With the advancements made to content management systems (CMS’s) over the past few years, we have began to notice that there has been a change in the perception of web development.
In the past, the only way to modify and edit content on a website was to literally make changes to the code that the website was written in. CMS as a function has come a long way since those days and now there are pretty easy-to-use dashboards that any business owner, manager or employee can log into to make general content changes. It’s important to note, however, that a CMS can only simplify some portions of a website, others must be managed by a professional web developer.
So, if I paid a company to build me a custom website with an easy-to-use CMS (like WordPress), why do I still need to use a professional web developer?
Content management systems were created to allow businesses basic capabilities for managing their web presence. A business can now add, edit and remove content such as images, text, titles and links, however, there are a lot of things that a CMS can not automate.
Image Sizing:
A CMS will not automatically resize an image if it does not proportionately fit into the placeholder built into the website design. While this does not require a professional web developer, it does require someone who has design skills, software and can create and edit images to specific pixel widths and heights.
Plug-In Management:
Many plug-ins (plug-in software that many web platforms like WordPress use for customization) utilize HTML rather than Rich Text Formatting, which requires some basic knowledge of HTML code.
CSS Modifications:
If a business decides to change its color scheme and wants to change font, header or link styles, it will need someone who understands how to edit the CSS of a custom built template.
Updates:
Joomla, WordPress, all web platforms need to be updated regularly. When you have a custom-built site, it is important to make sure that all plug-ins are compatible and that site functionality will not break in the event of an upgrade, this is something that a professional web developer can be entrusted to do correctly so that your site doesn’t experience any downtime.
Those are just a few of the reasons that, even if you have an easy-to-use CMS, you may need to outsource to a professional for some website changes.
Another thing to remember is that while you can have the most beautiful looking custom website built, if you don’t create high-quality visuals to place on that site, your site quality will decrease thus reducing your overall marketing ROI on the site.
If you need help editing, updating or creating design items for your site – give us a call. We can help!