Choosing the Right CMS

The content management system (CMS) question sparks surprisingly strong opinions. WordPress advocates will tell you it powers 40% of the web, so it must be right. Critics will point to security vulnerabilities, plugin conflicts, and maintenance nightmares. Developers have their favourite tools. Agencies push whatever they specialise in.

The truth is that different businesses need different solutions. The right CMS depends on your requirements, your team's capabilities, your budget, and how much ongoing maintenance you can tolerate. This article helps you make an informed choice.

What a CMS Actually Does

A CMS lets you manage website content without editing code directly. Instead of writing HTML, you log into a dashboard, edit text, upload images, and publish changes.

The core functions are creating and editing pages, managing media like images and documents, controlling who can access what, and publishing content to your live site.

Beyond these basics, CMS platforms differ dramatically in how they work, what they assume, and what trade-offs they make.

WordPress: The Default Choice and Its Problems

WordPress powers roughly 40% of websites. It is the default suggestion from many agencies and the first thing many people think of when they hear "CMS". There are good reasons for its popularity, but also significant drawbacks that are rarely discussed honestly.

Why WordPress became dominant

WordPress started as blogging software and evolved into a general-purpose CMS. Its strengths include a huge ecosystem of themes and plugins, many developers who know it, relatively low initial costs, and flexibility to do almost anything.

For many years, WordPress was the sensible default. If you did not have specific reasons to choose something else, WordPress was fine.

The maintenance burden

Here is what the WordPress pitch often omits: WordPress sites require ongoing maintenance that many businesses are not prepared for.

Core updates release multiple times per year. Some are security patches that need applying promptly. Others change functionality in ways that can break plugins or themes.

Plugin updates are constant. A site with 20 plugins might have 20 updates per month. Each update can potentially break something. Plugins interact with each other and with WordPress core in unpredictable ways. An update to one plugin can break a completely unrelated feature.

Security vulnerabilities are discovered regularly. WordPress's popularity makes it a target. Outdated WordPress installations, themes, or plugins are common entry points for hackers. A hacked site can be used for spam, malware distribution, or redirecting your visitors to scam sites.

Plugin abandonment is a hidden risk. That plugin solving a critical function might stop being maintained. One day it stops working with a WordPress update, and you discover there is no alternative.

We have seen businesses spend more on maintaining their WordPress sites than they spent building them. Security cleanups, emergency fixes when updates break things, troubleshooting plugin conflicts, and developer time spent managing updates rather than improving the site.

When WordPress still makes sense

WordPress is not universally bad. It makes sense when you need a blog with frequent content updates, you have a developer or agency managing it properly, your requirements fit well within existing plugins, and you accept the maintenance overhead.

For a business that publishes daily content and has technical resources to maintain the site, WordPress can work well. For a service business that updates their site quarterly and has no technical staff, the maintenance burden often exceeds the benefits.

Headless CMS: Flexibility and Complexity

A headless CMS separates content management from content display. You manage content in the CMS, but the CMS does not build your website. Instead, developers build a separate frontend that pulls content from the CMS via an API.

How headless works

Traditional CMS platforms like WordPress are "coupled" because the same system manages content and generates web pages. Headless CMS platforms are "decoupled" because content management and content display are separate systems.

Popular headless options include Contentful, Sanity, Storyblok, and Strapi. These provide clean interfaces for managing content, then make that content available via API for developers to use however they want.

Advantages of headless

Performance. Because the frontend is built separately, often as a static site, headless sites can be extremely fast.

Flexibility. Content can be displayed on websites, apps, digital signage, or anywhere else. You are not locked into one presentation.

Developer experience. Frontend developers can use modern tools and frameworks rather than wrestling with WordPress theme architecture.

Security. The CMS is separate from the public website. Even if someone found a vulnerability in the CMS, the public site is just static files with nothing to hack.

Disadvantages of headless

Complexity. You need developers to build the frontend. Non-technical users cannot install a theme and have a working site.

Cost. Headless CMS platforms often have monthly fees based on usage. Development costs are typically higher than WordPress.

Overkill for simple sites. If you just need a five-page brochure site, headless architecture is unnecessary complexity.

When headless makes sense

Headless suits businesses with developer resources, whether in-house or a retained agency, who want high performance and are willing to invest upfront for lower ongoing maintenance. It suits businesses who want to use their content across multiple channels. It does not suit businesses who want to build a site cheaply and manage it themselves without technical help.

Static Site Generators: Speed and Simplicity

Static site generators (SSGs) create websites as collections of HTML files, built once and served without server processing. There is no database, no server-side code running on each request, just files delivered to browsers.

How static sites work

You write content (often in Markdown files or a connected headless CMS), run a build process, and the generator creates HTML files for every page. These files are uploaded to hosting and served directly.

Popular options include Astro, Next.js (in static export mode), Hugo, Eleventy, and Gatsby.

