People always ask me my thoughts on whether they should go with a custom Content Management System (CMS) or an open source CMS like Drupal or WordPress.  As a developer I should argue that a custom Content Management System (CMS) is the way to go and is the better option for anyone looking to manage their own website. By convincing clients to go with a custom built CMS, developers lock in clients for the long term. Why? Because custom code is like a custom designed dress or piece of art – not many other professionals will want to mess around with another person’s original work. Granted, you MAY find someone who is willing to tackle the challenge of deciphering and/or reworking someone else’s custom code.  However, chances are that you’ll also be paying double, if not triple what you originally were paying your first developer. Not to mention the fact that custom CMS’s tend to cost more up front to begin with.

I’ve dealt with MANY open source systems and MANY custom systems in my career.  In general, my experience with custom CMS systems has not been very good. I have had clients whose original CMS web development companies went out of business and needed to have their website rebuilt from scratch. Another company upped the maintenance three times the amount their clients were originally paying, and another company had their system hacked…

I will admit, there are  advantages to both custom and open source content management systems, along with the disadvantages to both. There are times when a custom system makes more sense. However, 9 out of 10 times I will never recommend doing a custom CMS in all honesty. Here are some things to consider while deciding which CMS is best for you.

Price

Price is a huge factor in everyone’s decision. What will be cheaper for you in the short term and/or the long term?

Custom: Companies try to justify unreasonably high costs for a “custom” CMS in saying that they are building you a system from scratch.  Well, most of the time these companies aren’t even building all these components from scratch. Most companies already have a base that was built, that they say is from “scratch” but it really isn’t.

Open Source: Anyone that says open source is free is wrong. It’s not free, but it most definitely will be cheaper to go with an open source system that already has the core of what is needed to develop. So now you are just paying your developer to install the system and theme it, rather than paying someone to create the system, install it, and then theme the system. With open source you basically knock out a step.

Faster To Build

One key factor in your decision could be how fast you may need your website up and running with a certain level of functionality.

Custom: Everything has to be built from “scratch”. I’m not sure how one can argue that a custom CMS would be quicker to build. They could run into one small problem and be stuck for days, weeks, or even months. Not only that, but if you want specific features that they do not already have capability of, they will have to build it from the bottom up. There’s no searching for already built modules, as there would be with open source.

Open Source: Developing in open source is basically like buying a bed from IKEA. You take it out of the box and assemble it to look the way it’s suppose to. It’s much faster than building the bed from scratch (as if you were to go to Home Depot, and buy the plywood, glue, nails, etc.). By using an open source system you are provided with the tools you need to succeed and a ton of support to get the job done quickly and efficiently.

Scalability

Some developers will argue that by using their custom CMS they can do anything you want. Using an open source system like Drupal, so can we! With the right amount of time and money you can do anything in an open source system. But what’s the big difference?

Custom: If you want something added to the system that is simple, but still has not been built by the developer and it’s not in their “library” your going to have to pay that developer to develop this module.

Open Source: If you had an open source system 8 out of 10 times there already is a module built for exactly what you want, and if there isn’t they can take a module that already is built and modify it to do what you need. Plus there are so many users that use open source, that there are constantly developers out there developing to make the system better and more secure.

Security

Some of the best programmers have been hacked. Remember, there is always someone out there smarter than you. Therefore, you are always susceptible to getting hacked regardless of whether you are using a custom or an open source CMS.

Custom: So you go with a custom CMS and your not technical at all… How do you determine if this developer is skilled enough to build a great system that is secure. What if their idea of a CMS is a crappy back end that just allows you to edit text. And they leave the entire back end open, or they don’t encrypt the passwords (believe me I’ve seen a few of my current clients’ past systems and it has happened!).

Open Source: “Open source is insecure….” First off, this is a common misconception. It obviously depends on what system you use, however, it is NOT insecure. Let’s use Drupal as a great example: there are thousands of developers out there that use this open source system and keep it up to date to keep hackers out. If you use the system correctly and make sure you update the system, then you won’t have any issues.

