I’ve been
creating websites for over eight years now, and whenever I talk to publishers
about their experience of building a site, I often hear a ton of frustration
and disappointment.
They hired
a "Web developer," paid a hefty price, and instead of receiving a
flexible, dynamic site that’s easy to manage and simple to use, they got a set
of sub-standard, unattractive pages that are hard to grow and put off users.
I want to
change that experience.
Creating a
website — even a commercial website — should be understandable, easy, fun and quick.
And the result should be beautiful, easy to use, scalable, and simple to
manage.
It all
hangs on the technology. If you are using any of the following methods of
creating a website, you’ll be left with a site that doesn’t supply the
usability or ease of management you need:
- Flash - Using Flash to create a
website, is like trying to type with one finger. Blindfolded. It's
limiting, search engines don't like it, and you won't be able to make
changes without paying your designer. The home page might look pretty but
most people will just click past it – or away. Flash is a really, really bad
idea.
- Static HTML - Static HTML is effective,
but old. It will probably get you where you want to go – eventually -- but
so will a horse a carriage. You want a site that’s modern, up-to-date,
flexible and fast.
So what is the right technology for creating a website?
Content
Management System (CMS) software. CMS allows you to create a sophisticated and
feature-rich website that’s so simple you’ll be able to manage and grow it
without the help of a professional webmaster.
And it’s
free.
Which CMS should I choose?
There are a
number of CMS programs available but I’ve found Joomla to be the most powerful.
It already has over 5,000 add-ons (or “extensions”) that allow you to add new
functions to your site easily. I’ve produced a number myself. You can see them
at iJoomla.com.
If all
you need is a blog though, then WordPress is a great choice.
