When you’re building a website, the visual appeal, functionality, and key technical aspects become a deciding factor in choosing the Content Management System. Though both custom and pre-built CMSs have similar advantages and limitations for most businesses, there’s no black or white with respect to their efficiencies.
To-each-their-own! And hence, when you choose the form of CMS, it entirely depends on your platform requirements.
Following are the grounds on which you can decide which option to pick when choosing your website designing tools.
1. Flexibility
Nobody but you understand your business better. Who is your audience? What sets your business apart? Can a pre-built website sketch that differentiating factor through its features? Unfortunately, pre-built CMSs such as WordPress, Drupal may bring monotony to websites, making them appear almost identical to ten other websites in the respective field.
On the other hand, a custom CMS allows the user to have a website that can run precisely how the business would need it. Most importantly, it enables us to showcase the distinctive qualities of business through customized pages.
Take: A pre-built CMS has limited flexibility, whereas a custom CMS could be as flexible as you want it.
2. Security
Be it a startup or an enterprise, cybersecurity is alarming every business in the least expected ways. With cut-throat competition in the market, no company is an exception to the possible risks of cyberbullying. Since pre-built websites have to fix security ruptures only after someone has exploited them, highly visible and vulnerable platforms such as WordPress fail to fight against these threats.
However, custom CMS is one of the secure and reliable ways of managing content. For businesses with utmost security importance, a custom solution can smartly lock the data down without relying on a third party for security updates.
Take: Does your website hold crucial data? Do you prioritize data security in the first place? In such a case, custom CMS could be the option for you.
3. Pricing
For most businesses, price happens to be the primary influencing constituent here. Despite a pre-built CMS offering limited functions and features, it is comparatively cheaper than custom CMS. Besides, you may not have to spend a considerable amount on its maintenance.
The cost of domain registration, security services assessment, storage, backups, and additional commercial plugins adds to the website cost. What’s your budget? What are your pre-set goals for having a website? Before selecting the CMS type, consider these factors and choose accordingly.
Take: Comparing the two, for startups, building a custom CMS website could be a significant investment yet worthwhile in the long run. However, if you want to be quick and easy on your pockets, go with pre-built CMSs.
4. Development Time
Building a custom layout can take weeks, while a pre-built content management system can be worked upon in a few days. However, does your project involve complex functionalities and features? If yes, it may take more time, and a custom CMS may be the best fit. Consequently, if you want the project to go up at the earliest with less complex features, pre-built CMS comes to the rescue.
Take: Depending on your project deadline and complexity, you can choose the respective CMS.
5. User experience
Over a period, pre-built content systems have evolved enough to have an efficient UI framework beneath. Although they can offer a great user experience for general visitors, customization from the user’s point of view is limited. With custom CMS, every line of code is written to improve engagement, performance and enhance user experience.
Take: pre-built content management systems are workable for a general audience with certain limitations. Similarly, custom CMS will help you build a platform that understands your user and personalize it accordingly.
6. Scalability
A pre-built content management system may help you quickly build a content platform in the nick of time; the same benefit can become a curse. Since in the later stage, as business widens its horizons, the limitations that pre-built CMS comes with make it difficult to adapt to increased complexity.
It doesn’t happen with custom-built content management systems, thereby offering you scalable service.
Take: Do you expect your CMS to be scalable in the long run? Then, choose a custom CMS if it does and vice versa.
In a nutshell…
Pre-built content management systems are suitable when you have a lower budget, less complex functions, or time boundaries in the project. Oppositely, custom CMS is a long-term investment that helps you build a platform with advanced functions. It lets you create a system that is tailored to your exact requirements, let alone complex processes.
So what should be the next steps?
Outline your requirements. Plan your budget and resources if you’re looking to invest in a custom CMS, partner with an experienced system provider who can understand your project needs and execute them well.
Growth Media Strategy can help businesses drive sales with creative and custom strategies involving website and digital marketing. Contact us at (306) 620-8799 to learn more about how we can assist you!