At the end of 2019, LightCMS users were greeted with an email notifying them of the platform’s termination. Following 31 May 2020, users will no longer be able to make use of the content management system and are urged to find a new home for their content.
Although small businesses, bloggers, and website creators may be saddened by this news, there is a silver lining. With change comes new beginnings and opportunities. This means, your online content has the chance to completely upgrade its future with the right website migration service. So, before starting to panic, think of the potential that this new period can bring to your webpages!
If you’re a LightCMS user, now is a better time than any to consider your website needs. While the platform is sun setting, you should prepare for the end of life phase. For this reason, we will explore what your best options are and how WordHerd can help you during this process.
How Does the LightCMS End of Life Notice Affect Your Website?
Although some may not have been surprised to hear the news of this content management system’s termination, it doesn’t make the idea of transitioning to another CMS any easier. Since the acquisition in the mid-2010s, many users reported that the platform wasn’t performing optimally and already marked it as the beginning of its demise.
My name is Nick Luvera. I live in La Conner and own a small business. COVID-19 has devastated businesses across the country, including here at home in Skagit County. Business communities throughout the country are coming together to provide support for one another.
FaceBook Groups seem to be the platform of choice for most communities. Here is link to a FaceBook Group that I am hoping will become a venue for all business owners and civic leaders in Skagit County to come together to share their business challenges and any solutions they might have for others.
Skagit County is an amazing community. We are blessed to have extraordinarily talented people from all kinds of different backgrounds and experiences. If we come together with the collective goal to support one another, we can accomplish great things. This crisis will pass at some point. We have the opportunity to be better than we were before by preparing collectively now for that future.
My hope is that you will share this with others so we can get started on helping one another.
Sincerely,
Nick Luvera
Despite this, it’s still a difficult spot to be in as a website owner – regardless if you saw the change coming or not.
With this in mind, how exactly does this change affect your website? In short, you won’t have access to the service from the 31st of May. This means that you will need to plan for a new website and content management system to house your content. It also means that you will be required to back up any important data and information.
When we see changes like this happen to CMS’s, it’s important to note the fact that content security and SEO are taken into consideration too. Without the software to host your pages, you may risk notable security vulnerability. In terms of SEO, you may run into problems with broken links and incomplete redirects. For those who’ve spent a considerable amount of time and money building their search engine ranking, this is a huge red flag.
Thankfully, there’s still time to avoid facing these problems. In our opinion, early planning and preparation are key to ensure a smooth transition without the loss of data or rankings.
Choosing the Right Platform for Your Website Migration
Even though one chapter is closing for your website, a new and exciting one is about to begin. With the right CMS, you can take your online presence to a whole new level. However, this all comes down to your next steps in choosing the right platform for your content.
The Benefits of Working with WordPress
From our experience, migrating from one CMs to WordPress offers the easiest transition for both content and users. If you’re looking to make this process as simple as possible, WordPress is the way to go.
One of the reasons why users enjoyed using LightCMS was for its visual builder capabilities. If you’re worried about finding a platform that offers the same features, take comfort in knowing that you can make use of WordPress’s Gutenberg application. Gutenberg helps users design pages through an extremely intuitive drag-and-drop function that curates winning content. This means that you won’t have to be a coding expert to make use of the platform.
WordPress also makes for an impressive web hosting provider through its usability, functionality, and manageability. No matter what type of website you’re running, this platform provides a number of templates and plugins to suit the theme and purpose of your content.
Furthermore, if this termination period is making you wary of committing to another CMS, WordPress is showing no signs of slowing down. With an estimated 1.3 billion users and powering over 35% of the web, it’s safe to say that your website’s future is secure.
Migrate to WordPress Today
Having to go through a website migration process can be complicated. However, with the right tools and applications, this task can be made simple. This can especially be true when you work with trusted professionals such as the WordHerd team. We will ensure that all of your website needs are taken care of and migration happens seamlessly.
Here are just a few of our services that we offer our clients:
- Content migration
- Asset migration
- SEO migration
- CRM migration
- Content validation & minification
- Plugin integrations
- Premium WordPress hosting
If you need any extra information on why you should choose WordPress or the migration process, we will be happy to help. You don’t have to go through this end of life notice period alone!