Maintenance

You will end up paying more on maintenance for a custom system then an open source system hands down.

Custom: A custom system means you are married to the company who built your system until you decide to divorce them and split what you shared. You may be able to grab the design, but they are going to grab their custom system right back from you. If anything needs to be changed, your ex will have to make the changes (and we all know how dangerous that can be). There is no getting price quotes or potentially moving companies. You have to literally go through an entire divorce to get rid of them!

Open Source: All updates are done by developers around the world. Therefore you don’t have to pay your developer to actually update the modules. You just have to pay them to update your modules with other people’s updates. Therefore, it’s much cheaper and more readily available!  In addition, if you want something done most likely it’s already been done. So you don’t have to pay your developer to develop and install, just have to pay to install. If you want a custom module done, there are so many functions already built into an open source systems, that it’s also easier to develop custom modules as well.

In the past 5 years, the graphic and website design industry have grown tremendously. For the consumer – this is great news.  A growing industry means more competition, which equals competitive pricing for those of you shopping around for web design companies.  There are many important things to consider  while shopping for a web designer or web developer that go much further than just a low price however.

Almost every facet of society has shifted to the web. As a result of this, our personal or business web sites are the way we show the world what we’re about and what we have to offer.  Not only that, but your website is your digital first impression (a first impression that is usually made in about 1 second). For this reason, it is essential to choose the right web designer to represent you on the web. But where and how do you start?

First you need to ask yourself: What is the purpose of my web site? If the answer is, to just throw something up and say you have a web site then I’d stop reading now and purchase an inexpensive template. While this is tempting, it is not recommended. This is one of the biggest mistakes a business owner can make, and as a marketer, I will always suggest creating a unique and professional looking web site for any business. With so much competition that exists on the web today, it’s important to stand out from your peers and competitors using a custom design that shows you put in the effort to create something new and refreshing for people to see.

Now, back to the original question – the purpose of your web site. If your web site is going to be a part of your marketing piece you want it to be the best it can be. Here are a few answers to important questions that should be asked when choosing the right web design company for your business (regardless of your budget):

1. How quickly did the agency respond to your inquiry or request for proposal? The sooner you start your web site, the better.  It’s important to take note of how quickly the company your looking into responds back. How much time did it take for a representative to respond to your e-mail or return your voice-mail message?  Quick turnaround time is important when it comes to web design. There is a lot that goes into creating quality work that can become time consuming.  Make sure you choose a company that displays good and quick use of time management as well.
   
2. Are the graphics truly custom designs? Always ask the companies your looking into if their work is custom. You want to make sure that you are going to get a custom design that is unique for your particular business model and brand.
3. Do they have the programming skills? Always ask if the company codes with table-less layouts. A lot of the time when you hire a cheaper company they will throw your web site into a table layout, which is the worst thing you can do for search engine optimization (when people search the internet for your company or services). What’s the point of putting up a site if you are going to limit yourself in search engines such as Google, Yahoo, or bing? A table is like a big brick wall around your house – no one can get in or see inside. A table-less layout with DIVS (HTML term) is like an electric dog fence, keeping everything inside using an invisible fence, allowing visitors to see or come in at their leisure. When it comes to search engine crawlers, you want your web site to have the invisible fence, not the brick wall.  This is probably the most important thing on this list!
4. Will they understand and meet our expectations? Find the BEST company out there and when they give you that ridiculous quote, tell them your budget and see if they are willing to work with you. Sometimes it’s best to get less with an experienced company then it is to go with a cheaper company and get a huge, poor quality website that can present more expensive problems down the line.
5. Do you like their work or portfolio? Look at the web design company’s portfolio. Make sure that you can look through their design work and see that they have a variety of experience and the company has designs that appeal to you.
6. Will this web site be worth the money? A successful business web site will bring you more business and leads. Ask your potential web site design company if they have marketing experience and to give examples of web sites that they have built and promoted. The reason this is important is because if a company JUST does web site design, the chances of them knowing how to design the page for optimized customer retention is unlikely.
7. What were other people’s experiences? Make sure that the company has plenty of testimonials from past clients and make sure that these clients are also in their portfolio. You don’t want to be fooled by illegitimate testimonials from people who don’t exist. If they list the company and a person’s full name, that is a good example of a legitimate testimonial.
8. Do you like them? Make sure you like the people your working with. You will basically be married to this company for the next couple weeks, if not longer. So you want to make sure you are dealing with a friendly and confident firm that communicates with you in a way that makes you feel comfortable and confident.

