Report: State of UK Content Management Systems

Michael Edgar

23 March 2023, 06.00am

Despite reduced efficiency and security, over half of businesses in the UK are still using multiple content management systems (CMSs).

The finding was part of the 2023 State of CMS report for the UK by Storyblok. CMS is a software system used to manage a business’s online presence, such as WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal. The study found that 55% of the 1,639 businesses in the survey used multiple CMSs, while 7% used more than four.

The danger in using more than one CMS is disorganised workflows, content siloing, communications issues, reduced efficiency, and increased costs according to the report. In contrast, of the businesses that upgraded their systems, 87% experienced significant revenue growth and productivity benefits.

According to Storyblok CEO and co-founder Dominik Angerer, modernised content operations such as the headless CMS platforms Storyblok offers provide a 582% return on investment over a three year period. This number was found in part of a total economic impact study conducted by Forrester Consulting.

“It’s so encouraging to see how many UK businesses are experiencing the financial and productivity benefits that come from using a headless CMS,” said Angerer.

Businesses typically use more than one CMS due largely to outdated tech stacks, which can indicate that some businesses in the UK are struggling to adapt to new marketing challenges. For example, 29% of those surveyed said an additional CMS was necessary due to tech limitations, and a further 34% believed they had to use another CMS to reduce the risk, using it as a back up platform.

Regardless of the benefits and pull factors a modernised content system offers, push factors remain the largest drivers away from outdated CMSs. With time consuming processes (36%) being the most common reason for updating, followed by difficulty learning a new system, skill, or tech stack (25%) as the second, and security risks (17%) as the third.