In order to supply content to the average website, experienced web designers need to code it from the ground up and test to see if it is working. With the exception of site creation wizards, just about all of the standard websites require manual editing for content to be added. Even if a template is used to make things easier, you still need to fill it with content and that means more coding or using a webpage editor.

Not everyone knows how to do this even if the one wanting to host the website has the necessary webpage creation tools installed in their computer. Hiring a professional or web design company is the only option, but that costs money and whenever updates are needed, they need to be contacted again unless a content management system is used instead. A content management system (CMS) provides an interface for users who do not know how to edit websites to add, remove, and edit content in their website easily.

The Existence of Drupal

This is where Drupal comes into the picture because Drupal is one of the earliest content management systems available for free. Because custom content management systems can take time to develop, Drupal gained a lot of attention in the web community and evolved into one of the most reliable packages out there. It is written in PHP so it can be used in different platforms for easy deployment.

The Main Features of Drupal

In addition to the standard features of an ordinary CMS, Drupal has its own registration system where users can have their own individual user accounts that the administrator can manage. Similar to a forum, administrators of a Drupal powered site can give special privileges to users such as access to areas that are not viewable by public. RSS feeds are supported as well making it ideal for setting it a news portal or blogging site. There are some forum capabilities as well so there is no need to install a separate forum solution. All of these elements can be set up without any knowledge in programming or web design.

Drupal’s default layout is nice, but the different themes that are offered in the Drupal site can also be used to give any site some taste. There are also a number of modules that can be hooked on to Drupal to add new features for special purposes.

The System Requirements of Drupal

Because Drupal is written in PHP, your webhost must have at least PHP version 4.3.5 although version 5.2 is recommended. The latest version – Drupal 6 requires MySQL 4.1 or greater and Apache web server 1.3 or Microsoft IIS 5 or 6 must be present.

If your host meets those requirements, you should be able to install Drupal on any webhost by following the instructions on their website.

This guide is made to make things a bit easier so you have a single reference to look to. It also highlights an easier method if your host supports it.

The Easy Method

Some web hosting providers like Media Temple and HostUpon have what is called a “One Click Install”. As the name implies, all it takes is a single click to install the entire Drupal website so you can proceed in adding content to your site and setting it up for public launch. This means that you don’t have to do any steps like downloading Drupal, setting up an FTP account to upload the files, creating a MySQL database, and going through the wizard.

While this is a great method for people that want to rush a Drupal site, there are a few things that you should know before choosing this option. First of all, check the version of the Drupal that is offered on your web host and then head to Drupal’s homepage – http://drupal.org and see if the version matches. If there is a minor difference in the version number, see the change log and check if the update is critical. If it is, download the latest version instead and use the standard method because the one click install version may not be upgradable. Contact your host to make sure because they might consider updating their one click install to the latest version so you can install it immediately.

Some one click install methods disallow the editing of any files so installing new templates and extensions may not be possible. On the upside, the one click install may have a large selection of different templates that you can use so you don’t have to look anywhere else. There is also no risk in doing this method and if ever you aren’t satisfied with the limitations, you can easily uninstall Drupal and try the regular method.

The Regular Method

Installing Drupal the ordinary way should work on any host as long as the server requirements are met. Check any of the support, FAQ, or help pages for information regarding your server statistics. Then see if it meets the requirements provided below:

• Apache 1.3/2.x or Microsoft IIS 5/6

• PHP 4.3.5 and above (not supported for Drupal 7) or PHP 5.2 and above

• MySQL 4.1 (not supported for Drupal 7) and above or MySQL 5.0

For better chances of a smoother installation, check your php.ini file and make sure that the register_globals value is set to off and the safe_mode value set to off as well. Also, make an empty MySQL table because that will be used in installation too.

