---
title: "What do i need to get a website created – pt 2."
date: 2010-01-04
author: "Courtney Robertson"
categories:
  - name: "Social Media"
    url: "/category/social.md"
tags:
  - name: "cms"
    url: "/tag/cms.md"
  - name: "content management system"
    url: "/tag/content-management-system.md"
  - name: "open source cms"
    url: "/tag/open-source-cms.md"
  - name: "open source content management system"
    url: "/tag/open-source-content-management-system.md"
  - name: "web design"
    url: "/tag/web-design.md"
  - name: "web development"
    url: "/tag/web-development.md"
  - name: "webhost"
    url: "/tag/webhost.md"
  - name: "website hosting"
    url: "/tag/website-hosting.md"
---

# What do i need to get a website created – pt 2.

We discussed in [Part 1](https://courtneyr.dev/2009/11/24/website-created-pt-1/ "What do I need to get a website created - part 1") the need to be clear about the content of your site. The next need to identify is what to build your site on.

## Website setup changes

Content management systems make creating, updating, and maintaining websites more user-friendly. Originally creating a website was a hard task. It required creating graphic design, cutting it apart like a jig-saw puzzle, then using software like [Frontpage](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002CNIR7G?ie=UTF8&tag=complalive-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002CNIR7G) or [Dreamweaver](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001EUDIZE?ie=UTF8&tag=complalive-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001EUDIZE) to make the html code, and then uploading all that to a web server. (Or, even further back: learning plain html code in a basic text editor – think: creating a website from Notepad). Then, if you wanted your site updated, often it required paying the web-designer an additional fee. Content management systems have changed this process. Now, if you can use a web-based email account, like [Gmail](http://gmail.com), and a web-based [calendar](http://calendar.google.com), you can update your own website.

## What are Content Management Systems?

Most Content Management Systems are open source. This means, they are free, and have a large community of programmers and developers that freely update and create improvements to the system. The advantage to using an open-source content management system compared to a private label service is in the numbers of people that you can contact for support, should you decide to leave your current provider.

## Why should I use a Content Management System (CMS)?

While it may still require hiring a web developer to install and set your site up, as well as a designer to create a custom look to your site, and maybe even a copywriter to help on the “static” pages, using a website content management system will make updating your site yourself, or having a specific person/department in your company do this work much more efficient.

## List of Open Source Content Management Systems (cms):

1. [Wordpress](http://wordpress.org) (originally created for blogging, but now functions to host an entire site)
2. Drupal (ideal for large scale websites with high functionality)
3. [Joomla](http://www.joomla.org/)

In the next post, we’ll review the advantages and disadvantages of each content management system, and ensuring your webhost can support your choice.