Why We Build Client Websites on WebinOne CMS

Choosing the right Content Management System can have a much bigger impact on a website than many businesses realise.

A CMS is not simply the place where you log in to change some text or upload an image. It influences how easily your website can be managed, how much flexibility developers have, what functionality can be added, how secure the website is, how well different systems work together and how much you may need to spend on additional software as the business grows.

At Sirocco Digital, we build and manage many of our client websites using WebinOne, the platform previously known as Treepl CMS.

We have worked with a wide range of website platforms over the years, and one of the reasons we continue to recommend WebinOne is refreshingly simple:

It gives businesses a great deal of functionality in one system without forcing them to assemble their website from a collection of unrelated platforms and plugins.

WebinOne combines content management, hosting, ecommerce, CRM, forms, member functionality and other website tools within the same managed environment. For clients, that can mean fewer systems to manage, fewer third-party subscriptions and a website that is considerably easier to maintain over time. 

What Is WebinOne?

WebinOne is an all-in-one website and digital experience platform. 

It combines many of the systems that businesses would otherwise need to purchase, connect and maintain separately.

Depending on the requirements of the website, WebinOne can provide:

• Website content management
• Web hosting
• Ecommerce
• Customer relationship management (CRM)
• Online forms
• Blogs
• Events with pre/post event emails
• Galleries and sliders
• FAQs
• Member areas and secure content
• Custom databases
• Workflow notifications
• Email functionality
• Built in Mailchimp integration
• API integrations
• Structured content
• Developer access through Liquid templating

WebinOne has more than 50 built-in features and over 300 API endpoints for integrations and more advanced development through programs like Zapier.

That combination is one of the biggest reasons we like working with it.

Rather than beginning with a basic website platform and continually adding external products, software or pluginsevery time the client needs something new, much of the functionality is already available within the same ecosystem.

One Website Platform Instead of a Collection of Systems

This is where the benefits of WebinOne become particularly apparent.

A modern business website may need much more than a few informational pages.

It may also require:

• Contact and enquiry forms
• Customer records
• Automated email notifications
• Online payments
• Ecommerce
• Event registrations
• Member-only content
• Product catalogues
• Blogs
• Search functionality
• Custom databases
• Lead capture
• Website analytics
• Landing pages
• Secure areas
• Third-party integrations

On some platforms, each requirement can mean finding another plugin, purchasing another subscription or connecting another external service.

Before long, what appeared to be an inexpensive website can involve several separate platforms.

You may have one provider for hosting, another for forms, another for ecommerce, another for CRM, another for email marketing and a collection of plugins responsible for the functionality sitting between them.

Each system has its own:

• Login
• Subscription
• Updates
• Support
• Security requirements
• Data
• Integration settings

It can work. It can also become unnecessarily complicated.

WebinOne takes a different approach by placing a large proportion of the functionality a business website may require inside one managed platform.

For many of our clients, that simplicity has real value.

An All-in-One CMS Can Be Considerably More Affordable Than It First Appears

Website platforms are often compared using the cost of the CMS or hosting subscription alone. That can be misleading.

The more useful comparison is:

What does it cost to operate the complete website?

A platform may appear inexpensive until the business also needs to pay for:

• Premium plugins
• Form software
• Ecommerce extensions
• Security services
• Backup services
• CRM software
• Membership software
• Additional hosting
• Workflow automation
• Developer licences
• Maintenance subscriptions

There is also the less obvious cost of maintaining all those connections.

If one component is updated and another becomes incompatible, somebody has to investigate the problem. If an integration stops synchronising customer information, somebody needs to fix it. If a third-party plugin is discontinued, an alternative has to be found.

WebinOne reduces that fragmentation because its core functionality is developed and maintained as part of the same platform.

The platform features cost-effective plans for entry-level sites, with features and resources expanding according to the requirements of the website. Ecommerce plans also have zero WebinOne transaction fees. 

The exact cost for a client website will depend on its requirements, although the value is in looking at what is included rather than comparing one headline hosting figure with another.

For businesses that require several different website functions, an integrated platform can be surprisingly economical.

No Plugin Puzzle to Maintain

Plugins have made platforms such as WordPress incredibly flexible. They can also introduce another layer of ongoing website management.

A WordPress website may use plugins developed by many different companies. Each plugin can have its own update schedule, licence, support arrangements and compatibility requirements. When the WordPress core, theme, PHP version or another plugin changes, there is always the possibility that part of that ecosystem may need attention.

WebinOne does not depend on that plugin model.

