Adobe Business Catalyst
What is Adobe Business Catalyst?
Adobe Business Catalyst (Adobe BC) is a hosted content management system (CMS) designed for online marketing agencies and business owners. The online platform allows you to combine your website maintenance, hosting, SEO, email marketing, ecommerce, plus much more in one secure place.
Advantages
The Adobe Business Catalyst platform includes a Support Panel with live chat, a knowledge base, a support desk and more. This is unique in comparison to most CMS’s on the market and is a big advantage. Having said this, make sure that your Portal Owner activates the Support section so that you have full access too it. You will also want to ensure that your Adobe website is developed in a way allowing easy updates from the backend. (Even for a novice, after some training).
Having access to a lot of your online marketing tools in one place does save some time. However, most platforms such as WordPress and Mailchimp now integrate together almost seamlessly allowing easy integration of more powerful tools.
Lastly, Adobe Business Catalyst websites are less susceptible to being hacked in comparison to more popular CMS’s such as WordPress.
Disadvantages
Firstly, the applications within the CMS such as Email Marketing or eCommerce are inferior in comparison to stand-alone platforms, such as Mailchimp. The apps will often just suffice for basic campaigns or shopping carts. However, they can be quite restrictive if you are looking to setup and manage a complex campaign or cart.
Depending on the package you select, the ongoing hosting price can be expensive. In particular, the price can be excessive if you are not using all of the features, which is likely. An Adobe Business Catalyst site must be hosted by Adobe so you do not have the option of your moving it a cheaper hosting platform.
Lastly, Adobe Business Catalyst is a small platform in comparison to say WordPress, so majority of website developers are not familiar with. This can be a major disadvantage if your developer is unavailable and you require urgent changes to your site.
WordPress Instead?
The most common content management system in the world is WordPress. WordPress websites typically allow a website owner to have more flexibility by adding plugins. The plugins are pre-built website management apps that you can bolt onto your website. There are literally thousands of apps available for your WordPress website, most of which are free. This is the biggest advantage of WordPress in comparison to other platforms, along with the popularity of it.
What if I have a Business Catalyst Website & Want it Transferred to Another CMS?
In most cases, a BC website can be transferred to another content management system without too much hassle. In this instance, you may want to look at certain upgrades to your website which can potentially be more affordable during the transfer process. This may include upgrading your website so that it displays mobile responsively.
Furthermore, ensure that you receive training as part of your package, particularly if you want to manage most of the updates yourself. The backend of one WordPress website in comparison to another CMS is likely to be very different.
Most importantly, make sure that you engage an experienced and reputable website developer when transferring the site. This individual will take the time to ensure that the backend is as user-friendly for you to operate as possible. After all, you are probably transferring the website to improve this backend experience.
Want to Know More?
Contact Brad today for a free expert advice on Adobe Business Catalyst. Brad has over 10 years of experience managing Adobe websites for Australian business owners.
