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Both commercial and open source (free, community supported) CMS (Content Management Systems) have been around for several years. However, over the past few years, they have really evolved, worked out a lot of their bugs, and are slowly beginning to dominate the web more and more. Website owners and developers alike frequently sing the praises of CMS since sites using these systems are often (but not always) easier for developers to build, can be less costly for the site owner, and also provide the opportunity for website owners to make their own updates or expand their sites with dynamic features themselves instead of having to hire a programmer to create them.

An accomplished programming associate of mine is currently only building sites for his clients using CMS because he believes so passionately in their value both for site owners and developers. I’m also very excited about what many of these systems can offer my clients and almost always discuss some CMS options during an initial website planning meeting. Currently, I would say that just under half of my clients’ sites are either on a CMS system of some sort or are in the process of having one incorporated into their site. However, as enthusiastic as I am about CMS, I am definitely not sold on the idea that using a CMS is the only way to build sites these days and have actually strongly discouraged some clients from having one.

Below are some reasons your site might NOT be a good candidate for a full CMS system:

1) Are you making updates to your site fewer than 4 times a year?
If so, depending on what your developer charges you for updates, the cost of a commercial CMS system may be more than just having your developer do infrequent updates for you. You also need to consider the cost of your time to learn the system you are using. Whether you choose a commercial or open source system, the learning curve on many can be steep. Additionally, although many CMS systems are SEF (search engine friendly), many don’t create very “clean” coding to run all of their features, which can sometimes make your site less SEF. So why risk weighing down your site with extra coding if you aren’t going to use it often enough to make it worth your while?

2) Are there only certain parts of the site that will be updated regularly?
I frequently find that some clients will be making very regular updates to their sites – however, only to certain pages or features. For example, two of my clients make regular updates, but only to the photogallery sections of their sites. The rest of their sites stay pretty static. So for them, it made much more sense to just install photogalleries they could update themselves instead of having their entire site run on a full CMS.

3) Do you have the manpower to continually keep your site updated?
If one of the first things a potential client asks me is, “How can I keep my site fresh and updated myself?” I immediately start talking about CMS with them because they (or someone on their staff) are likely to actually update their site regularly and also really play around with utilizing all the incredible dynamic features available in some of these systems. This group will also be more likely to monitor their site appropriately, as some CMS systems have security issues which can make it easier for the site to be hacked or spammed. You can install extensions to help control this, but many of these take monitoring too. If you have forums, blogs, or live chat areas these need moderated too. More often than not, I find that many small business owners are just too busy to learn and regularly use many full CMS systems, and they just end up being “overkill” for their site. So if you don’t have someone on your team with some time at least weekly to give your site some attention, these types of CMS systems may not be for you.

If you do decide to incorporate a CMS into your site, make sure you work with a professional to implement it – not your high school-aged nephew. I truly feel this is important and not a place where business owners should venture alone to try to save some money. Deciding whether or not to utilize a CMS system and which one to use, is not a decision that should be made lightly as many of these systems are tough to migrate into another system if you don’t like it. And, as easy as many of these systems are to add content to, getting them set up correctly, making them SEF and professionally developed in appearance and functionality still typically requires a professional’s touch to be done correctly. Professionals will work with you to help you compare and find a good CMS that will meet your needs and many will even allow you to complete portions of the work yourself if you’d like to save some money. So rely on their expertise on the start up and then take over from there if you want to cut some costs. Even though I am experienced using a variety of CMS systems, I still double check things frequently with experts who specialize with one system or another. I often compare the process of building a website in CMS to building a house: A lot of people building a home save some money by doing the “finishing work” and maintenance themselves or with friends’ or relatives’ help, but they still rely on professionals to lay the foundation and do the wiring to avoid substantial problems down the road.

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