| Traditional Websites only work if you are prepared to | | | | Traditionally Content Management Systems have |
| throw money at them. Lots of money. Continuously. | | | | been seen as very SEO unfriendly. In the case of |
| This is because your website only works if people see | | | | Joomla! that is no longer the case for a number of |
| it. You need traffic. This comes either from paid | | | | reasons. |
| advertising or a strong SEO strategy or both. A key | | | | 1. Open Source projects like Joomla! have an army of |
| part of SEO is having new content added to your site | | | | supporters constantly developing the core system as |
| on a regular basis. The cost of paying web developers | | | | well as extentions that can improve the system. One |
| to update your content is prohibitive and inefficient. It is | | | | of the areas where Joomla! at least has seen huge |
| a duplication of effort because you have to write it | | | | advancements is in the SEO tools available to users. |
| first anyway. | | | | And like Joomla! Many of these tools are free. |
| This is where Content Management Systems come | | | | 2. Joomla Template designers are now producing |
| into their own. | | | | templates that are more and more search engine |
| * You can make changes to your website content | | | | friendly. The number and quality of template designers |
| any time and with no technical skills at all. Better still, | | | | around the world continues to rise and they compete |
| you can authorise any one of your employees to do it | | | | intensely to have their product at the leading edge of |
| for you. | | | | technology and usability. |
| * You can update your website from anywhere in the | | | | 3. Blogs. Like CMS, many blogs have dynamically |
| world. | | | | generated pages which search engines have |
| * You can update your website any time, from | | | | traditionally disliked. But the popularity of blogs seams |
| anywhere AT NO COST. | | | | to have lead search engines to develop much better |
| * You can change the keywords in your site metatags | | | | ways of handling dynamic pages. |
| as easily as changing the content - (If that last one | | | | One of the key advantages offered by Open Source |
| was a bit too technical just take my word for it - it is a | | | | CMS's like Joomla! is that anyone can quickly learn to |
| very good thing.) | | | | develop a website. That's all very well if you have the |
| Imagine you are sitting in an airport lounge late one | | | | time to learn. For most businesses it makes more |
| Friday afternoon. You have just had a very positive | | | | sense to pay a professional to develop the initial site, |
| business meeting with a client who has given you the | | | | but you should always make sure the developer gives |
| best testimonial you have ever heard. You have 20 | | | | you sufficient training and access permissions so that |
| minutes to boarding time. You fire up your notebook, | | | | you can take control of your content once the initial |
| log onto your website and paste the testimonial into | | | | project is completed. |
| the front page and click PUBLISH. Now you have a | | | | Remember: |
| problem. What are you going to do with the remaining | | | | * Most Computer Programmers know zip about |
| 15 minutes until you board the plane? | | | | marketing * No-one knows your business like you do * |
| With a traditional website you would have sent an | | | | Your website is POTENTIALLY the most influential |
| email to your web development company asking for a | | | | and profitable marketing document your company |
| quote to upgrade the front page, waited until Monday | | | | owns |
| to get the quote, sent off an approval including detailed | | | | You can't afford to risk leaving control of your website |
| instructions on what you want done. Then you wait. | | | | content in the hands of a programmer. Let them do |
| And wait. And....no, actually you probably wouldn't have | | | | the technical stuff - you control the content. |
| even bothered because it was just too much hassle. | | | | |