08/22/2011
A common question we get from clients is: do I need a content management solution (CMS) to help manage my corporate website? As a rule of thumb, we suggest any website that will likely receive more than 4 updates per month, needs to be on some sort of CMS. However, it’s a little more complicated than just that. Let’s dive into the PROs and CONs of investing in a CMS for your corporate website.
First off, What IS a CMS?
As the name implies, a Content Management Solution (CMS) is a hosted software package that allows users to log into an administration page to make changes to the framework and the database using a [tooltip content="WYSIWYG stands for What You See Is What You Get" url="" ]WYSIWYG[/tooltip] editor to make systematic and changes to the website–without having to know a lick of code.
Specific CMS vary greatly, but the following PROs and CONs are the most common among the [tooltip content="The top 3 CMS are: WordPress, Drupal and Joomla." url="" ]top 3 free, open-source content management solutions[/tooltip] on the market today.
The PROs of a CMS
There are a lot of positives when looking at investing in a CMS instead of a more static website. However, with the added complexity a CMS brings, there are a few CONs to consider too. For now, here’s the good news.
Multiple User & Multiple Access Roles – Allow organizations to delegate website updating responsibilities across more departments and personnel. That means a more living & breathing website that stays up-to-date even when key members are on vacation (heaven forbid!).
Standardized Templates – create a high degree of style and function consistency.
[tooltip content="WYSIWYG stands for What You See Is What You Get" url="" ]WYSIWYG[/tooltip] Editors – Update, edit content in much the same way you would a Word document. No code necessary.
Automation – CMS tools add a lot of automation functionality to things like RSS feeds, news scheduling, reporting, sitemap updates and much more.
Expanded Functionality – Community-contributed ‘plug-ins’ or ‘modules’ make adding a new feature such as email subscriptions, social media sharing and more as easy as search & install.
Low TCO – In the long-run, a CMS has a very low total cost of ownership since you will no longer have to outsource or hire technical developers and outside vendors for everyday updates, changes, etc.
The CONs of a CMS
Larger Up-front Investment. Content Management Solutions are far more complex and therefore usually more expensive than the old-fashioned static sites. The trouble, however, is that without a CMS, you have to pay someone to make every change to the site. Eventually a costly thing if you’re making even just a few changes per month.
Database Dependance. Virtually ALL CMS rely on a hosted database. This is partly what gives them their power, but it does require a hosting account with databases and can slow the page load speed.
Chaos Theory. On a static website (CSS and HTML), errors or failures are usually contained to a page or two. On a CMS, however, a failure can be site-wide and take down the entire website–not just one page. It’s the law of complex systems.
Possible Complexity of additions. If you need a capability that doesn’t yet exits for your CMS, it may require custom programming that requires integration with the existing system. This could be very simple or it can get very complex. Also, with any integration you have to think about how it may complicate subsequent CMS upgrades.
The CMS Rule of Thumb
So there’s PROs and there’s CONs to upgrading your corporate website to a CMS. As a rule of thumb, JDM suggests looking at how likely you’ll be making more than 4 updates to the site per month. If so, go with a CMS. If it might be a change or two a year–go with the simpler static (HTML, CSS, etc.) site.
Confused? Contact JDM or comment your questions below.
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