CMS based websites
Before I start I just want to say I have nothing against CMS website or WordPress. There is a place for these things and they are well needed elements to the web world and website management. But for smaller businesses or low tech staffed businesses forget.
Now let me tell you why most CMS is no good for most clients
If they are struggling to use the html settings in their email they are going to drown trying to create or change a basic web page. Lord knows a 3 or 4 column responsive page will literally blow up as soon as they touch it. Even Junior programmers struggle with responsive design. Why we expect the complete novice tech / Builder to jump on once every three months and create/edit a professional page blows my mind.
Here is why I really think its no good
Business owners are busy! They don’t have time to sit down and struggle away trying to change some text and get it right alined for 2+ hours.
The other thing is we are called Website professionals for a reason, it’s not easy. I don’t go to my local tire guy and load the car up with tires and say I want to manage my tire changing myself now. I don’t to be tied down to have to use someone else to change them, cause ya know extra costs and all. Next minute my wife’s car is in a ditch.
Good website development is not that easy. Making some type of website is easy, but making one that looks and functions right is not. Pulling your teeth our is easy, but continuing to live afterwards not so easy. Thats why we have dentists.
Some website professionals specialise in building only within CMS environments like WordPress and Joomola. They don’t do that because it is a piece of cake and anyone can do it. They do it because its hard and they can make a good living doing it.
Its just not that easy.
I always give my clients a bit of a hard time about doing CMS
Heres why. For me a pure coder, it is faster and more flexible to create something from scratch. Trying to shove the square peg of our original design into the round whole of something like WordPress is a pain and it takes longer, so more cost is envolved for the client. For something they may never use.
There are real world security issues around site with CMS systems, such as WordPress. If someone breaks the password or finds an exploit (because you never go in and update it because its to hard) they are into your site doing god knows what. So there is more setup cost here too.
The last one is long term, if the client doesn’t use the CMS that means we have to as the development company. That means extra cost for the client as there are constant updates and the framework isn’t flexible so coding often needs a work around. Where if it was say flat html or php a sizable change can take only 10-20 minutes.
So my word of warning
Before you go and spend extra money because you think you can just quickly pickup using CMS or the guy from the other place who only builds CMS said ‘…it’s easy we can teach you..’ how about you have a play in a CMS environment first. See if you can make a nice page, see what it takes don’t take my word or someone elses do it for yourself. There are plenty of sites online which offer trail CMS environments to play in. Be honest with yourself to, don’t just write one sentence and declear victory. Do it like it was real, your flatout and you have a spare hour to make some changes and add that extra new page, then add it to the menu. They don’t offer University course in CMS because it easy.
Clients and CMS in my experience
I have been doing this a while. In my experience most clients who still proceed with using a CMS system never use it. They jump in there in the first couple days, then we get a support email or call…ahhh I broke something I can’t fix it can you help…’ and thats the end of it. The passion goes and the website just sits.
whats the alternative
Go with a company big enough to have it’s own update service. We have one, we use our junior developers and the rates are cheaper than full blown development jobs. For the cost it’s hardly worth thinking twice about. The site always looks perfect and the works done in a timely fashion.