Its core website features are native to the platform and maintained by the WebinOne development team. That does not mean every WebinOne website is completely maintenance-free. Websites still need to be monitored, content needs to be maintained and integrations need to be managed appropriately.

It does mean there are fewer independently developed components sitting underneath the website. For clients, this generally creates a cleaner and more controlled environment.

It Is Easy for Clients to Manage

A powerful CMS is not particularly helpful if ordinary website administrators are apprehensive to use it. One of the things we like about WebinOne is that clients do not need to be website developers to make routine changes.

The administration system is browser based, so there is no software to install, and clients can manage website content from their computer without needing access to the underlying website code. It also features a responsive administration panel, in-browser editing tools, WYSIWYG editor and file management capabilities. 

Depending on how we structure the site, a client can manage areas such as:

• Website pages
• Blog posts
• Team members
• Services
• Products
• FAQs
• Galleries
• Events
• Locations
• Downloads
• Testimonials
• Forms
• Other custom website content

This is particularly valuable when we use Custom Modules.

Instead of asking a client to edit complicated page layouts, we can create structured ‘form based’ areas specifically for the information they need to manage.

For example, a website could contain a module for:

Job Opportunities

The client simply enters:

• Position title
• Location
• Closing date
• Position description
• Downloadable document
• Application link

The website template then determines how that information is displayed.

Another website may have a Training Locations module where the client manages:

• Venue name
• Address
• Courses available
• Parking information
• Public transport
• Contact details
• Map information

The client focuses on managing the information rather than formatting the website every time something changes.

WebinOne supports both system modules and flexible Custom Modules, including relationships between different sets of structured content. This is one of the features we use extensively when developing websites for clients.

Simple for the Client. Powerful for the Developer.

One of the strengths of WebinOne is that ease of use for the website owner does not have to come at the expense of development flexibility.

Behind the administration interface, WebinOne provides developers with substantial control over how a website is built.

The platform supports:

• HTML
• CSS
• JavaScript
• Liquid templating
• Custom Modules
• Custom layouts
• Server-side functionality
• APIs
• Webhooks
• External integrations

WebinOne currently provides more than 300 APIs, allowing developers to connect the platform with external systems where required. 

This gives us considerably more flexibility than we would have with a highly restrictive drag-and-drop website builder. We can create a website that is straightforward for the client to maintain while still having the development access needed to build more sophisticated functionality behind it.

That balance is important.

A CMS should not force the website design to fit the platform. The platform should give us the tools to build the website the business actually needs.

Built for Search Engine Optimisation

SEO is another major reason we use WebinOne.

As an agency that provides professional SEO services, we need to be able to control the technical and on-page elements that influence how a website is understood by search engines.

Depending on the site and its structure, we can optimise areas including:

• Page titles
• Meta descriptions
• Heading structure
• Open Graph
• Structured Data
• Canonical URLs
• URL structure
• XML sitemaps
• Robots directives
• Image alt and title tags
• Internal linking
• Menu title tags
• Breadcrumbs
• Service pages
• Location pages
• Product information
• Blog content
• Redirects
• Domain Forwards

WebinOne's use of Liquid templating gives us another significant advantage. Where a website contains large amounts of structured content, we can use the information already stored within the CMS to generate SEO elements dynamically.

For example, a training provider may have dozens of course location pages. Instead of manually adding the same SEO structure to every location, we can build the template so that relevant information such as the course, suburb, city or training type is used automatically where appropriate.

The same principle can be applied to:

• Product collections
• Service locations
• Property listings
• Team profiles
• Events
• Job opportunities
• Retreat pages
• Resource libraries

This can create a much more consistent SEO foundation across a large website while still allowing us to optimise important pages individually.

It is also one of the reasons Sirocco Digital specialises in SEO for WebinOne websites. We understand both the SEO strategy and the CMS underneath it, which means we can often implement changes at the structural or template level rather than simply editing individual pages.

A Strong Platform for Ecommerce

WebinOne can also support businesses selling products, digital products and services online. Its ecommerce functionality is integrated into the platform rather than operating as a separate third-party shopping cart.

WebinOne's product system supports configurable product structures, multiple price points, catalogues, inventory-related attributes and SEO optimisation. It can also accommodate physical products, digital downloads, recurring services and gift vouchers. 

Another important commercial advantage is that WebinOne currently charges zero transaction fees on its ecommerce plans. The payment gateway itself may still charge its normal processing fees, although WebinOne does not take an additional percentage of every sale. For a growing online store, that distinction can become increasingly important.

