I’ve been looking around at the web design competition in the local area and frankly I’m amazed to find a number of website design companies in Teddington or nearby that suggest you should have one of their websites because they have built their own CMS (content management system). In my opinion a bespoke CMS is the last thing you should go for.
Don’t get stuck with something that doesn’t suit you.
Sure, you do need a CMS because you want to be able to edit the content of your website without having to pay someone to do it. That’s one of the great things about WordPress. It was originally built for bloggers – and very few bloggers can be bothered to learn some complicated system to allow them to post their updates on cake making, sheds, Lego or whatever it is they like to blog about. And they’re not going to pay someone else.
Imagine the situation when you’re fed up with your bespoke site with its special CMS no-one else understands, and you want something new. If you’re stuck with some CMS developed by the company who sold you the website, you’re going to have a hard time breaking away from that company. What’s in it for them to make it easy for you to do so? Nothing. And if you take your site to another developer they will struggle to move your content over because it’s all inside this special CMS nobody knows about except the people who built it.
It’s not the case if you choose WordPress. There are web developers all over the world who will be able to help you if you want a new site. And it’s a straightforward process to move over all of the content.
That’s the way it should be. So when anyone offers you a hand-built CMS – no matter how clever and sophisticated it may (or may not) be – I suggest you politely walk away.
