Key Impacts to Know When Switching Your Website CMS
What is CMS? A website CMS is a Content Management System. This is a tool that helps you build a website without needing to write all the code from scratch (or even know how to code at all).
Knowing which CMS you are currently using and the effects of moving to another CMS can have a major impact on your hosting, marketing, website speed and especially your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and social media.
According to Website Setup, the most commonly used CMS systems are as follows:
- WordPress (27+ Million Live Websites)
- Wix (3.8+ Million Live Websites)
- Squarespace (2.2+ Million Live Websites)
- Joomla! (1.5+ Million Live Websites)
- Shopify (1.4+ Million Live Websites)
- Progress Sitefinity (1.4+ Million Live Websites)
- GoDaddy Website Builder (1.2+ Million Live Websites)
- Weebly (935+ Thousand Live Websites)
- Drupal (562+ Thousand Live Websites)
- Blogger (459+ Thousand Live Websites)
In these other blogs , we have touched on the importance of hiring the right developer for your website needs. As a company, we focus on making sure we put the customer in the right solution. This is where knowing what your developer is choosing to build your website in matters… immensely.
When hiring a developer, make sure you know what they are doing with your website and how they are approaching the migration to a new website CMS.
What your developer must consider when migrating to a different Website CMS:
1) Your URL structure will change
If your developer does not put in the proper redirects, or clone the links exactly, you will have a marketing nightmare on your hands. Google will penalize you greatly for having so many broken links, your old social media posts will link to nothing, and your customers will not be able to find you. Make sure your web developer knows how to handle redirects and the possible negative outcomes with your SEO results on Google and your Social Media platforms.
2) Your DNS will change
Knowing what to do with your Domain Name System entries is a big step with a migration. If handled improperly, you may have redirect issues, 404 errors and overall site performance issues. Make sure your web developer understands DNS completely.
3) Where are Your Email Forms Going?
Email forms are an integral part of online communication through your website. If your website is not migrated properly, or the new server settings and email delivery options are not configured properly, you may not receive these vital leads from your website. Make sure your web developer is familiar with email setup, MX records, server settings and form testing to ensure you are getting all of your website leads.
4) The Costs of Features, Plugins and Apps
Many websites have features, plugins or applications that are performing key tasks within your website. When you switch your CMS, the new one may not have the same features or the costs associated with these features may be out of line with your expectations. Make sure you ask your developer to review all of the costs of implementing the features you like about your current website into your new one.
5) Where is the New CMS Hosted
Some website CMS’s come with their own hosting, some do not. You need to make sure you know the impact of switching hosting. A switch can cause speed issues which greatly impact your customer experience and your SEO results with Google. If your website hosting needs to move when switching your CMS, make sure your developer knows the impacts and costs associated with a switch. Cheaper is rarely better. Saving a few dollars a month in hosting expenses can result in many lost customers.
Your website CMS an important part of your business. Ensure its success by hiring a digital marketing agency or qualified person to build and maintain your new website. If you have any questions regarding this blog or developing a website with a new CMS, please contact us using the form below, using the chat function on our website, or by calling 1-855-656-5262. Follow us on Instagram or LinkedIn. We look forward to hearing from you about the 5 Things a Website Needs. We are located in Burlington, Ontario.