Why Use a CMS?

Why Use Content Management Systems?

We have identified the pros and cons of each of the options available to businesses choosing to redesign their websites.

At Rajah Web we believe that content management should come as standard with any website. The Internet is now a complicated and scary place to get involved in and development of websites are best left to experts. Search engines in the early days were unfortunately spammed easily and tricked into giving irrelevant search results. Over time search engines became wise to this and now there are over 100 factors which come into play when websites get ranked.

Content management systems (such as Drupal) are designed to be search engine friendly so that the end user doesn’t need to get involved in all of these complex issues and they are handled automatically.

Advantages of static websites.

* Generally cheaper to implement on a smaller scale as fewer pages are needed
* Good for smaller companies as there is no need for any management system; it is the responsibility of one person
* More flexibility is available as you are not restricted to any templated layout (although this can affect the usability of your website)

Disadvantages of static websites

* More expensive to maintain in the long term as any changes have to be made to pages individually
* Increased risk to business as the person with web skills could fall ill or leave, meaning that the website can no longer be maintained adequately
* Management is restricted to one machine. If changes need to be made then this is only possible where the editor tool is installed
* Website editors need significant training and skills to develop the website to modern day standards and practices. This is time consuming, expensive and ongoing.

Advantages of content management systems

* Short term and long term cost savings as website editors only need basic content editing skills and changes to the whole of the site can be made at the click of a button
* Your company image is maintained due to predefined styles and templates being used throughout. This means you won’t have purple flashing text on your site to damage your company image
* Work flow improvements and increased business security as more employees can get involved in the maintenance of the website. This means that the ‘experts’ in the subject area can add information to the website and admin users can control which information is added to the site
* Content management systems take years of man hours to develop properly. By using one, you get all of the expertise these developers have ‘in a box’ meaning you receive free use of their knowledge. Examples include cross browser compatibility to increase your audience reach and search engine optimization.

Disadvantages of content management systems

* For smaller companies a CMS might be too expensive or seen as unnecessary so the investment might not be justified
* As a CMS has to be hosted on an enterprise web server, hosting costs will generally cost more than static website hosting
* Bespoke development of the website may still require a developer or a development company

Contact us about setting up a Content Management System

Rajah Web has years of experience in content management delivery and static website design. Whatever your choice when redesigning your website, it is best to talk it through with a web designer before making a decision. You can request a quote for more information about both options and which would be better for your project.

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