CRM and Forms Are Already Connected to the Website

Forms are often treated as an afterthought when websites are built. Yet for many service businesses, the enquiry form is one of the most important parts of the entire website.

WebinOne includes forms and CRM functionality within the platform, allowing website enquiries and customer information to be managed within the same environment rather than automatically requiring a separate form provider.

Depending on the project, this can support:

• Contact forms
• Quote requests
• Event registrations
• Course enquiries
• Newsletter subscriptions
• Application forms
• Customer records
• Workflow notifications
• Automated responses

Where a business already uses a specialist external CRM such as HubSpot or another business platform, WebinOne's APIs and integration capabilities can also be used to connect systems rather than forcing the business to abandon tools it already relies on.

The advantage is choice. We can use the built-in functionality where it suits the project and integrate specialist systems where there is a genuine business reason to do so.

Hosting Is Part of the Platform

Hosting is another area that is sometimes overlooked when comparing CMS platforms.

WebinOne is a hosted platform operating on Amazon Web Services infrastructure, with six global data centre locations currently available. For Australian clients, the ability to host within an Australian data centre can be particularly useful.

WebinOne currently reports 99.99% uptime over the previous 12 months and also provides dedicated hosting options for larger or more demanding projects. SSL certificates are included for live sites and managed through the platform. 

Again, the advantage is integration. The CMS and hosting environment are not two completely unrelated products supplied by different companies.

The Platform Continues to Develop

Another consideration when choosing a CMS is what happens after the website launches. Technology moves quickly. Search changes. Security requirements change. Customer expectations change. New ways of selling and communicating online emerge.

A website platform therefore needs to keep developing as well.

WebinOne regularly introduces platform improvements and maintains a public roadmap where partners can see planned features, improvements and development priorities. 

The platform has also expanded beyond its original Treepl CMS positioning into a broader Digital Experience Platform. That includes newer AI-assisted development capabilities through AgentOne, which WebinOne is developing to assist agency partners with areas such as development, content operations and website management. This allows us to provide more efficient delivery of site programming which makes developing new functionality more cost-effective.

What About WordPress, Shopify, Wix or Webflow?

There is no single CMS that is perfect for every website. WordPress, Shopify, Wix, Squarespace and Webflow all have situations where they can be appropriate.

The question we ask is not:

Which platform is the most famous?

It is:

Which platform gives this business the best combination of functionality, flexibility, usability and long-term value?

WebinOne is particularly strong when a business wants:

• A professionally developed fully customised website
• Easy day-to-day content management
• Integrated website functionality
• Strong SEO control
• Ecommerce without additional platform transaction fees
• CRM and forms within the same ecosystem
• Custom structured content
• Advanced development flexibility
• Fewer third-party dependencies
• Managed hosting
• A platform capable of growing with the business

For some businesses, a simple hosted website builder may be enough. For others, a specialist ecommerce platform may be required for a very particular retail environment.

For the types of customised business websites we build at Sirocco Digital, WebinOne gives us an unusually strong combination of flexibility and simplicity.

The Real Benefit Is What Happens After Launch

A website should not become difficult to own.

The client should not need to contact a developer every time they want to change a team member, upload a new document, add a location or publish an article. Nor should a growing business discover that every new requirement means purchasing another system and paying another subscription.

This is where we believe WebinOne performs particularly well. We can build a sophisticated website underneath while giving the client a clean, structured way to manage the parts of the website they actually use. As requirements grow, we can extend the website through existing platform functionality, Custom Modules, Liquid development, ecommerce features or API integrations.

That provides an important balance:

The website can be simple to manage without being simple in what it can do.

Why Sirocco Digital Recommends WebinOne

We have spent many years designing, developing, optimising and supporting business websites. That experience has taught us that the best CMS is not necessarily the one with the longest feature comparison chart.

It is the one that makes the website easier to operate while still giving us the technical freedom to improve it. It also means our website design, development and SEO work can operate within the same technical environment.

We know how the platform works, how its templates are constructed, how its structured content can be used and where we can make improvements that extend across the entire website.

That becomes particularly valuable when a website moves beyond its initial build and begins an ongoing program of SEO, content development and conversion improvement.

Looking for a Website That Is Easier to Manage?

The technology behind your website should support your business rather than create another collection of systems to maintain.  Sirocco Digital designs customised WebinOne websites for businesses that want a flexible, easy-to-manage platform with the functionality required to grow online.

We can also help businesses currently using WebinOne improve their existing website through design changes, custom development, technical SEO and ongoing search optimisation.

Talk to Sirocco Digital about building, improving or optimising your website with WebinOne.