Remember, considering first impressions is important when it comes to web site development. Make sure to take more into consideration than a final price before choosing the professionals in charge of helping you establish the site that will be your digital first impression.

Celebrity websites are becoming more popular as technology advances. Fans are so invested in what their favorite stars are doing that they flock to any information that they can get; and what better place to go than to a celebrity’s personal website? Of course, celebrities do their fair share of Facebooking and Tweeting, however, personal celebrity websites are just as important. These websites give more background to what the stars are really about and are able to reach out to fans and let them know what’s happening next in the celeb’s life—and perhaps let fans know where they can go see the celebs in concert or when their next movie will be coming out. Personal websites are so important to celebrities, specifically for marketing purposes and growing a sturdy fan-base. Whether or not you want to love or hate a certain celebrity, hopefully it is not based upon the fact that they didn’t have a website for you to look at, but maybe it should be. Soon enough almost every celeb is going to have a website—how much effort being put into them is another question—and hopefully there will be more good than bad ones to take a peek at.

Top 5 Celebrities With Great Web Sites

1. Britney Spears
Link: http://www.britneyspears.com/

I don’t know how she does it, but after all of these years Miss Britney is still on top of the world. Not only is she still dishing out number one hits on the radio, but her website isn’t too shabby either. Although the layout hasn’t changed much over the past couple of years, there have been tweaks made where necessary, and that is what keeps fans coming back for more. The overall design of the page is pretty bubble-gum and popish but it is very welcoming and pleasant to look at. The social networks such as MySpace, Facebook and Twitter have also been added to the home-bar of the page, making it more easily accessible to visitors. The website also seems to be keeping up with her current material, which means that they are keeping their fans happy with the newest updates in Britney’s life.

2. Ellen DeGeneres
Link: http://ellen.warnerbros.com/

Although Ellen’s website may not be as funny as she is, it still brings in a lot of visitors. There is so much information that you can grab off of her website, and it’s not presented in a “system-overload” kind of way. There is a lot of scroll area you can browse through, but it’s all so entertaining. The best part is that the page loads quickly even with its multiple components—it has a multi-faceted personality, just like Ellen!

3. Katy Perry
Link: http://www.katyperry.com/home/

Katy Perry is an interesting character, on and off stage it seems, and so is her website. Don’t let the “buy now” buttons fool you or scare you away, because the website is pretty nice. The layout and color scheme is simple, but the background image is what gives the page  a cool vibe and gives that laid back approach to its visitors. The site also does a great job showcasing her music.

4. Taylor Swift
Link: http://www.taylorswift.com/

America’s sweetheart has a pretty sweet website. The design is really unique—it gives off a sort of antique feel with a modern twist—and its quite picturesque. The image at the very top of the page has a great design and it leaves you on the edge of your seat to see what else the website has in store for you below. Although it advertises for Taylor it is not overwhelming because it is so well incorporated with the layout of her site.

5. Miley Cyrus
Link: http://www.mileycyrus.com/

She can’t be tamed, and neither can her website. Although Miley Cyrus may be viewed as a good girl gone bad, she is still one of the top celebrities with the most fans and just so happens to have an appropriately sensual website. Hers is definitely one of my favorites to browse through because of its casually sophisticated design. It definitely gives off a relaxed ambiance where visitors can just come hang out with Miley and forget their worries for a while, which is most likely why it’s such a big hit. It also doesn’t have “BUY NOW” written on every inch of the screen which is definitely a plus!