We get it. Your website needs some changes. Maybe your web design is stale, maybe your copy is bad – either way, you need help. So how do you know if your Content Management System (CMS) is the heart of the problem, or if you just need to clean up your site on the CMS you currently have?
There are plenty of reasons not to switch your CMS. My general rule of thumb is to go with what you know. Changing your CMS in the midst of other swooping changes to your website could be a recipe for disaster, but there are some use cases where I think switching your CMS to our system of choice, Craft, is your best bet.
Here are three main reasons you should consider switching your CMS to Craft.
You Need a Site Built For Performance
The primary reason we love Craft CMS is because it’s built for performance. Unlike our former go-to system, WordPress, Craft is designed specifically to handle database requests as quickly as possible. In its current state, Craft 2 is already the marketplace leader in site speed, but they’re currently in the process of rebuilding the platform from the ground up, allowing Craft 3 to lap the competition.
How does Craft 3 perform compared to other CMSes? Pretty darn well! #craftcms pic.twitter.com/Ekw2GckY8c
— Craft CMS (@craftcms) April 22, 2015
So how do you know if you need a high-performance site? Everyone wants their site to be fast, but when is speed worth the switch? In my experience, site speed has a huge impact on SEO and page conversions, so if inbound marketing, blogging, or converting web users to email leads is important to you, I’d highly recommend making the switch. If your site is used primarily as a store-front or informational site with little effort to walk visitors through a sales pipeline, however, you can probably get by with the CMS you are currently using.
You Need Highly Variable Content
As someone who cranks out a lot of content, I love having the power of variability in my hands. Unfortunately, my web developers don’t trust my HTML skills (nor should they), so with most conventional Content Management Systems, I’m stuck with one or two blog templates and I have to hope that my content is good enough to convert skeptical users to email subscribers.
With Craft, on the other hand, my developers are able to give me a modular setup, allowing me to mix-and-match various section types to create exactly the post I need. If I need something that is image-heavy or that incorporates pull quotes, we can make that happen without taking up any developer time.
If you’re creating a lot of content, I’d advise giving craft a look. Cranking out between two and three blog posts a week in WordPress got pretty monotonous, but with Craft, we’re able to create really compelling, dynamic content every time.
Your Site Needs to Look KILLER on Mobile
Every modern CMS has responsiveness built in, but responsive design is a pretty relative term. For many web designers, a decent mobile experience is good enough, but if you’re looking to have a really impressive mobile experience, there are none better than Craft. What makes Craft CMS different is its live preview functionality, which lets you see changes you’re making in real-time on any device. That means that if you need a perfect mobile experience, you can build it with more visibility than ever.
Much like site speed, everyone wants a mobile-friendly website, but how do you know that it’s worth switching your CMS over? My recommendation is to dive into your Google Analytics and check what devices people are accessing your site from. If 40% or more of your web traffic comes from mobile, or if you have any sort of e-commerce experience on your site, I’d recommend switching.
If You Switch Your CMS to Craft, Call Someone Who Knows It
Finally, if you’re looking to switch your CMS to Craft, that’s great. We think it’s a great system, but if your last site is in disrepair, there’s a chance that your CMS isn’t your only problem. If you need help building a great site that is optimized to work within Craft’s system, call a web development agency that knows Craft and understands the goals you have for your website.
If you’re looking for an agency to help you build a site that’s optimized for Craft, contact us here!
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The post Three Reasons You Should Switch Your CMS to Craft appeared first on Redwall.