CONTENT MANAGEMENT BEST PRACTICES

Many content management systems force a proprietary content structure on the authors and editors. Umbraco is different in this aspect because deciding how to set up the structure is up to you as the owner of the system. This applies both to content as well as presentation, and is referred to as the template structure.

As you know by now, Umbraco is entirely web-based, which means that all you need is an active Internet connection and a (relatively) modern browser, and you're in business. As easy as that sounds, there are some high-level tasks you should consider before diving into creating your first website using Umbraco:

• Create a sitemap. In Chapter 3 you read about document types, the importance of organizing them, and the impact that this organization has on your content tree. Planning the structure of your content tree is equally important. From past experience, the author can recommend creating a visual hierarchy of the content before you right-click and create that first node. This can help you visualize the structure of your website, and creating the content will go that much smoother.
• Consider required media. The media tree is best organized to reflect the structure of your content. This is especially true when you are working in a multi-editor environment where restricted access and start nodes come into play.
• User-friendliness and readability of your content. As important as it is for you to have a nice backoffice environment in which to work, ensuring that the end result is usable and user friendly for the website visitor is even more important. The structure of the content you create in the backoffice should allow your visitor not only to read the content, but also to search engines and other indexers.