A content management system or CMS, is at the heart of each and every website. It’s the thing that makes your website, well a website. So, choosing the right one for your business can be a huge decision. You want to choose one that meets your needs without breaking the bank.

In some cases, anything more expensive than a bare-bones CMS is seen as an unnecessary expense and a poor use of marketing dollars.  An extremely minimalist CMS, with few features and customization options, might seem like a good choice because it’s cheap and gets the job done. But what if your business grows, your business model changes or if you just want to expand the functionality of your website? Will that simple CMS be able to perform and grow with you? Probably not.

If that’s the case, what do you do? The dilemma I just described, was one that a client of ours (in the retail space) was facing not very long ago. They started out a simple brochure site, managed by a very basic CMS. The site worked well for them for a number of years; but things changed, the business grew, and they decided they wanted to sell their products online.  Unfortunately, their CMS was not robust or flexible enough to support an e-commerce functionality and they had to switch to a new CMS.

When making the switch, not only did they have to pay for a more robust CMS, but they had to pay to migrate all of their copy and images. If right from the start, they had selected a more versatile CMS that could grow and change along with their business. 

The lesson learned here? When you are selecting a CMS, don’t simply choose the cheapest one that will get the job done for now. Choose one that can support the growth you not only plan for, but dream of – best case scenario.  Want more advice about choosing the right CMS? Check out this blog post