When ordering a site, people almost always say, “I want to change everything myself.” That is an understandable wish, but behind it is a question worth answering honestly: what exactly will you change, and how often? The answer decides whether you need an admin panel, what it should be like, and what the site will cost.
Below is how to tell whether you need one, and what to do so it actually helps rather than intimidates.
What you will actually update
Make a list of what changes on the site in the normal life of the business:
- Prices and availability of products or services
- News, offers, blog posts
- Portfolio work and reviews
- Schedule, contacts, opening hours
- Main page copy, which usually changes rarely
If only the contacts change a couple of times a year, an admin panel may be unnecessary. If you post news every week, going without one will be awkward.
When edits through a developer are enough
For a landing page or a small site whose content barely changes, it is simpler and cheaper to agree on small edits as part of support. A site without an admin panel is faster, has fewer vulnerabilities, and has less that needs updating. More on support in the note on support after launch.
What a convenient admin panel looks like
- It contains only what you actually change, without extra settings around it
- Fields are labeled clearly and hint at the right text length or image size
- Images are compressed automatically on upload
- You can preview a page before publishing
- It is comfortable on a phone if you update the site on the go
Ask for a demo of the admin panel at acceptance and try adding a news item or changing a price yourself. More on this in the note on accepting a site.
Access rights and safety nets
If several people update the site, each should have their own login and their own rights. A person who posts news does not need access to settings and design. It is good when the system keeps previous versions of pages and lets you roll back changes if something goes wrong.
What it costs
An admin panel is a separate piece of work: it has to be designed, built, tested, and updated. The more precisely you describe what you will change, the more accurate the quote and the less you pay for extras. How to read such a quote is covered in the note on what a website quote is made of.
If you are unsure whether you need an admin panel, tell us what you want to change and how often, through the contact form. We will suggest the simplest option.