How to Create a CMS Website
CMS stands for content management system, software that allows for quicker administration and authoring of websites. These systems are primarily designed to easily enable Web users who have little or no knowledge of Web programming to create and manage a website's content. There are several CMS options available, ranging from free open-source software to expensive, customized solutions for specific markets. Joomla is used in this tutorial, but the installation and set-up process is fairly similar for most content management systems.
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Things You'll Need
- Web hosting provider
- Domain name or sub-domain
- FTP software
- CMS software of your choice
Instructions
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Preparation
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Download your choice of CMS from its respective website (or mirror host). Joomla is a popular choice (see Resources).
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Extract all files onto your PC and into the directory of your choice. Do not modify the structure of any files or folders contained within your CMS.
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Obtain a Web hosting provider that meets the needs of your CMS. Try searching online for "YOUR CMS NAME hosting" to find a suitable, reliable host (substituting the name of the CMS you have decided on, for example: Joomla hosting).
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Download FTP software if necessary. FileZilla is a popular, free FTP application (see Resources).
Uploading Files
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Using your FTP software, connect to your FTP server (with information provided by your hosting provider).
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Navigate to the proper Home folder for your website's files (webroot,httpdocs,etc.). This is host/server-specific, so get the details from your hosting provider if you are unsure.
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Create a sub-folder (optional) if you do not intend to have the CMS as your website's main homepage (Ex: www.mysite.com/cms). If the CMS will be the main page of your site (for example: www.mysite.com), you are in the right folder already.
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Upload the CMS files that you extracted on your PC to the server in your desired folder. Do not copy the root CMS folder on your PC, however (you should be selecting multiple files/folders to upload, rather than just one folder that contains all of the files). This process may take awhile, depending on the number of files your CMS contains. You can set up your database while this process completes in the background.
Set Up Database
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Most content management systems utilize databases to store important information. Access your hosting provider's control panel and login to create one.
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Find and click on the "Create MySQL database" option (may be worded differently).
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Create a new database with an appropriate name (for example: mysite_cms).
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Create a new user (for example: mysite_admin) to access the database, and be sure to give the user database privileges (process varies by host).
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Record your important database information, as you will need it later (DB host, DB name, DB user and password).
Finalize Installation
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After all files are uploaded to your server via FTP, access your website's domain (or installation folder, depending on CMS) through a Web browser.
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Follow the on-screen instructions, inputting all necessary information and database details when prompted.
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When this process is complete, delete the installation folder on your server (through the FTP software).
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You should now be able to see a pre-designed CMS website when visiting your domain (for example: www.mysite.com). Login to make necessary changes and updates by visiting the administrator URL of your CMS (for example, www.mysite.com/administrator/).
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Add your own content (pages, articles, images, etc.).
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Tips & Warnings
Most content management systems utilize MySQL for the database, so make sure your host supports MySQL. PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor, a Web scripting language) is also a good feature to look for as many content management systems are built upon PHP.
Considering the number of files to be uploaded from your PC to your server for the CMS, you may need to complete the process more than once to make sure all files are uploaded properly. FileZilla does a good job of notifying your of any failed transfers.
References
Resources
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