template for example), they might take it upon themselves to add menu items but neglect to update every page, which makes the site awful to use over time from more and more inconsistent ad-hoc additions, whereas elements like navigation should update globally in any CMS that allows the client to make new pages.

9

Thank you all for your comments!