When you plan on building or extending the functionality of your website, you face many choices. Among the most important dilemmas is whether to use a content management system or run the site without one.
First, let’s clear up the question what is CMS? It’s the software that allows to manage your website content easily with no coding skills. It means, you can control your own website, publish and edit the content with no need for help from a web developer (in case of some complex changes, nevertheless, it is needed).
Creating a wish list and site specifications will help you decide if a CMS is the best option. Following are the points to consider before making up your mind.
Are you planning on adding new content to your website more than once a month?
The site which is frequently updated is called dynamic. On the contrary, the site which is changed only once in a while is static.
CMS is a good choice for websites that often get new content added. You’ll need only a web browser, a text editor and a photo editor to handle things.
For a static website, every page needs to be created on the local computer and then uploaded to the web server via FTP software, which is a much more complex task.
Would you like to run a blog on the website?
Many CMSs provide lots of useful options for blogging and receiving feedback from readers (i.e. comments,trackbacks etc). Adding new posts is simple 4 step procedure: login to the admin, choose the option “New Post” from the menu – paste the text (you can edit it via HTML or visual editor) – publish.
With static websites, the process will not be so straightforward and quick.
Is SEO important for your site?
If you’re creating a business website or promoting your blog, search engine rankings should be taken care of first place.
CMSs vary in terms of SEO-friendliness, but generally they make search engine optimisation easier. You don’t have to write descriptions, keywords and title in HTML, but just include them in the corresponding fields in the backend.
What is more, a CMS-based websites get indexed faster than those run with no CMS (WordPress is one of Google’s favourites and most SEO friendly).
How much technical knowledge do you possess?
For technically savvy users, dealing with HTML and CSS would not be problematic. However, if you are a user with basic computer skills and not willing to put much time into learning, you’ll be better off using a CMS.
Certainly, with no HTML knowledge, you won’t be able to change the looks of your website or implement serious developments, but mastering the basics will be enough to edit and update the content.
In case with the static HTML website, every change will have to be done by a web developer, which may prove to be rather costly.
So, does your Website Need a Content Management System?
Obviously, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to the question in the title. Everything depends on your site needs. What should be made clear – CMS is not necessary for absolutely every website. However, it may make managing the website easier and more effective.
P.S. If you’ve made up your mind to convert your static HTML site to a WordPress, or import data from HTML to Joomla, Drupal or other CMS platform, you can do it automatedly using aisite online service. You’ll avoid all the hassles of manual migration and have your site ready to in no time.
So, start with the free Demo migration to see that your site conversion can be a snap. Ease up your life!
