Content Management System Questions

A content management system (CMS) stores and manages all your website information (content) and formats it for presentation to the user. It simplifies the creation and ongoing maintenance of a website. It saves you from having to write all the program code necessary to render (or display) you content.

There are two main types of Content Management Systems available today.

OpenSource CMS (e.g. WordPress, Joomla & Drupal)

OpenSource CMS’s are the most popular and sophisticated. They provide the most flexibility in creating dynamic websites. They provide web designers the most flexibility in creating feature rich sites.  OpenSource CMS tools require software to be loaded on a web server provided by a hosting service (e.g. GoDaddy, Dreamhost, Bluehost, etc.). They also require frequent software updates for security and new features.

Website Builder’s (e.g. Wix, SquareSpace, Shopify, Big Commerce, etc.)

Website Builders offer a simpler approach to building a website. They offer easy to use page editors and simplify the process of adding content to pages. They don’t require periodic updating of software by the site developer.

However, Website Builders are typically constrained in what features can be added to the site and provide fewer presentation formatting options. For example, today Wix provides 2 formatting options (one size for a Desktop and one for phones), while full CMS systems provide unlimited formatting options (e.g. large or small desktops, tablets, phones, etc.).

We work with several CMS platforms. Our fully responsive sites are typically built using WordPress. However, we have experience in Joomla. For e-commerce, we work primarily with Shopify. For Website Builder sites we work with Wix and SquareSpace. Feel free to talk with us about other CMS platforms, as we’re open to working with others, too.

No. We do not directly provide hosting services. We believe it’s important for our clients to own and control the relationship with the hosting provider. This simplifies the process should you decide to move to another web developer.

A responsive website automatically adjusts when the browser is reduced. This means that your website can be designed to look great on any size device, e.g. Large or small Desktop monitor, large tablet, small tablet, phone, etc. Content Management Systems like WordPress and Joomla provide responsive templates that can be customized for a variety of devices. Although most CMS’s offer a minimum of desktop/tablet view and phone view they may not offer the wide range of options of fully responsive systems.