Jonathan asked:
I’ve been working on this site from the ground up to up and running, the site uses mysql and I use phpMyAdmin to organize and update/edit all data, i have around 40000 rows of data in different categories and section at this time. occasionally, for a huge data update/addition, i will create an “insert form” to make it easier.
Now i’m considering giving my site an upgrade with web 2.0 social features, like profile, friends, internal messaging, tagging, etc. I plan to pay for a company to get it done, but they want me to consider using a CMS (joomla) and they will create the site from the ground up and migrate data into joomla.
i have never use any kind of CMS, all i have done are done in phpMyAdmin as far as database is concerned. Will joomla be able to be as flexible as phpMyAdmin? How about the SEO? is it a must for a growing-database site to have a CMS nowadays?
will i have to do SEO all over again if the site structure change dramatically? like files placement and keywords.
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So you’re using MySQL as a back-end. What’s the middle layer? PHP? You can’t directly go from MySQL and PHPMyAdmin to a web site without some sort of middle layer.
phpMyAdmin isn’t a programming language, it’s an interface to the MySQL database. You can certainly build magnificent data structures with it, but you aren’t really making web pages.
If you did use PHP or some other programming language to handle the transition from HTML to SQL and back, then you have just invented the CMS.
Here’s what the company is really telling you. You need a middle layer. The fastest way to get one is to use an established CMS like Joomla.
Joomla is exactly as flexible as phpMyAdmin, because phpMyAdmin is really an interface to MySQL, and so is Joomla.
Practically all data-driven web sites are CMS systems, because a database is not a web site. Something needs to put the HTML structure on the data, and that’s what a CMS does.
SEO is quite easy compared to data normalization. Once you get the data structure working pretty well, you shouldn’t have too much trouble with SEO. You’ll probably save much of the contents, so not that much will change from the user’s perspective.
The first poster is generally correct. But any change to a website – especially a major change like one you are talking about can affect SEO – especially if you are well established in the search engines.
It depends on the new setup. If it is completely different, URLs are different, you could have to give it a few months to get that back, unless the company you are considering has a plan to handle it, and handle it correctly. Might want to add this to your list of questions you will be asking.
You should definitely be careful about the SEO implications here. You will need to establish 301 re-directs if URL’s change so that you don’t lose all your backlinks.
But getting a CMS in place is probably a good idea, sooner or later, if you’re planning on continuing to grow the site. Personally, I prefer Drupal to Joomla, but either can provide a good foundation.