Lately I’ve noticed an increase in the number of clients looking for solutions that include CMS’s or content management systems. Having been responsible for content on a number of Web sites, most recently a large e-commerce site, I certainly appreciate the value of one. On the other hand, I also know the pitfalls of putting too much stake in a CMS.
Time
A CMS can make life much easier but it doesn’t do the work for you. You still need to invest the same time and effort in crafting your content. It will certainly allow you to do more, faster. Unfortunately, now you’ll be expected to make all the changes too!
Technology
If you hoped to eliminate reliance on a technology partner or IT department completely you may find that that won’t be the case. In my experience “off the shelf” systems always need some customization and custom systems always need new features. This isn’t because the solutions are inadequate. It’s because business constantly changes and your site must do so accordingly. Let’s face it - today’s needs will probably change tomorrow.
This being said, I would opt for a CMS every time. In fact, I wouldn’t build a site these days without one. Consider this, search engines can have a significant impact on traffic to your site and they feed on new fresh content. You need to be able to add and edit content. The flexibility and control afforded to the web manager by content management systems is worth any “bumps” you may encounter along the way.
Tags: cms, content management system
Hello, can you please post some more information on this topic? I would like to read more.