Why Fully Custom CMS’s Are the Ultimate Money Pit (and SEO Fiasco in Disguise)
So…. are you’re thinking about hiring a custom CMS development company to build your company’s content management system (CMS) and website fully from scratch? Well, let me stop you right there – this is unless you enjoy spending endless hours troubleshooting issues that even a seasoned detective would find baffling, all while watching your marketing and content teams cry into their coffee. Here’s a humorous yet brutally honest take on why fully custom CMS’s are a one-way ticket to not only SEO misery, but misery for everyone who has to do any sort of work in it. Now let me clarify, I’m not talking about customizing a WordPress, Magento, or strapi website either. I’m talking about building a fully customized CMS from the ground up and why you shouldn’t.
Let the SEO Nightmare Begin
More Technical Issues Than a Sci-Fi Convention
The moment you step into the world of a fully custom CMS, be prepared for a parade of technical SEO problems. Unlike off-the-shelf solutions that have been battle-tested (and often patched) by thousands of developers, a custom-built beast will likely present you with:
- Custom Errors Galore: Expect unique error messages that make you wish you spoke fluent “nerd.”
- Inconsistent Updates: While popular platforms get regular updates to keep up with search engine changes, your bespoke system might be stuck in the Stone Age. This is unless you have an in-house team of Gleep, Glop, Floopie-Do always at the ready to conjure fixes.
Troubleshooting: The Never-Ending Saga
Fixing issues in a fully custom CMS is like thinking you can pull off the Ocean’s 11 casino heist in real life:
- Expensive Fixes: Every bug feels like a treasure hunt for problems that cost a king’s ransom to resolve.
- Time-Consuming Debugging: Your support team might end up spending more time fighting fires than actually growing your online presence.
- Single Point of Failure: Often, the company who built the system is the only one who understands its mysterious inner workings. And what happens if they decide to vanish like a magician’s assistant?
The Daily Grind: For Techies, Not Marketers
Imagine being a non-tech savvy marketing pro trying to navigate a system that feels like an escape room designed by a mad scientist. Fully custom CMS’s aren’t built with user-friendliness in mind. Instead, they come with a hefty side of confusion and frustration, leaving you:
- Lost in a Maze: Trying to locate features that other CMS’s have conveniently labeled.
- Stuck with Clunky Interfaces: Spending more time clicking through menus than creating stellar content.
- Wishing for a Simpler Life: Perhaps dreaming of a day when you didn’t have to call tech support every time you tried to post a blog.
The Ultimate Money Pit
If you’re considering early retirement by convincing the owner of your business to put their cash into a custom CMS, do yourself a favor: picture them throwing that money off a bridge or into a blazing bonfire, then telling you they don’t have any money to pay your salary. The end result? The same painful aftermath:
- Wasted Resources: Massive investments that yield a product riddled with issues.
- No Scalability: What if the developer vanishes or the company goes belly-up? You’re left holding the bag, and the malfunctioning CMS is still your problem.
- Limited Support: With only one person (or team) to lean on, you’re essentially in a high-stakes game of “What if?” every single day.
Just Stick to What Works
In the wild world we call the internet, reliability and ease-of-use are non-negotiable. Fully custom CMS’s may seem like a tailored solution at first glance, but in reality, they’re a convoluted mess that can derail your SEO efforts faster than you can say “404 error.” Save yourself the headache, your budget, and a lot of late nights by opting for a tried-and-true platform instead. Because, honestly, throwing your money off a bridge is less painful than maintaining a custom-built nightmare.
Now, go forth and make the smart choice. Your development and marketing team, and your sanity (and SEO rankings) will thank you!
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Do you need a website built? We won’t build you a fully custom CMS, but we’ll build you a damn good site on a proven platform. If you have questions, or need to speak with an expert about your site build needs, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
About the Author:
Vinh Huynh is Digital Marketing strategist, specializing in SEO & Paid Search, and also the owner of DRVN. He helps businesses improve their online visibility, through data-driven strategies. Outside of Digital Marketing, you can find him coaching the sport of Olympic Weightlifting, and networking with entrepreneurs, and local businesses.