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Custom CMS vs Marketplace themes

Written by Erick Olivares

What is a CMS?

A content management system or CMS is a software which you interact with to edit content on your website. Collaborating with a developer to create a simple and easy to use CMS for your website is important because of the feasibility to edit content, it will save you time and you’ll be able to allocate more time to business goals.

Most small business would opt out of hiring a developer because they can find appealing themes which sell under $100 on various theme marketplaces such as Theme Forest or Mojo Themes. The demos appear to be very polished and have endless design possibilities.

That’s until you finally purchase it and log into the back-end and you’re confronted with something that looks like this:

That’s if you have the patience to follow the documentation guide to configure the website to get to this point.

Marketplace themes force users to confront a confusing interface with multiple toolbars, columns adjustments, drag and drops tools, etc. The learning curve with most marketplace themes is very steep. They have multiple dropdowns and pages to edit fundamental elements such as sliders and portfolio Items. Marketplace themes rely on multiple plugins, which become a nightmare to update as time progresses.

Content management should be quick and easy.

Let’s take a look at a custom CMS on WordPress:

The difference between a generic template and a custom CMS in which is a huge difference. You are given the ability which is specific to content you wish to edit. This includes simple text updating, replacing images, and other elements you would desire to be customized.

You don’t have to worry about adjusting the padding or margins, troubleshooting API keys, or breaking the website design. Instead, the design should adapt to the content on the website, rather trying to design as you go. The proper way of building a website isn’t to first find a flashy theme.

The first step is to focus on the website architecture and design, which many businesses fail to tackle first. Business goals should ultimately be the first step to creating a website which converts users and uses conversion rates and other metrics as an assessment of success. The design should reflect the brand of the business through imagery, copy, and style.

Owning a custom management system will ultimately make your business much more effective. Time will be allocated to tasks that deserve your attention, rather than trying to learn a theme which might or might not be the right fit for your business.

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