We need to talk about FrankenCMS.
You know the one. It started simple enough — a free CMS core, a fancy page builder, a stack of plugins for SEO, forms, analytics, caching, image optimization, and whatever that one random widget is doing. Now it’s a brittle, bloated mess that breaks if you sneeze on it.
So the question is: at what point does your CMS stop being a platform and start being a patchwork?
When Page Builders Take Over
Page builders sound great on paper. Drag and drop anything! No code required! Design freedom for days!
But under the hood? You’re often layering a visual editor on top of a system that was never meant to work that way. This leads to:
- Bloated HTML full of nested divs
- Inconsistent styles that break across devices
- Performance nightmares
- “Design freedom” that actually kills your brand consistency
And good luck trying to enforce templates or content governance when your page builder lets everyone color outside the lines.
Plugins on Plugins on Plugins
If your CMS needs ten plugins just to function like a modern platform, that’s a red flag. Plugins are not bad in moderation. But when they’re doing all the heavy lifting — forms, workflows, permissions, navigation, caching — the core isn’t doing much at all.
Every plugin you add introduces:
- A new update cycle
- A new potential vulnerability
- Another layer of complexity
- Another support forum you’ll never get a response from
And when two plugins don’t get along? That’s your weekend gone.
Patch Jobs Aren’t Strategy
Here’s the thing: cobbling tools together can work in the short term. But it doesn’t scale. You’ll hit a wall where changes require custom development, things randomly break after updates, and your content team starts quietly muttering about Wix.
That’s not sustainable. That’s tech debt with a fancy UI.
A Real CMS Has Core Strength
Concrete CMS doesn’t depend on third-party patches to deliver core features. You get:
- In-context editing
- Robust permissions
- Customizable workflows
- Asset management
- Form creation
- SEO tools
- And a sane user experience
All built in. All maintained by the core team. All ready to go from day one.
No duct tape required.
Stop Building a House of Cards
If your CMS needs a dozen add-ons just to handle basic publishing, it’s not a CMS. It’s a liability waiting to implode.
Want something solid under your content team? Start with Concrete CMS.