Control Panels, Site Builders and Scripts…Which Ones Are Best?

Posted on March 1, 2008
Filed Under Scripts, Control Panel, Site Builder, Resources, wordpress, web hosting, web hosting company, web site, web host |

In response to some inquiries I’ve received through comments and emails, I’ve decided to write a bit about which primary content management you need from your web host, in order to make building and maintaining your websites as easy as possible.

Control Panel - This can actually refer to three slightly different things. The first is software to access and manage a single website at a time, and many Linux based servers use a version of cPanel for this. cPanel is a a proprietary software interface that allows you to set up databases, activate scripts, add sub-domains and perform a whole set of functions related to your website, all from an one page, in a relatively easy to use graphic interface. The second thing it may refer to, if you have a multiple domain package, is your Web Host Manager (WHM). This is a separate graphic interface, in a separate location with different login and password details, that allows you to manage multiple websites with separate domains, and add, delete, upgrade or downgrade domains. The third thing it can refer to are various other custom versions of software designed to perform these same functions, and some perform both functions from one integrated graphic user interface. If you are reselling hosting, and need separate control over your WHM to set up new accounts, then one of the combination packages, with separate site control panels, and an isolated WHM is obviously necessary. But, to make matters simpler and easier for a website owner who is hosting multiple domains of their own under one account, I’ve found the one of the custom control panels that combine both functions in one place is much easier to use.

Site Builders - There are basically four ways to build your website, and several of these can also be integrated and utilized to build one website. We won’t get into all of that here, except to say that your web host should both allow and support all four ways. Here are your options;

1. Build your website off-line using basic html, code everything by hand, and upload the finished pages to your website. This is probably the most difficult way for beginners, since you have to learn the basic html coding language and structure.
2. Build your site off-line using What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) software, and upload the finished pages. This type of software basically lets you cut, paste and type your info, graphics and pictures, and add special features, in an easy to use interface that shows you what your page will look like as you build it. Some give you templates that you can use and modify, to help you get started.
3. Build your website online, using some form of blogging or content management system (CMS) software. This can be a blogging platform like WordPress or Movable Type, or CMS software like Joomla or Mambo.
4. Build your site online using an online website builder, like Site Builder. This usually gives you templates to use, and an online WYSIWYG generator, and you don’t have to upload the pages after they are built. Most also set up and test your linking structure for you.

The fact is, none of these methods is the best way, and there are many good versions of the software used for each available. You may also need to code some html into your pages, no matter what WYSIWYG generator you use, and most give you that option. You might also want to build a website using regular static pages built with WYSIWYG and html, and then add a separate blog. In which case, you’ll use at least three of these methods, before you’re done.

My personal recommendation for a beginner would be to use a free online WYSIWYG generator (hopefully provided by your hosting company) and/or Wordpress to start, and learn just as much html as you need to complete the site. The problem with using an online WYSIWYG generator is that they are not very flexible, they create code that  can cause problems with your other site structure, and they are not any easier to learn to use than a good off-line program.  I’d only consider that option if I was building a small personal or “brochure” web site.  Using an off-line WYSIWYG generator would be my next option, and my first choice to build a large business or e-commerce web site.

Unfortunately, the only really cheap off-line WYSIWYG software I found to be easy and useful isn’t being sold, at the moment. However, if you want to find a good one at a reasonable price, check out the resources page. There are two listed there that I’ve found to be easy to use and both are excellent choices.  Obviously, the more expensive one has more features, but the less expensive one is easier to learn to use.  There’s also a link there for a free FTP program to use to upload your finished pages. Using a content management system like Joomla or Mambo would be my next choice for a beginner. Although these are great options for both functionality and flexibility, the learning curve to use them well can be bit steep. Check out the resources for a good inexpensive source of information on using Joomla. If you decide to go that route, its an essential guide to making Joomla easy to use. If you have a lot of time to spend, and really want to get into the basics of building a website, then learning how to code html would be my choice, but it is the most difficult and time consuming option for most beginners, who are usually just trying to get a website up and running.

Script Library - Your web host should definitely offer you a library of scripts to help you install blogs, galleries, forums, shopping carts, and other script functions quickly and easily. You can install these by hand yourself, and unfortunately many script packages don’t include the most up to date versions of many scripts, but installing them from scratch can be difficult and time consuming. You will need to update them by hand, if you want the latest, most secure version, but you can leave that until you gain more confidence and experience, and have more time to spend on updating your completed website. Some web hosts have their own “custom” package, but the two most used packages are Fantastico and Elefante (phpScripts). Although Fantastico has a few extra scripts, compared to Elefante (like 3 choices for a shopping cart, instead of two), they are pretty much comparable. Both give you all of the scripts you’ll need for almost any function you might want to add to your site, and include several options for most functions. Unless you know that one or the other has a particular script that you want to use, and the other one doesn’t, then either one is a good choice. if its only a matter of one script, you can always install it yourself, or ask that your web host install it for you. Some will add it for free, if the demand is high, but most will charge you a small fee to do the installation. Most web hosts will use either Elefante or Fantastico, and you can see a list of available scripts on their web sites. Wikipedia also has articles on both, and a list of scripts that were available when the wiki was last updated.

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