Guide: How to commission a content management system

Creating or overhauling a website or intranet can be an arduous task. The success of the project requires the management of several elements: design, functionality, infrastructure, migration of content and copywriting new material, hosting, maintenance and support all require careful decision making. Appropriate commitment and staff resource to drive successful implementation will be key. 

At the core of any reasonably sized and functionally rich website should be a Web Content Management system (WCM) - an application to create, edit, manage and publish content in a consistently organised way. In these difficult economic times many companies look to partner with a Web Content Management system provider, to provide core tools to help deliver ever-increasing online requirements by maximising efficient productivity.

But with a number of players in the market and a selection of application models, how should a business go about commissioning a website and WCM? 

Strategy and planning

When looking for a WCM partner, it is important to consider which elements of the website solution may be outsourced: the most common areas are design, build and hosting. You need to decide whether you want to work with one Web Content Management provider on an end-to-end solution, or whether you are going to outsource and involve separate agencies for the different areas of the project. Gina Allen, website development coordinator for North Yorkshire Police Authority, recently created a new website and chose a WCM provider to deliver an end-to-end solution. Gina comments, “We chose a WCM provider that could manage all areas for the ease of having one company, one contact and one contract. They provide us with the technology to maintain all areas of the website ourselves in addition to providing the support and hosting for the site.”  

Elements of a website project

If you decide to outsource all elements of a website to different suppliers, you need to recognise that the WCM partner will need to work very closely with all other providers. You will also need to project manage all the agencies yourself. Very detailed contracts will be needed to define appropriate responsibility guidelines. Even with contracts in place, achieving accurate problem identification and resolution across multiple agencies can be extremely problematic.

Preparing a brief

When outsourcing to a Web Content Management provider, you need to ensure that your partner of choice has expertise in the areas your project requires. The IT and marketing departments will have their own strategies and these need to work together and should be considered before writing the brief. Be clear that you have an accurate understanding of which elements the partner will undertake and that this is clearly expressed in the brief.

Gina Allen adds, “It is common to focus too heavily on one particular area in a brief; let’s say design, for example. Whilst this can help focus on what you need from a provider, it can also hinder the process when you come to tender. As you go on, your focus will almost certainly change, so you may have experts in areas that are no longer relevant.”  

Technology considerations

When selecting a Web Content Management system, there are some important factors to be checked with the provider’s technical staff;

Core software

·         What language is the software written in (e.g. .NET)? It helps if you have relevant in-house skills that can support the specified language.

·         Does the application integrate with your third party software, such as the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system?

·         Most WCM software is broken down into functionality modules, check what is included out-of-the-box and which incur an extra cost to buy and install.

·         Does any special software need to be installed on servers or administrators’ PCs?

·         Are upgrades of the WCM free? (Typically they are where a support contract is entered into.)

Hosting

·         Can the site be hosted by the provider, or run from a local server?

·         What web and database servers are required?

·         What operating systems and databases are required? e.g. Microsoft SQL, Oracle

·         What security implications need to be considered – firewalls, TLS/SSL monitoring

Support

·         Is support provided by the WCM supplier or by a third party?

·         Is technical telephone support included?

·         What are the response times? Check the service level agreement.

·         Is there any training available for users? Would it take place online, over the phone or face-to-face?

Functionality

The functionality required of any website will very much depend on business sector and audience that is being targeted.

Much talk has been made recently of Web 2.0. The concept of Web 2.0 tools, is that they can be used to enhance users’ interconnectivity and interaction with web content.

Web 2.0 facilitates user-generated content - for example; tagging, forums, polls, file sharing and social networking.

Web 2.0 facilitates the creation of engaging client side environments - for example; personalised homepages, RSS feeds, mapping information, embedding widgets, podcasts and webcasts.

These Web 2.0 tools can provide an engaging or “sticky” website, thus encouraging the user to browse for longer, so it is worth clarifying that your WCM partner of choice can deliver this kind of technology. A word of caution however, whilst all of these user engagement tools can add ‘stickability’ to your site, it might be at the expense of search engine optimisation (SEO) or accessibility to differing elements of your target audience.