Once you are certain that your host supports Drupal, download the latest version at Drupal’s download page if you haven’t done so yet and then extract the files to a temporary folder (preferably your desktop) using a compression software like WinZip or WinRAR. Before you upload the files to your host, go to the “sites” folder inside the folder where you extracted the Drupal package and then open the “default” folder. You should see a file named “default.settings.php”. Make a duplicate of that file (copy/paste on the same location) and then rename the file to “settings.php” This file will be read during installation. If you miss this step, you should be reminded to do it anyway.

After that, upload all the files via FTP to your root folder if you planning to set up a portal or any other folder if you have a different homepage set. Then simply enter the address of your Drupal installation and you should see the install wizard.

If you did all the preparation steps, you should be able to go through the wizard easily and proceed to setting up your content. If you still have problems, there are a ton of resources located at Drupal’s help page at http://drupal.org/getting-started/install.

This is okay especially if the freelancer or company has a huge reputation in building quality websites that suit your needs, but when your website needs updates to keep your visitors informed, you will need to rely on them once again and that means more money spent. To solve this problem, more experienced freelancers and web design companies set up CMS or Content Management Systems so that after everything is all set up, users can control and update varies areas of the site without the need of web designing knowledge. CMS is basically a web interface that makes adding and removing site content much easier. Some content management systems are created from scratch and are more expensive if you ask for a custom CMS while others use free open source alternatives like Joomla.

Joomla is based on another open source content management system called Mambo. Since it hasn’t been updated in the past year, Joomla continues to dominate as one of the leading free content management systems available primarily because of its ease of use and installation. It has won several awards including the Packt Publishing Open Source Content Management System Award for two consecutive years.

Joomla! Features
Joomla gives the freedom of users to place all kinds of different content on their website including ordinary text for articles, photos for galleries, music and videos for sharing, and other documents and downloadables. On its own, it can be used to create full community portals that are very informative to users. All of the content can be updated by people who have access to the administrator’s account.

Joomla also has a templating system that allows different themes that are shared by the Joomla community and developers to be used to add uniqueness to the website or to match it with any logos that are used to make things match more. Advanced web designers may customize the template to their liking, but with so many free Joomla templates available, first time users should have no trouble finding a perfect layout and theme for anything that they are setting up on Joomla.

Through the use of extensions, additional functionality is provided allowing webmasters to use for E-commerce purposes or any other functions that are needed for small businesses and communities to operate fully online. Many extensions can be found on the Joomla website and should open all kinds of different possibilities in designing a feature-rich website.

Joomla! Requirements
Joomla is powered by PHP and the content utilizes MySQL databases for storage so your host must have PHP version 4.2 or above and MySQL 3.23 or above. Apache 1.3 or greater is also required for Joomla to function correctly. Be sure to check your host’s cPanel because it might have Joomla available as a one-click installation.

Joomla is an excellent cost-saving option in making a fully functional website. If you study the documentation enough, you can independently set up your own website and template independently.

One Click Installations
If you are already have your own paid hosting account, the first thing to do is to see if your cPanel has an area where you can install easily certain web applications without downloading them from their websites and uploading them to your host. These are called “One Click Installations” because after you select the desired application, the script should set up your package instantly. Many of the popular hosting providers have one click installations of blogs, forum solutions, and Joomla as well.

This is the easiest method to get Joomla hosted and you shouldn’t run into any problems because the one click installation integrates directly with the host. There are a few limitations with this method however depending on your hosting provider. First of all you should check the version of the Joomla that is offered by your host and compare it with the version found at Joomla’s website – http://www.joomla.com.

Even if the version is slightly lower, your Joomla may not be fully secure and may be subjected to attacks if your site becomes popular. It is okay to proceed with the installation if the host allows you to upgrade your installation from there. Often times the Joomla hosting company doesn’t allow so you should try the standard method to ensure you have the latest Joomla version.

Some one click installations include many templates to choose from so you don’t have to go to other sites to find the template that you need for your site. One possible limitation is that you may be restricted with these templates alone. If you have a custom template that you wish to use, consider the regular installation method. Once again, this depends on your hosting provider so try to experiment.

