Choosing the right CMS

Choosing the right content management system (CMS) is one of the most consequential early decisions when building a website

The content management system shapes everything from how editors publish to how developers extend functionality, how secure the site remains, and how well it scales as traffic and content volumes increase.

First steps

The first step is to define your requirements clearly. Consider the type and volume of content you will host – whether it is a simple blog, a corporate brochure, an e‑commerce catalogue, or a multilingual portal with thousands of pages. Think about the editorial workflow you need: do you require granular approval stages, scheduled publishing, or front‑end editing for non‑technical staff? Assess the technical expertise available – will the site be maintained by a small marketing team, a dedicated development squad, or a mix of both? Identify the integrations you must support, such as CRM, marketing automation, analytics, payment gateways or custom APIs.

Finally, weigh performance and security demands, especially if you expect high traffic or must comply with strict data‑privacy regulations, and factor in budget and licensing considerations, remembering that open‑source software is free to download but still incurs hosting, support and development costs, whereas commercial licences add recurring fees but bring vendor support.

Open source options

Among open‑source options, WordPress stands out for its extremely user‑friendly admin interface, massive plugin marketplace and large community, making it ideal for blogs, small‑to‑medium business sites, news portals and even larger enterprises when paired with managed hosting and proper security hardening. Drupal, by contrast, offers powerful content modelling, fine‑grained permission systems and built‑in multilingual support, which suit complex, data‑driven sites such as government portals, universities and multinational corporations that need custom workflows.

Commercial options

Commercial platforms like Brightspot and Kentico provide richer out‑of‑the‑box digital‑experience tools, marketing automation and enterprise‑grade security, but they come with licence fees and typically require a dedicated development budget. These solutions are well suited to brands that want a blend of editorial flexibility and high‑performance delivery without stitching together numerous third‑party services.

Static site builders

If performance, security and low hosting cost outweigh the need for a rich back‑office editor, a “no‑CMS” approach may be preferable. Static site generators such as Hugo, Jekyll, Eleventy or modern headless frameworks like Next.js and Gatsby compile content into plain HTML files at build time, delivering sub‑second load times, dramatically reduced attack surfaces and cheap hosting on CDNs. The trade‑off is the loss of a traditional editing UI; content authors usually work with markdown files in a Git repository or rely on a separate headless CMS to manage content. This model works well for marketing sites, documentation portals or blogs where updates are infrequent and the team is comfortable with version‑control workflows.

A hybrid or headless strategy combines the benefits of both worlds. In a headless CMS, the system supplies content via APIs, allowing you to render pages with any front‑end technology – React, Vue, Svelte or even plain HTML. WordPress now offers a robust REST API, and dedicated headless platforms such as Strapi, Sanity or Contentful provide flexible editorial interfaces while letting you deliver content through static generation or client‑side rendering. This approach yields the speed and security of static sites alongside the dynamism required for highly interactive experiences.

Prototype

Prototype your top choices. Spin up a lightweight instance of each, import a representative sample of real content, and run a quick usability test with the people who will actually edit the site. Hands‑on experience often reveals hidden friction points that a checklist alone cannot capture. By following this structured evaluation, you can select a CMS that not only launches smoothly but also sustains growth and innovation for years to come.

The final decision

To make the final decision, align your functional needs, technical capacity and financial constraints with the strengths of each platform. If ease of use and a thriving plugin ecosystem are paramount, WordPress remains the default recommendation, provided you invest in security hardening and regular updates. If you need sophisticated content modelling, multilingual support and strict permission controls. For an all‑in‑one commercial solution with built‑in marketing tools, evaluate Brightspot or Kentico against your budget and support expectations. And if performance, security and low hosting cost dominate, explore static site generators or a headless CMS paired with a modern front‑end framework.

Struggling to pick the perfect CMS?

Let me guide you through a personalised assessment, comparing features, costs and scalability to match your goals. Get expert advice, clear recommendations and a roadmap to implement the ideal solution—contact me now and make your website thrive with confidence and peace of mind today.