Maintaining a CMS website – internal staff vs. outsourcing
Many small- to mid-sized business owners move their websites over to a Content Management System (CMS) with the intention of using in-house resources to maintain and update the company website. With the right training and commitment, this can often have very good results. Look around your office and evaluate your staff to see if you can find a good fit for the various tasks that will need to be performed to keep your website performing.
Skill sets needed to make your website successful
- Good sales-oriented web writing skills
- Knowledge of the sales process (funnels, etc.)
- Search engine and keyword optimization
- Email marketing best practices
- Conversion rates and testing methods
- Methods to analyze website performance
- Graphic design
- Social Media platforms and best practices
- Public relations (press releases, etc.)
- Copywriting, blog writing
- Scheduling and content management
- Pay-per-click (PPC) monitoring
Outsourcing to an online marketing specialist
It takes a team to maintain a website so if you have a limited staff or a staff that is already at peak production capabilities you may want to consider outsourcing some of your website campaign activities. Here is a small sampling of services that you can pick and choose from:
Some companies opt to hire a web developer to create and design their initial website. They have their email, blog, and social media templates branded and ready to go. And then for planning purposes, they formulate a website campaign budget to handle the various activities they will be conducting during the course of the next year. The benefit to this is that you will have total control of the campaign budget and you will also be able to remain flexible with changing market conditions.
Get results with your CMS system
There is a lot of planning that goes into having a website that is performance-based.
Keep in mind is that if you want to have a productive website, one that generates leads and sales, you must continually work to get found, promote and analyze your website. This is a time consuming process that can also be outsourced. There are even companies who can provide this type of work by the hour.
Each component of a successful website strategy has many steps and requires at the very least, a working knowledge of several different areas of expertise. So, although the idea of having a website that you can maintain yourself is an attractive one, don’t forget to take advantage of companies that can assist you in various ways to improve your website’s performance.
by Gayle Davies