When building a website for your medical practice, it can be a challenge to determine the right type of content management system (CMS) to use. There’s a good chance that it’ll be one of the platforms you interact with most often as you expand your practice’s digital presence, so the decision shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Whether you go with an open-source system or one that’s specifically built for your type of business, there are a number of factors you should consider:
Reliability
Open-source platforms, like Wordpress, are accessible to most front-end developers. This is great for cost reasons, but also makes WordPress sites extremely vulnerable to cyberattacks — and any downtime is bad for business.
On the other hand, the code behind a specially built CMS is not public information, making it a more secure option. Considering the sheer amount of websites that use open-source platforms, your site could be affected by an attack that wasn’t even meant for you. This isn’t an aspect any medical practice should gloss over, but it’s especially important if your site holds confidential patient information.
Accessible Support
Open-source CMSs often give practice owners a variety of accessibility options, but they come with a cost. If you want to be able to edit your content visually, such as in Microsoft Word, you’ll need to pay up front. In addition, any plugins you use could stop being supported at any time, and upgrading to newer versions often involves even more costs.
When it comes to support for your website, open-source solutions won’t come with the personal touch that a system that’s built for your business will. If you have an issue, you’ll be placed in the queue with the company’s other customers — of which, as discussed, there are often many. A proprietary CMS, though, often comes with access to the team that built your site. Questions are answered more quickly, issues resolved more seamlessly, and you’ll always have the peace of mind that your team is familiar with exactly the way your site works.
Intuitiveness & Customization
With an open-source platform, you’re largely limited to the options that platform gives you. If you want to customize a template to fit your brand and digital strategy, you’ll need in-depth web design knowledge or you’ll need to pay additional costs to get your site working the way you’d like.
A proprietary CMS, though, is built with your exact needs in mind. All the features and functionality you need are available right out of the box and work seamlessly together, helping you avoid the headaches that come with adding new plugins. This also means your code won’t be as bloated as it might with a more universal CMS, improving speeds, and, in turn, search rankings.
At Scorpion, we offer our medical clients a CMS that brings to life beautiful, secure, and easy-to-use websites. If you’d like to learn more about the advantages of working closely with a dedicated marketing partner, contact us today.
