The future of web design Will CMS replace programmed websites?
This issue probably concerns programmers and CMS developers alike. As simplicity increases, the market is increasingly dominated by self-proclaimed web designers. Quality is becoming difficult to filter out.
This is a controversial topic, and certainly not everyone will approach this debate as dispassionately as we do. We are venturing into this topic and look forward to sensitive discussions and debates in the comments section below. Both options offer many advantages and disadvantages in terms of all aspects of digitization. In this article, we compare important topics such as simplicity, security, accessibility, and, of course, the ability to generate leads / search engine optimization.
CMS or static website?
Content management systems (CMS) are ready-made platforms on which complete websites can be developed in a simplified manner. Simplicity is guaranteed by the intuitive user interface and the ability to compensate for a lack of programming knowledge with plug-ins. However, these very advantages are also the source of the disadvantages:
Loading time of content management systems
If a CMS is developed by a web designer who has no knowledge of HTML, PHP, or CSS, there is a risk that many plug-ins or an unstable theme will negatively impact the website's performance. Put simply, plug-ins are script packages designed to automate or simplify processes. To ensure that a plug-in is as popular as possible, the developer tries to cover as many individual needs as possible. This results in a large number of server requests being installed on the website, which have to be compiled by the server and can therefore significantly increase the loading time of the website. Of course, not every plug-in slows down the website. It is important to check the plug-ins or even develop the required function without a plug-in – remember:Google is your friend.
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CMS security
A common misconception is that CMSs are automatically easy prey for hackers, viruses, and other attacks. On the one hand, this is true because a CMS requires more maintenance than a static website, and old versions or suspicious plug-ins can open the door to important internal files. On the other hand, a CMS can be just as secure as any static website, provided that it is maintained by a developer who knows what they are doing. Points that you should definitely consider for a secure CMS include:
- Access rights to files and folders
- Up-to-date plug-ins, themes, and the CMS itself
- Secure usernames and passwords
- Apache security with htpasswd
- Apache security through an extended htaccess
- A blog article on this topic will also follow shortly.
- Change to the access URL
- Correct setup of the robots
Lead generation with a CMS
Are there actually differences in lead generation depending on whether a CMS or a static website is used? Yes, there definitely are. But here, too, we have to take a broad view and use general phrases to avoid saying anything wrong. For optimal connection to social media channels, Google Analytics, Tag Manager, and other tools, a few extras are required that are often already integrated in a CMS but have to be laboriously added individually to a static website. From expandable thumbnails to meta data to compatibility with helpful tools designed to simplify online marketing processes. Changes or integrations are added once to the dynamic header in a CMS, whereas with a static page, each individual subpage must always be edited manually. If you want to automate marketing processes using funnels or merging processes, static websites are only an option with great difficulty. The solution here is to use semi-dynamic frameworks that offer dynamic headers and footers, for example.
To automate marketing processes without disproportionate effort and help leads through the funnel to sales using modern merging processes, the simplicity of CMS is recommended.
- pop-up window
- Newsletter subscriptions
- Accurate conversion measurements
- Easy installation of add-ons
- A/B testing
- Creation of dynamic forms
These are issues that are much easier and, above all, cheaper to deal with using a CMS. If you want to have extensive websites programmed statically, you will always be dependent on a programmer who will invest many hours of work in small changes.
Advantages of static websites
Several points have already been mentioned that highlight the advantages and disadvantages of statically programmed websites. To balance things out, however, we would like to point out the following advantages:
Loading time of static websites
The loading time of static websites is generally unmatched compared to CMS. The following points speak in favor of the loading time of a static website:
- Simple Nginx compatibility
- No unnecessary scripts
- Simple loading routes
- Complete control of settings
Of course, everything that is possible with a static website is also possible with a CMS. Many people do not realize that, in simple terms, a CMS is also based on the same code as a static website and that everything can be edited here as well. However, it is often only possible to gain complete control of a CMS by taking a roundabout route.
Conclusion
To address the question of whether CMS will gain the upper hand in the future, I can say that, according to an evaluation by statista from November 2020, WordPress already dominates 63.6% of the internet. So it's already just a question of sales tactics. Because CMSs offer even untalented web designers the opportunity to create something beautiful, sooner or later the market will surely be flooded with such designers. However, the more "rubbish" is produced in the future, the more closely customers will look. In my opinion, this will lead to hybrid developers who can implement flawless programming on CMS dominating the future. Pure HTML/PHP programmers will certainly find it easier to learn WordPress and similar platforms than WordPress designers who have to learn programming.
As we approach 2021 and consider Google's changes, it's hard to imagine life without CMS. Google itself said at the beginning of the year that WordPress is supported by many tools:
- Google plug-ins
- AMP
- Gutenberg
- etc.
Considering the mobile indexing changeover at the end of March 2021, static web programmers are facing another hurdle that has not always been properly implemented in advance. Static websites are still far too often not optimized for smartphones.
