The decision to choose a content management system (CMS) for the development of a website is one that most site owners make these days. Virtually no one uses static web files to build a website any longer due to their poor scalability and lack of flexibility, which is why CMS have become such a popular alternative. However, the variety of CMS is enormous, ranging from high-end commercial systems costing thousands of dollars to the many open source systems available for absolutely nothing. Faced with this choice, many website owners struggle to justify the expense of the commercial system, but worry that the open source alternatives are in some way inferior. So which is best?
The truth is that both have their pros and cons; the decision to choose one over the other must depend on the requirements of the site owner and the purpose to which the site will be put. Consequently, there is no definite answer to which is ‘best’, but here are a couple of points you may want to consider before saying ‘yes’ to a web developer.
Updating
Having a bespoke CMS written for you usually means you are locked in with the company that developed it should anything need to be changed, even little things like changing an image, so it is important to think ahead before proceeding. An open-source content management system on the other hand usually allows you to complete the changes yourself, and if you encounter difficulties in doing so it is easy to get help from the hundreds of support forums available for each one. Open source CMS such as Joomla, WordPress, Drupal and CMS Made Simple have lively and well-supported communities full of helpful people — and their assistance is usually free!
Scalability
The biggest problem with static websites often occurs when you wish to extend the functionality of the site or add additional components to a page, and this can sometimes be difficult and expensive with bespoke systems. For example, you may wish to include a contact form on your site so that visitors can send enquiries without having to use email — normally a magnet for spam.
Open-source CMS have an enormous number of plug-ins available, many of them free, that make this process very fast and efficient. Most plug-ins can be securely updated as and when updates become available, often automatically. With a custom CMS however you will usually have to go back to the original web agency that built the site. You will normally have to complete a Change Order form with the agency that will then quote for the work and come back to you with a date and price for completion. This makes the process unnecessarily lengthy and is something many owners want to avoid.
Maintenance Contracts
A number of companies that develop websites with custom CMS will often try to get you to purchase maintenance contracts to cover routine updates. It is not uncommon for companies to fail to disclose FTP details to their clients, meaning that you are tied to them for any changes you want made. In a worst-case scenario, if you ever lose contact with them you may find it impossible to get another company to make changes to your website in the future, simply because they cannot gain access to the server. If you decide you want to leave the original agency it could cost you a lot more to start again with a new company who would probably rebuild the website from scratch, not to mention the loss of revenue while the site was down.
SEO
Websites built with WordPress, Drupal, CMSMS and Joomla all have a good reputation for being search engine friendly and have many free plug-ins available to fine tune each page. This, together with the option to control your own website, to add content to edit pages whenever you wish and to allow other members of your organisation to do the same is often the most compelling reason for website owners to choose the open source route.