Software licensing

Before commissioning a WCM partner you will have to decide how many of your staff will need permission to access and administer content. Then look at the pricing models on offer and see where you will gain best value. Don’t forget to factor in your future requirements.

Typically WCM solutions can be provided in three distinct models.

1.     Licensed option – A licence fee is paid to the vendor based on each user, per bundle of users, per server or for unlimited use.

2.     Software as a Service (SaaS) option - Effectively a pay-as-you-go model allowing you to negate any licence and hosting costs in favour of a rolling month on month contract, although the design and build cost will typically be up-front.

3.     Open-source option - The core operating system is provided either with a limited licence charge or indeed none at all. Clearly this option can provide significant cost savings. However, there are risks and costs associated with this option and certain elements will need to be considered. Certainly with an Open source system it is vital that there is a sufficient size, breadth and depth of the community using the package for a significant period of time to ensure its future viability. Equally as important is that there are enough software houses developing the system for end users. A final point to note is that there is sufficient traction in your market sector to ensure the continued development of the solution that will fit your business needs.

Other financial considerations

You will need a sound understanding of the budgetary impact on your organisation and where this will fall; is it an IT or communications expense, or both? This needs to be prioritised as an early decision. Typically a website has a shelf life of around three years. Your investment could be deemed an asset and hence appear as a depreciating asset on your balance sheet.

Good websites constantly evolve, which means that budget will need to be put aside for the website each year. You will also need to allocate resource for services that link with the marketing department, like search engine optimisation (SEO) and online advertisement campaigns to drive traffic to your site.

When commissioning a WCM system, the marketing department will need to consider some important factors. Dave Chaffey (www.davechaffey.com), author of Emarketing Excellence, notes that some key features of a WCM system are often forgotten:

 “The capabilities of a WCM provider affects search engine optimisation capabilities. It is the WCM system that enables content editors to easily create unique page titles, page descriptions, sub-headings and in-inline links for each page. Some WCM systems don’t support rich media and you may find that media such as YouTube or webcasts are difficult to embed in the website. Also check with a provider that RSS feeds are available and that they aren’t too difficult to configure. Measurement is an important factor in monitoring marketing activity. Some WCM providers can limit the type of measurement that can take place, by making it hard to enter tracking scripts for web analytics.”

Legislative considerations

While issues such as data protection and freedom of information will apply to all, the demands of legislation will depend on industry sector. If the site will be used for financial transactions, due consideration must be given to appropriate security levels. You will, in any event, want a robust and secure WCM system that cannot be hacked. It must be resilient to penetration testing; many providers can test this for you.

Accessibility should be an important consideration for all organisations that have a web presence. Adhering to accessibility standards ensures that everyone can access and use the site, regardless of ability. Disabled people are among the heaviest users of technology and for them it's not a productivity tool, it's a quality of life tool.

Future proofing

Ensuiring your website’s survival and longevity demands your consideration. As part of the buying process, investigate the WCM commitment to product and solution support, research and development and future costs. Do they actively solicit feedback through user forums? If new technology is developed by the WCM partner, find out if your contract includes upgrades; these may come at a cost. Also keep in mind future developments of your website. You may want to add sub-sites and additional users. How much will this cost? Make sure you check for limitations in your package before you select your partner of choice as getting these decisions wrong can prove costly. 

A Web Content Management system is at the core of any successful website, and the choice of technology and provider will have lasting implications for your organisation’s online presence.

Check list

1.     Budget – amount and allocation

2.     Strategy – web requirement and agency decisions

3.     Brief  - for each agency or 1 brief for an end-to-end provider to include

4.     Design and user experience

5.     Technical

6.     Functionality

7.     Accessibility

8.     Agency appraisal guidelines

9.     Implementation

By Rob McCarthy

Managing Director

GOSS Interactive

www.gossinteractive.com