Google Friendly Content Management

Of course if you're reading this newsletter you're seeing the results of our efforts. I hope you like it! What you can't see it what's happening behind-the-scenes. Alas, I hope I don't frighten you off by letting you know what's happening.

Before I get to the "scary" stuff I'll give you an idea of how we maintain the site using the NewfangledCMS. Of course every page is managed through its simple interface. I can continue to change copy, upload new images, add newsletters, testimonials, case studies and the like. We also built our site in such a way that I can dynamically associate testimonials with any page. I can assign testimonials to each page by simply selecting which ones I want from a pop up list. They are then displayed on in the right hand column of the page. If I were to update a testimonial, it would automatically be updated everywhere it appears. I can also add miscellaneous captions or links in the right hand column by entering content into the "side bar" tab in NewfangledCMS editing screen. This gives me flexibility to call attention to examples of components, case studies, or related content throughout the site.

We went live with our new site at the end of October 2003. I've already made significant changes to content. Additionally, I've added significant features and new components. The template/database-driven approach of the NewfangledCMS makes such site wide changes quick and easy since it's much simpler to adjust a template than it is to modify lots of hard coded HTML files.


Let's start with the email newsletter system. If you're reading this newsletter, it's possible you got here through the email newsletter we send out once a month. The NewfangledCMS allows me to simply enter the title, introductory paragraph, and any "what's new" items and it sends out a formatted email to my list of subscribers. The NewfangledCMS email newsletter application can handle website subscriptions and unsubscribe features.

What's so scary about that? The email newsletter system itself is harmless. It's the advanced tracking system that's so cool, yet scary. If you are one of my subscribers and you clicked on the email to get here (please don't stop reading my newsletters!), I was instantly alerted that you clicked the email. I'm also, right now, tracking the pages you're looking at, if you click over to the "How much is a website" page (click it - if you dare Ah ha ha ha ha ha… sorry about that), I'll see it. If you come back tomorrow and read an older newsletter, I'll know about it. Those of you who spend the most time on our site and look at the most pages, you go right to the top of my most active sessions report. I can tell what you all, as a group of newsletter respondents, are most interested in, by reviewing my most viewed pages report. I told you this was risky. I entirely expect to see a drop off in next month of newsletter respondents. I sincerely hope, however, that rather than being scared off, you'll want to have this capability yourself!

This tracking system can be used for more than email newsletters. It also has an alias builder so that you can create unique URLs that can be redirected to any site page and initiate a tracking session. This is useful for banner ads or other link placement strategies. The only difference in the kind of data you can track from alias session verses email sessions, is that you will not know the identity of the users. Unless, of course, these users later identify themselves by filling out any site form like a contact us form or newsletter subscription. When that happens, all of that users past and future site usage will be associated with their email address in your session report.