Do you "REALLY" need a CMS?

We are conditioned to always want the best whether it fits our needs or not. How can we go wrong, if it is more than we need to get the job done, obviously we will do a better job right?

If this was true every problem we have in our day to day lives could easily be solved by buying the most expensive solution or product. In reality it never quite works out this way. Having more than we need can lead to extra complication, waste and in the worst case achieving less than we set out to in the first place.

Content Management System ("CMS") is a very big part of the IT industry today. They are very popular given their ease of use and level of control that they can offer the User. It is by no means a silver bullet. In the majority of sales/product based sites it can create problems arising from lack of training, improper setup and misuse. The difficulties are often overlooked once we have been convinced we need a CMS, that without it our website will somehow be inferior.

The Jargon Problem

For those that do not work in the industry, jargon can become confusing. If you do not understand jargon or have a limited understanding, it can be very easy to be sold on a product/solution because of all the fancy words used. Worse still, you may become convinced you need something that is not relevant to your actual goals.

With CMS’s being the popular way to do things, it is very easy to throw around acronyms associated with it, names of products, names of large companies that use them and the potential benefits. Some of these can be very relevant points, but it comes back to being sold a product and not a solution which is designed for you and your Company. This is when you decide you want this product and lose sight of what you really need.

For example: When buying a car; you go to a dealer where you have found a car you want to purchase and sign the papers, when another Salesman comes out to tell you about the extras you can purchase with your car. Sure the rear spoiler may look great and you can see yourself wanting one, but are you really ever going to need it? The answer is likely to be no.

Apply this in a business sense. Does it make sense to make a decision to buy something extra because it "might do the job better", or does it make more sense to find the product/solution that really fits your business needs?

The idea is to stay focused on what you want and make sure the people you are employing to build your website are building you a solution for your needs, and not trying to sell you “rear spoilers”.

Updating the site yourself

Updating and maintaining the content on your own site sounds great in theory and depending on the purpose of the site and its functionality, it can be an integral part of your solution.

Most websites do not change that much over time, displaying the same information with minor alterations on a semi-regular basis. These small updates normally do not warrant the need to introduce the complexity of a CMS and invest time in learning how to use it properly to be able to update it yourself. The only downside to doing it yourself, it can lead to mistakes which could potentially introduce errors in to the website which will either break the display of the website or worst case scenario break the entire site itself.

A professional Web Developer can update your website on behalf of your Company, making changes and having your final product look professional and represent your Company in a better light.

Conclusion

A Content Management System ("CMS") can be very useful if setup correctly. Doing it the right way involves careful planning and to be as tolerant and as easy to use as possible, followed by training on basic layout techniques, a website style guide and the best way to enter data to maintain a constant professional look and feel on the website.

For most people a Content Management System ("CMS") is more than they really need. They can easily have a more cost effective and professional solution in a static environment with a Web Designer supporting their website on a month to month basis. For others having the ability to update the content yourself is a necessity.

Make sure you are not being sold something that you do not need or does not fit your requirements; more is not necessarily better.

If you feel that a Content Management Systems ("CMS") suits your business or have any queries, we are only too happy to help.