If Your Website Runs on Drupal, You’re Not Behind — You’re Just Under-Supported
Drupal has a reputation problem.
People hear “Drupal” and think:
outdated
overengineered
expensive
hard to maintain
But here’s the reality:
Most Drupal sites aren’t failing because of Drupal.
They’re struggling because no one is actively supporting them anymore.
And in 2026, that’s a bigger risk than using the “wrong” platform.
Why So Many Important Websites Still Run on Drupal
Drupal didn’t become widely adopted by accident.
It powers:
universities
government agencies
healthcare organizations
large nonprofits
complex B2B companies
Drupal excels at:
structured content
complex permissions
scalability
security at scale
It isn’t flashy. It’s infrastructure.
And infrastructure only works when someone is responsible for it.
The Real Problem: Drupal Without a Steward
Most Drupal sites were:
built years ago
customized heavily
launched successfully
then quietly left alone
Developers move on.
Agencies change.
Documentation gets outdated.
The site still “works” — but no one wants to touch it.
That’s not a platform issue.
That’s an ownership issue.
Common Pain Points We See on Drupal Sites
If this list feels familiar, you’re not alone.
Updates Feel Dangerous
Core, module, or PHP updates feel like landmines. One change could break something no one remembers building — so updates get delayed or skipped entirely.
Marketing Feels Locked Out
Content exists, but:
landing pages require dev tickets
templates feel rigid
SEO improvements are slow
Drupal wasn’t set up for marketing agility — not because it can’t, but because it wasn’t configured to.
Performance Degrades Quietly
Nothing fails loudly. Pages just get slower. Caching drifts. Modules pile up. Hosting configs age.
Quiet problems are the hardest to fix.
No One Knows What’s Critical
There’s no clear answer to:
what can be removed
what must stay
what’s custom vs core
That uncertainty freezes progress.
This Isn’t Just You — Drupal Teams Talk About This Openly
These challenges aren’t theoretical.
The Drupal community itself has been unpacking them — especially what happens after launch, when ownership gets murky.
A recent Drupal Association session, “Forks, Features, and Frustration: Technical Lessons from 100+ Drupal Sites,”puts this reality on full display.
The talk is developer-focused, but the lesson is universal.
It breaks down what happens when a Drupal platform must support:
100+ independent sites
different editorial and technical needs
custom modules built outside the core team
multiple agencies and maintainers
varying levels of control and autonomy
The result isn’t chaos — it’s complexity without governance.
The Business Lesson Hidden in a Technical Talk
What this session really shows is something site owners feel every day:
small teams need things to “just work”
larger teams want flexibility
customization accumulates
updates become risky
no one knows where the guardrails are
This is how Drupal sites become fragile by accident.
Not because they were built poorly — but because no one was assigned long-term responsibility.
Drupal Isn’t the Problem. Neglect Is.
Drupal is powerful, stable, and flexible.
But it isn’t “set it and forget it.”
Without:
regular updates
performance tuning
architectural oversight
documentation
Drupal becomes risky.
With those things, it becomes one of the most reliable platforms available.
When You Shouldn’t Rebuild Your Drupal Site
Rebuilding is tempting. It feels like a reset.
But rebuilding is often the wrong move when:
the content model is solid
the site meets real business needs
the pain comes from maintenance, not structure
In many cases, supporting and stabilizing Drupal delivers better outcomes — faster and with far less risk.
What Real Drupal Support Looks Like
Good Drupal support isn’t just maintenance.
It includes:
safe, staged updates
module and configuration audits
performance and caching optimization
security monitoring
SEO and marketing enablement
documentation and knowledge transfer
Support turns Drupal from a liability back into an asset.
Why Drupal Needs Specialists — Not Generalists
Drupal rewards teams who:
understand its architecture
respect its complexity
know when not to intervene
Generalist agencies often avoid Drupal.
We don’t.
How Ritner Digital Supports Drupal Sites
At Ritner Digital, we help organizations:
stabilize legacy Drupal builds
modernize without rebuilding
reduce update risk
improve performance and usability
make Drupal workable for marketing teams
If your Drupal site feels powerful but precarious, that’s a support problem — not a platform failure.
👉🏼 Reach out to Ritner Digital to talk about your Drupal site.
You don’t need to start over. You need stewardship.
Because the best website isn’t the newest one.
It’s the one you can trust.
FAQs
Is Drupal still a good platform in 2026?
Yes — especially for complex, high-stakes websites.
Drupal continues to power universities, government agencies, healthcare organizations, and large nonprofits because of its security, flexibility, and ability to handle structured content at scale. The challenge isn’t Drupal itself — it’s maintaining and supporting it properly over time.
Why do Drupal sites feel hard to manage?
Most Drupal sites aren’t hard by design — they’re hard because they’ve outlived their original team.
Over time, agencies change, developers leave, documentation disappears, and custom code accumulates. Without clear ownership, even a well-built Drupal site can start to feel fragile and risky to update.
Should we rebuild our Drupal site or keep it?
Rebuilding is often unnecessary.
If your site’s content model and structure still serve your business, ongoing Drupal support is usually faster, safer, and more cost-effective than a full rebuild. Many issues stem from neglected maintenance, not architectural failure.
Why are Drupal updates so risky?
Drupal updates touch core, contributed modules, and often custom code.
Without proper staging, testing, and dependency management, updates can break functionality or layouts. This leads teams to delay updates — which increases security and stability risks over time.
Can Drupal work for marketing teams?
Yes — when it’s configured intentionally.
Drupal can support flexible content, landing pages, and SEO workflows, but many legacy builds weren’t designed with marketing agility in mind. With the right setup and guardrails, Drupal can be both stable and usable for non-technical teams.
Is Drupal bad for SEO?
No. Poorly maintained Drupal sites are bad for SEO.
Drupal has a strong technical SEO foundation, but issues like slow performance, outdated modules, and rigid templates can hurt visibility. With proper support, Drupal performs extremely well in search.
Why do so many agencies avoid Drupal?
Drupal requires specialization.
It’s not a drag-and-drop CMS, and it doesn’t reward guesswork. Agencies that focus on simpler platforms often avoid Drupal because it demands deeper technical expertise and long-term responsibility.
What does Drupal support actually include?
Real Drupal support goes beyond “keeping the site online.”
It typically includes:
core and module updates
security monitoring
performance optimization
configuration and module audits
SEO and marketing enablement
documentation and knowledge transfer
Support is about risk reduction, not just maintenance.
Can Ritner Digital take over an existing Drupal site?
Yes — this is one of the most common scenarios we handle.
Ritner Digital supports existing Drupal sites by stabilizing updates, improving performance, documenting critical systems, and making the site safer and easier to manage long-term — without forcing a rebuild.
How do we know if our Drupal site is under-supported?
Warning signs include:
fear of updates
slow performance with no clear cause
reliance on one person who “knows how it works”
lack of documentation
years between major updates
If your site feels risky to touch, it likely needs support.
When does it make sense to move off Drupal?
Migration makes sense when:
your site’s complexity no longer exists
marketing needs outweigh architectural benefits
internal teams can’t support Drupal long-term
Even then, migration should be intentional — not reactive.
How can Ritner Digital help?
Ritner Digital specializes in supporting, stabilizing, and modernizing Drupal sites.
If your Drupal site feels powerful but fragile…
👉🏼 Reach out to Ritner Digital.
You don’t need a rebuild. You need support.
Related Reads
👀
Related Reads 👀
