Top 5 Pitfalls to Avoid with a CMS Implementation

Whether you are implementing new product or working on a redesign, here are five things to avoid while planning a web content management system project.

1) Not assessing the current site for outliers. There are always “one offs” that were done years ago that should be evaluated. Are they still one offs? Can they be repurposed? Should they be redeveloped in the new design?

2) Replicating what you have. The benefit of a new product or a full redesign is to rethink how to present the content in new and better ways. Don’t squander that opportunity. Think about ways to streamline content and highlight actionable content.

3)        Not anticipating future needs. None of us have a crystal ball but it’s a good idea to try to think about future needs. Administrations come and go; you want to make sure your structure is agile enough to respond to those changes.

4)        Over complicating the design and content blocks. It’s easy to get excited about a design and want a lot of bells and whistles, but in my experience, the bells and whistles take more time to maintain than a typical web team has to give. Keep it simple.