When it comes to the success of your website, a proficient content management system (CMS) is a must. From indexing your site to creating and publishing content, a good CMS is the backbone to any high functioning website. Like most technologies, these systems are always evolving and improving and with these changes comes the need to regularly update your system. While it might seem like an okay option to hold on to the current version of your CMS, it could end up leading to unwanted consequences.
Security
It's become normal practice for security updates to be performed on your CMS, but usually these updates are only being applied to the latest version. When you allow your system to become old and outdated, it's no longer receiving the upgrades needed to keep it safe - opening your website up to potential security risks and becoming an easy target for hackers. This breach in security not only puts user's personal information at risk, but it can result in a loss of credibility and an overall loss of patrons for your company. The best way to keep cyber-attacks at bay is to make sure you stay active with the latest security requirements in order to better protect sensitive information that may be stored on your system.
Cost
It's no secret that costs associated with website maintenance often falls to the wayside when creating a budget for your business. But the truth is, the longer you wait to upgrade, the more difficult and more expensive it's going to become. Using an outdated system not only raises the risks of hard-to-fix technical issues but the final outcome often involves a bigger bottom line. It's like driving around an old car that constantly keeps breaking down. You can keep putting money into fixing it or you can purchase a new car that not only has the improved features you want but also gets you around town quicker and safer.
Site Stability
Your CMS isn't the only technology that's constantly evolving. Other third-party systems are also being tweaked and upgraded. While you might put a pause on updating your system, these companies are going to continue moving forward. Over time, outdated code, page structure, and formatting issues may start appearing as your website becomes further out-of-date. What functionality once was perfectly compatible with your site, is now causing broken pages and a bad user experience.
User Experience
Keeping your site up to date is not only beneficial for external users, but it's also beneficial for internal users. On the backend of your site, content management systems are constantly innovating in order to make it easier for you to customize your site and create pages exactly how you want them. There are often updates to managing permissions, along with the ability to create private and protected web pages. It's important to have current workflow capabilities in order to utilize your time as efficiently as possible.
On the other side of your website, outdated code can cause page structure and formatting issues, resulting in a poor experience for the end user. If a website visitor has difficulty reaching the content or performing the action they want on the site, there is potential for them to simply leave the site resulting in the loss of a customer and the loss of a sale.
Search Engine Optimization
Staying up to date with the latest trends in social and search engine optimization (SEO) is extremely important when it comes to your digital marketing efforts and the ability for both current and prospective customers to find your site with ease. CMS upgrades may be more optimized for search and can help improve your search engine rankings from the start. The incorporation of easily sharable content on social is another opportunity to build site traffic and improve your website's SEO.
While it might be easy to overlook, updating your CMS should become a vital part of regular website maintenance. If not, you could be compromising your site's security, stability, and overall end user experience, which could cost you potential customers and sales. If you're ready for an upgrade but not sure where to start, contact Informatics!
