The world of CMS has been growing tremendously in the past couple of decades, more so since the launch of open source CMS frameworks like WordPress, Joomla and Drupal. What was once the expertise of few IT companies became abundant and free and led to the explosion in the web development market.
Companies nowadays have an easy way to create dynamic websites, add content and graphics and do revisions and editing at will. CMS simplifies the content management process and offers a framework for keeping everything well organized. Not only this, it also streamlines collaboration among staff members so that everyone can be on the same page from different locations.
Over the years, there have been a lot of misconceptions about CMS in general and individual CMS frameworks in particular. Here are 7 of the most common CMS myths that need to be dispelled right now.
Myth #1: You Can Make Text Updates In A CMS
Majority of people believe that using CMS, they can only make text updates. However, this couldn’t be far from the truth, since most of the platforms allow you to update almost any part of the website including text, images, videos, page layout, menu items, sidebar widgets, etc. Any good CMS offers lot of flexibility in terms of what you can add or edit which means you can create media rich textual content to reach to the wide audiences without any hassle.
Myth #2: Open Source CMS Systems Are Easier To Use Than Proprietary Systems
One of the worst myths is the notion that everything open source is free and easy. Just because the source code of a system is available to everyone doesn’t make it easy to use. There are hundreds of open source CMS systems and there are even more proprietary systems. They all have their strengths and weaknesses and have their own level of complexity. Some are easy, some are not. For example Drupal, even though an open source and popular CMS, is quite complex in its structure and difficult to use.
Myth #3: A CMS Needs Extensive Maintenance
Maintenance of a CMS is rather simple because of its flexible features and functionalities if you choose the right CMS for your organization. Any good content management system reduces task redundancy, tasks that are laborious and tedious are completed with a much greater level of efficiency and accuracy.
Myth #4: There Are Security Threats Involved in CMS
Security threat is a real problem for any online system that stores data, not just CMS. Content management systems like WordPress get a bad name for security attacks simply because of the sheer number of websites powered by WordPress. With more number, the chances of getting hacked is also more. To avoid hacking attempts, user authentications with strict password types along with other security measures go a long way. Any good CMS has extensive security parameters which safeguard your content and protect critical content assets powerfully.
Myth #5: Open Source CMS Systems Are Cheap
This one of the most enduring myths in the CMS world and the primary reason why everyone seems to go for open source CMS platforms. Sure, the open source software is free. But that’s not enough for you to get a workable website. For that you need someone to design and develop your website, you need a server to host the website and again, someone to maintain the website. All these involve real costs and sometime these can add up to a significant amount.
Myth #6: CMS Is Not For Small Businesses
Many people think that Content Management System is not a viable solution for a small businesses who don’t have enough content to update on their website. They would rather have a static website than a full fledged CMS. The truth is a good CMS system can benefit even the smallest of businesses. With the help of CMS, small businesses can streamline content placement, staff can make better use of their time while controlling content from a central location. As your company expands from small to big, you definitely need content management system which can simplify your business process and minimize those growing pain points. Not just that if you have a scalable content platform you can easily create content and use it for SEO and online marketing to get more traffic.
Myth #7: Using a CMS Means That You Don’t Need A Developer
It is true that All popular CMS platforms make website development quite easy and often don’t need development skills. But to customize a CMS as per your unique requirements and design style does require programming skills like any other system and you need a good CMS developer for that. CMS systems are standardized and have a huge range of features. You may not use all of these features or you may have unique requirements that are not covered in standard features.
Making A Final Choice Of CMS
When it comes to choosing the best CMS, it is essential to be aware of all the facts. There should be proper research and study before making a final choice for CMS. One should not be misled by a few myths and get carried away.