Advantages of static sites

Speed. With no server processing per request, static sites are inherently fast. The server just delivers files.

Security. No database to hack. No server-side code to exploit. The attack surface is minimal.

Reliability. Simple files served from a CDN rarely go down. No database crashes, no memory issues, no server overload.

Low hosting costs. Static files can be hosted cheaply or free on platforms like Netlify, Vercel, or Cloudflare Pages.

Low maintenance. No WordPress updates, no plugin conflicts, no database optimisation. Once built, static sites just work.

Disadvantages of static sites

Technical to update. Most static site setups require some technical knowledge to edit content, unless connected to a headless CMS.

Build times. Changes require rebuilding the site. For small sites this is seconds; for large sites it can be minutes.

Limited dynamic features. Features requiring server-side processing (user accounts, complex forms, real-time content) need additional services or workarounds.

When static makes sense

Static sites suit service businesses who want fast, secure, low-maintenance websites. They update infrequently, perhaps monthly or quarterly. They do not need complex dynamic features. They have access to a developer for updates, or are comfortable with a headless CMS for content editing.

For a garage door company that updates their site a few times per year, a static site delivers excellent performance with minimal ongoing maintenance. The site does not need daily content updates or user accounts. It just needs to present services, show credibility, and capture enquiries.

Website Builders: When Simple Is Enough

Squarespace, Wix, and similar platforms offer drag-and-drop website building with hosting included. They are often dismissed by developers but have legitimate use cases.

What website builders offer

Everything in one package: templates, editing tools, hosting, security, and updates. No technical knowledge required. Monthly subscription covers everything.

Advantages of website builders

Simplicity. Anyone can edit content without technical skills.

Predictable costs. One monthly fee covers hosting and maintenance.

No maintenance burden. The platform handles security and updates.

Good enough design. Modern templates look professional.

Disadvantages of website builders

Limited customisation. You are constrained by what the platform allows.

Platform dependency. You cannot take your site elsewhere easily.

Performance. Often slower than custom-built sites.

Recurring costs. Monthly fees continue indefinitely.

When website builders make sense

For businesses starting out with limited budget who need a simple web presence quickly, website builders are genuinely fine. A professional-looking Squarespace site is better than no website or a poorly executed WordPress site.

If your requirements are simple, perhaps five pages, a contact form, some photos, do not let anyone convince you that you need a complex custom build. Simple requirements can have simple solutions.

The limitation is growth. If you later want more customisation, better performance, or specific functionality, you may hit the platform's limits and need to start over.

Making the Decision

Assess your requirements

What does your site actually need to do? Be specific.

Content volume and frequency. Do you publish daily blog posts, or update your site quarterly? High-frequency content benefits from robust CMS features. Infrequent updates do not require them.

Technical resources. Do you have developers available, or do you need non-technical staff to manage everything? This determines which options are realistic.

Performance requirements. Is speed critical? Will you be spending significantly on advertising driving traffic to the site?

Budget. What can you spend upfront and ongoing? Some solutions cost more initially but less over time. Others are cheap to start but expensive to maintain.

Future needs. Will requirements grow? Choosing a flexible foundation prevents rebuilding later.

Match solutions to requirements

Simple brochure site, non-technical team, limited budget: Squarespace or Wix. Accept the limitations in exchange for simplicity.

Content-heavy site, regular updates, some technical resources: WordPress can work if you commit to proper maintenance. Consider headless alternatives if maintenance burden concerns you.

Service business, infrequent updates, wants performance and low maintenance: Static site generator with a headless CMS for content editing. Higher initial investment, lower ongoing costs.

Complex requirements, developer resources available, long-term view: Headless CMS with custom frontend. Maximum flexibility, requires ongoing development capability.

Questions to ask providers

If someone recommends a platform, ask why. What are the alternatives? What are the trade-offs? What are the ongoing maintenance requirements?

Specifically ask about the maintenance burden with WordPress, whether they can list what ongoing maintenance involves and what happens if they stop supporting you.

Ask about performance. What load times should you expect? How do they achieve them?

Ask about ownership. Can you take the site elsewhere? What happens to your content if you change providers?

Be wary of anyone who insists their preferred platform is the only option. Different situations genuinely require different solutions.

The Hidden Cost of Stagnation

Whatever you choose, plan for the long term. Websites need ongoing attention, whether that is WordPress maintenance, content updates, or periodic redesigns.

The worst outcome is a site built and then neglected. A WordPress site left without updates becomes a security risk. Any site with outdated content erodes trust. Technology moves on; what was modern becomes dated.

Budget for ongoing costs. Understand what maintenance involves. Have a plan for keeping the site current. The CMS choice affects what that maintenance looks like, but no choice eliminates it entirely.

A CMS is a tool. The best tool depends on the job. Choose based on your actual requirements and constraints, not on what is popular or what someone is selling. A well-chosen CMS makes your life easier. A poorly chosen one creates problems for years to come.