The unseen cost of bad content management - cutting corners and chaotic content sprawl

In our last two articles, we explored how unseen experts shape your website and what happens when their knowledge is lost.

Now, let's dive into another hidden challenge: what happens when content piles up unchecked, creating content sprawl. This creeping chaos makes websites harder to manage, frustrates users, and silently drains time and resources.

Think of your website as a building. You can get by without a doorman—just as you can get by without a clear content management strategy. But sooner or later, that decision will come back to haunt you.

Without a doorman deliveries go missing, visitors get lost, and unwanted guests walk right in.

Now, translate that into content:

• Important updates vanish into cluttered folders.
• Users struggle to find what they need.
• Outdated content lingers, confusing visitors and staff alike.

This is content sprawl—the uncontrolled accumulation of pages, documents, and information that no one quite knows what to do with. Over time, it turns a well-structured website into a tangled mess where even the most important content gets buried.

A well-managed website isn’t just about making things look nice—it’s about ensuring everything runs smoothly, securely, and effectively. When you skip steps, you invite long-term problems that cost far more than doing things right the first time.

A company had been adding content to its website for over a decade with no real structure. Policies were stacked on top of each other, outdated pages remained visible, and critical information was buried in random folders. The editor responsible did their best to keep things updated, but without clear guidelines, they simply placed new content wherever it seemed to fit.

This isn’t unusual. Many organisations underestimate the value of structured content management and documented knowledge—until they’re faced with the fallout of not having it. What could have been a well-structured digital space (and an easy handover to the new Editor) became an expensive mess to untangle.

The Long-Term Effects: Neglecting content strategy isn’t just an inconvenience; it has real consequences:

• Loss of knowledge – Key information disappears when people leave.
• Inefficiency – Teams waste time searching for the right content.
• Missed opportunities – Outdated or hard-to-find content can drive potential customers or supporters away.
• Security risks – Unmaintained content and user permissions can expose vulnerabilities.

The good news? This is all preventable. Investing in a proper CMS, structured workflows, and ongoing content governance saves time, money, and frustration. With Plone, for example, you’re not just getting software—you’re getting a long-term strategy that keeps your digital presence strong and scalable.

So next time someone suggests skipping documentation, training, or structured content management, ask yourself: are you really saving time, or are you just passing the problem to your future self?

Shortcuts in content management don’t save time—they create debt. And when content sprawl takes over, fixing it becomes a massive, expensive effort.