Do you know that haunting feeling when CMS doesn't work out? Lost content, costly integrations, and endless workarounds can make even the best teams suffer. This spooky season, we'd like to share some CMS horror stories from the Hygraph developers, marketers, and some of our partners so you can avoid common mistakes and rethink how you manage your digital experience.
#How to avoid CMS horrors/mistakes
This wouldn’t be a Hygraph kind of a story if we only stopped at all the laughter. Certainly, it’s that time of the year to gather around spooky stories, but we all want to avoid common mistakes when working with a CMS. Based on these stories, we have some thoughts about avoiding CMS horrors.
Double-check before publishing
Many CMS horror stories are light-hearted, but they can be easily avoided if you are careful: Always hit the “save” button before publishing, double-check before hitting the “publish” button, and set up a solid workflow for publishing content set the tone for how you use your CMS.
It is also important to review the content right after it has been published. Your website is merely an “out of sight, out of mind” task. Take a look at what’s been published and you are still in time to cover most of the errors.
Learn best practices
Because there’s no single answer to how you should use your CMS, many times, we learn how to make the most of our CMS by looking at best practices from others. For example, a company-wide taxonomy system can help locate all assets in your CMS and avoid asset duplicates, and learning from case studies and tutorials can help equip you with the necessary knowledge of how you should conduct your tech stack.
Never assume, learn your own case
Indeed, as our partner, Anastasiia Zubkova from Bejamas, mentioned, you should never assume. Just because one piece of advice works on one setup, it doesn’t mean it’d necessarily work for you. Most importantly, you should know clearly what you want to achieve with your project. Think twice before following the crowd. It’s the same when it comes to your tech stack: don’t just buy it because people rave about it. Think about whether the fancy features are actually going to help your use case, and don’t just use WordPress or Wix just because others use them.(Just read our article to see how flawed they are.)
Furthermore, if you have selected a SaaS solution, your vendor will have your best interest at heart, so proactively communicating with them is important. SaaS vendors want you to have the best user experience, so they will surely help if you have trouble. When did you last jump into a check-up call with your CMS vendor and say everything is fine, just because you needed a little time to focus on your release? It might be possible to get your release out much more quickly if you have actually prepared for the call and asked for some help.
Plan and monitor your costs
Your project doesn’t end after you purchase a CMS solution, but rather it begins with a whole new adventure, which is why you need to plan and monitor how you use your new CMS. You should know roughly how much extra spending you’ll have with the integrations and IT costs at the beginning of your project. Keeping an eye on the costs will help you keep a better handle on them.
#Final words
Did these stories give you a chill? Despite sounding lighthearted, the stories can provide valuable lessons. It is always best practice to double-check before publishing, keep an eye on costs, and work closely with your team. Hopefully, you enjoyed reading the stories from peers in the CMS industry and can avoid similar mistakes after reading this article. If you have questions or doubts about how to properly use your CMS, Hygraph is always here to help.