Why every business needs a CMS

According to Melbourne IT, while more than 90% of internet users get to websites via search engines, more than 50% of all Australian businesses who have a website cannot easily be found in a major search engine like Google.

What does this tell us?

Perhaps it tells us that most business website owners don't really have a clue about how people actually use the web. The fact is that the days of brochureware websites are long gone. As users become more savvy, they're come to realise that a website without interactivity is basically useless. It's no longer sufficient to try and dazzle your potential clients with your "web presence", you actually need to offer something of value. Having a page which says "please call this number" just isn't enough.

Because business owners often get it wrong when it comes to the reasons the website exists in the first place, is it any wonder there's so much useless marketing bullshit out there? Cool looking electronic brochures whose sole reason for existence is to act as a business card are a waste of money because they do nothing to engage the very people they're supposed to attract. By putting the emphasis on the website instead of the customer, they do exactly the opposite of what a website should. Yes, the same business owners continue to think that if they put up a few glitzy pages and get them optimised, people will come.

Sadly, while some of them might come, they won't stay. And they certainly won't come back. Instead, you should be focussing on the customers. What are their likely goals? What are their expectations? Do you expect any of them to ever come back? If so, how will your website contribute?

What about offering something real like useful information about your products and services? Or how about allowing your customers to leave comments about those same products and services? What about an open discussion forum which encourages people to speak openly and honestly, irrespective of the fact they may say something bad about you, your products or services?

If you think that it won't work for you, then think again. Businesses by the thousands are already taking this approach and humanising themselves in the process. Instead of focussing on the marketing, they're concentrating on real customer service. Instead of paying web designers ongoing fees for visual website "makeovers", they focus on providing regular and meaningful content. Instead of engaging in corporate weasel-speak, they express themselves as real people.

And they do it by using content management system, or CMS software. And they're often using CMS software which costs a fraction of the price a brochureware site costs to design and maintain. But how does all this tie into my opening remark about the majority of Australian businesses being unable to be found by search engines?

  • Search engines love relevant page titles. A good CMS provides that automatically by matching the page title to the main page header.
  • Search engines love meaningful permalinks. A good CMS does that automatically, based on your page title.
  • Search engines love regular, original content. A good CMS gives you the power, flexibility and ease of use to focus on providing exactly that.
  • Search engines love valid HTML code. A good CMS produces that automatically by using templates which enforce consistency.

If you're one of those businesses which can't be found by search engines, perhaps you need to rethink your online presence strategy. Talk to your web designers about using a content management system to manage your website.

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About the author

Ivan's mugshotI'm Ivan Lutrov and I'm the owner of Lutrov Interactive. I have 25 years of experience producing interactive work and I create cost effective business websites that are simple, engaging and easy to use. I practice what I preach and I say what I really think, even if it's sometimes not what you want to hear. Subscribe to the Lutrov Interactive feed via RSS and follow me on Twitter.