Choosing The Right CMS

A content management system or CMS allows you to easily add, delete, or modify website pages or parts of pages, normally without needing coding skills. The benefit of a CMS even for people who can code is that it saves time and effort for certain types of projects. With an e-commerce site for example, where you're likely to be adding and removing products regularly, it's generally easier to use a CMS where you can simply upload an image, write a description, click a button, and the new page is live on your site with all the necessary interlinking. Another benefit you'll find with many popular content management systems is that there are many add-ons or plug-ins that allow for easy customization and special features.

CMS for Information Sites and Blogs

Wordpress

The most popular content management system on the web is likely . While many people use Wordpress for blogging, it can also be used to make static looking websites with "pages" rather than "posts". You can learn more about Wordpress on our Wordpress page.

Check out our free Wordpress theme, to get you started with Wordpress as quickly as possible.

Drupal

is another very popular CMS, and like Wordpress it comes with free themed templates and tons of plugins for customization. While Drupal can be used for blogging, the consensus seems to be that Wordpress is an easier platform for blogging. However, Drupal may be a better choice than Wordpress as a CMS for both static and e-commerce sites. Check out our e-commerce page for a list of popular content management systems for e-commerce sites.

Other Considerations

Whenever possible we prefer to use a static site rather than a CMS. Content management systems generally require regular upgrades to fix bugs and security vulnerabilities, and often plugins will get screwed up after upgrading to the next CMS version. Every CMS uses a database to store and access information, which adds a layer of complexity to your site. Rather than only having a backup of your static website files, you'll also have to keep a backup of your database. You'll have an additional set of passwords for your database, etc. Therefore, if you don't need the functionality of a blog or e-commerce site you should at least consider building a static website on your own.