These days it seems like there is a content management system (CMS) or a custom web development shop for every industry. In just the past year we’ve come across three or four website creation companies who claim to be built specifically for an industry or vertical. Companies in the market for a new site often think they will be better served by someone who knows their industry, and while there is some truth to that assumption, here is the downside: not every CMS or proprietary piece of software is built to accommodate effective online marketing strategies.
One of our clients is a photography studio based in Denver, and they hired us to work on building their organic keyword rankings. Their online portfolio helps to close new deals, and although there are dozens of crisp, high resolution images on the site, the new CMS wouldn’t allow us to make the kind of edits we need to reach a bigger audience. This particular CMS has very attractive site templates and CMS solutions custom build for photographers, but, as our client found out the hard way, it turned out the CMS wouldn’t allow us to execute our online marketing strategy at all.
Here are a few questions to keep in mind as you choose a CMS or website solution:
Is there a CMS behind the site, or is it just HTML?
Is it easy to add unique content and meta data for each page?
Is it possible to optimize images individually for SEO value?
Is it easy to create redirects inside the CMS?
Is it possible to edit basic website files like robots.txt or htaccess?
Are sitemaps generated through the site? Are they automated or can you load one manually?
If the answer to any of the questions above is ‘no’, you might want to keep looking. Affordable, attractive websites can be build quickly and affordably without putting your online marketing strategy on hold indefinitely. When it comes time to rebuild or refresh your website, make sure you’re getting the most out of both your CMS and your online marketing strategy by getting a consult from a professional. If we can help, reach out today and we can walk you through the options.