CMS A TO Z

Im my experience, many people who are starting a website for the first time, want their website to do everything possible right out of the gate. Also in my experience, this can be a huge mistake. Here are just a few reasons for new site owners to ease into it. Take it one step at a time, and see if you want to take the next step...

Cost

Trying to stuff in every little piece of funcitonality you can find is often expensive. If it is not "built in" to the cms you have chosen, then the cost will rise very quickly with each new bit of bling.

Unless it is important to be "first-to-market" with the functionality you dream of, then consider carefully whether if is really worth the cost before you have even instroduced your site to the world.

Time

The more functionality you ad to the site prior to launching it, the longer it will take you to get to that launch. Again, if it is not central to the purpose of your site, then consider adding the functionality after you have launched the site. Make sure that you have interest in what you are planning before you delay the launch of your site.

Maintenance

Many times when we have been approached about creating a CMS-driven website, it has been unclear to everyone who exactly will be in charge of populating which parts of the site. Will it be the developers? Will there be the client? Will there be a third party hired to make updates? will the content be end-user submitted?

If you are not sure who will be maintaining a particular part of the site, or who will be generating the initial content for it, then chances are that it won't get any attention. Before you plan on some fantastic piece of functionality, make sure you have someone who will nurture it. Otherwise, it will fall flat. Better to wait on releasing that part of the site until you have the staff to maintain it.

Utility

Okay, so you have decided that you have the time and the money to build it, and you someone on your staff to manage it. Are you sure that your visitors want it?

If you're not sure, it might be worth the time and effort to find out. Send out a survey (formal or informal) to your clients and ask if this is something they could see themselves using. Talk to other people in your industry and find out if they have tried similar efforts and whether or not their clients used it.

A little bit of market research could save you a lot of time and money.