Web Browser Installation
If you cannot or chose not to use the one click installation, you can still install Joomla rather easily from your web browser. Before you make any moves, make sure that your hosting provider meets the requirements listed below:

• PHP version 4.3.10 or greater (but not PHP 4.4.2 or 5.0.4)

• MySQL version 3.23 or greater (but not MySQL 6.x)

• Apache 1.3 or greater

If you cannot see the system specs, you can proceed with the installation anyway as Joomla will alert you if there are problems with your host’s software.

Once you see that your host meets the requirements, obtain the latest Joomla version from their website and extract the contents to folder. You can give the folder any name you like as it will most likely be uploaded to your root directory. Open the new folder that you extracted the files in and use your favorite FTP client in uploading the files to your host. Contact your host provider or read their documentation to find out more about FTP access. If you want to access the CMS from your domain, upload the files directly to the root directory and wait for all the files to transfer. After you transferred all the files, you should be able to access the web installation by entering your domain name.

Now all you need to do is go through the 6 steps laid out in Joomla’s easy installation wizard. Follow the simple instructions on the screen. If you bump into any errors, there should be details on what you can do to fix them. After the installation is finished you should be all set. Let Joomla guide you the rest of the way.

Joomla! Resources
If you still have problems installing Joomla, visit the “Installation Manual” section at http://help.joomla.org. There you can find documentations on the different methods in installing Joomla including the manual method which is more complicated and should only be used if there are rare problems in the web browser installation.

Joomla should be a breeze to install and there is an entire community to help you out in case you have problems. Feel free to experiment and enjoy one of the best content management systems out there.

Today it is a common practice for businesses to demand websites that can be updated in-house without specialist technical skills. Businesses today understand the importance of content on a website and its impact on search engine ranking. Businesses require complete control over the content on their website and require a system that will allow them to make regular updates. Joomla allows web design companies to meet this challenge by providing powerful content management capabilities to websites.

Joomla provides a competitive advantage
By offering customers websites built with Joomla, a Web design company can gain a competitive advantage over its competitors. Joomla enables a web design company to design websites that are rich with many powerful features which in turn allows businesses to add value to their web presence.

Cost effective and scalable
Joomla has become popular with web design companies all over the world who are using Joomla to design powerful yet easy to use websites for businesses small or large. Joomla enables web designers to provide customers with a powerful and cost effective solution which is easily scalable to future enhancements.

Web designers can use Joomla equally effectively for smaller businesses who have limited budgets. Web designers can use Joomla to develop powerful dynamic websites in a cost effective manner. Web designers are able to develop dynamic websites that would have otherwise been out of reach for smaller due to high cost of development.

Open Source
Joomla is free open source software. Open source software provides web designers and software developers with complete flexibility to modify and enhance the system to suit specific requirements of a business. It does not limited designers and developer in any way who have full control over the code.

Joomla is Easy to use
Joomla is easy to understand and use. Unlike many other web and software applications, Joomla is easy to install and use. It can be hosted easily on most web hosting infrastructure. Web designers without knowledge of programming are also able to use Joomla with ease.

Joomla has an established community on the Internet
Joomla has a large established community on the internet. Information and tutorials are easy to find and there are many specialist blogs and forums that cater to the Joomla web design and development community. Resources are easy to find and access on the internet. The wide availability of a large selection of free add-on modules and components for Joomla further offers the opportunity to include many new features. A web designer can save time by using add-on modules and components to offer new powerful features on websites.

The time saved can be used to focus on other important issues that would have otherwise been overlooked. With practice Joomla can significantly reduce the development time of a project.

Joomla has been developed by experienced web designers and programmers who have already addressed most important factors into the software. Vital security and design issues have also been addressed and incorporated.

Training and resources are easily available
There are many tutorials and developer documentation freely available for use online. Web design companies find it easy to train their team in Joomla with the help of such readily available resources. There are many active Forums and Blogs specific to Joomla where technical queries can be posted and a quick response or support is usually available free of charge