CMS

A CMS (Content Management System) is software that lets you create, edit, and manage website content without needing to write code. Instead of editing HTML files directly, you use a visual editor — similar to writing in a Word document — and the CMS handles the technical side of publishing it to your website.

WordPress is by far the most well-known CMS, powering over 40% of all websites. But there are many others, each designed for different needs.

Types of CMS

Traditional CMS (WordPress, Joomla, Drupal): The content editor and the website are tightly connected. What you see in the editor is roughly what appears on your site. Easy to get started with, huge ecosystem of plugins and themes.

Headless CMS (Sanity, Contentful, Strapi): The content is stored separately from how it's displayed. Developers build the frontend (what visitors see) using modern frameworks like React or Next.js, and pull content from the CMS via an API. This gives much more design flexibility and performance but requires developer involvement for the frontend.

Website builders (Squarespace, Wix, Webflow): All-in-one platforms where you design and manage your site visually. Simpler than WordPress but less flexible.

When to use a CMS vs a custom solution

A CMS is ideal when:

• You need to update content frequently (blog posts, product pages, team bios).
• Non-technical team members need to make changes independently.
• Your content is relatively structured and text-based.

A custom-built solution makes more sense when:

• You need complex functionality beyond content display (user accounts, dashboards, calculations).
• Performance and scalability are critical.
• You need tight integration with other business systems.

Many modern websites use a hybrid approach: a headless CMS for content management combined with a custom-built frontend for the user experience. This gives you the best of both worlds — easy content editing with complete design freedom.