This is Part II of a 2-part series. In PART I: The Disadvantages (and Advantages) of a CMS (Content Management System), we primarily discussed the advantages of a CMS. In Part II, we will focus on the disadvantages.
As we discussed in Part I of this series, not many clients consider the possible disadvantages and compromises of using a CMS for site management, rather focusing on the main CMS benefit of ease of website updating. However, we have found a number of instances where a CMS is not an ideal solution to content management. That’s not to say that a complete lack of a CMS was the solution, but rather simply that a CMS is not a one-size-fits-all strategy.
Before discussing how to find that compromise, let’s cover the disadvantages of a CMS:
- Design Consistency Can Mean Dulled Down Designs – By forcing all pages in a site, or just certain sections of a site, to share a common design, this naturally reduces the design’s richness and possibility of unique pages throughout the site. This can lead bland designs because all pages across the site (or just a section) are virtually the exact same.
- Initial Investment Higher – In order to build a CMS, which is customized for a particular site’s needs, work is required. Not only does the CMS need to be built, requiring planning, execution and maintenance, but it also needs to have the original site content added, which can be a significant task when launching the site. This commonly makes initial investment higher versus simply building custom pages (especially for smaller sites).
- Customization Difficult – When unique web pages are required, it can be difficult to produce these unique pages without the assistance of a developer.
- Increased Resources Required to Run a CMS – A CMS takes more computing power than a static webpage and thus requires higher hosting costs due to the need for more processing power. This will typically require a higher level of support from the hosting company to ensure proper site management. Also, a CMS will require more maintenance than a static webpage as technologies change and software needs to be upgraded.
- Search Engine Optimization More Difficult – Some CMS have modules to address SEO, but due to the consistency supplied by a CMS, it naturally makes SEO more difficult as you are forced to work within the confines of the system rather than uniquely writing important tags manually.
In order to find the right level of compromise for a website (assuming the website changes over time), and there always is some level of compromise in any proper solution, all of the above advantages and disadvantages need to be considered. It’s important to identify #1, the budget for the site, not only considering initial investment, but also ongoing costs, #2, what are the capabilities of the person making update, and #3, the level of compromise you’re willing to make in regard to the website’s branding.
How important are aesthetics to the brand image of your website? This will go a long way in determining how much of your site should be CMS-driven. Frequently updating sections where unique designs aren’t necessarily important, such as News sections or Events sections, can typically be CMS-driven with little concern for the design limitations. However, sometimes a CMS can hold you back by mandating a certain layout and format even if you want a different one.
How important is SEO to your site? If you rely on search engines for the majority of your traffic, you better be sure that it is addressed in your CMS.
It’s important to realize that there really is not one answer. The goals of any website can be accomplished in any number of ways, but what’s important is that before you pick a path you have considered the potential compromises you’ve made that you could encounter down the road. While CMS are great for certain functions, there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
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