If you’re thinking about creating a website, one of the first questions you might face is: “Should I use a CMS, or build a regular website without one?”
What Is a CMS?
A Content Management System (CMS) is a tool that lets you easily build, update, and manage a website — all through a user-friendly dashboard. With a CMS, you can create and publish content without needing to touch a single line of code. If you’ve ever used a blog editor or updated your social media bio, you already have a feel for what a CMS is like.
Some of the popular CMS’s out there are:
- WordPress
- Wix
- Squarespace
- Shopify
- Drupal
What Is a “Regular” Website Without a CMS?
A traditional (non-CMS) website is usually built using raw HTML, CSS, and JavaScript – either from scratch or with the help of a developer. The developer writes every piece of content in code. Any type of interaction or animation is also written in code or adopted from another piece of written code.
Although code is hand-written by developers, there are also frameworks they can use that will help expediate the process like Bootstrap (for responsive websites).
Generally, you will need to have a programming knowledge to edit the site. You will also need special software to edit the files.
To make changes you will need to:
- Open code files
- Edit them manually
- Upload them to a server using FTP
- Check that everything still works
CMS vs. Non-CMS: Key Differences
CMS Website
- User-friendly dashboard, no coding needed
- Edit text and images through a visual editor
- Themes and templates you can customize
- Can be done through admin panel
- Slightly heavier due to built-in features
- Highly customizable with plugins/extensions
- Faster and cheaper to get started
Regular Website (No CMS)
- Requires coding knowledge
- Changes must be made in the code
- Design must be built manually or with a framework
- Manual updates via code and file uploads
- Can be faster if well-coded and optimized
- Extremely flexible, but more time-consuming
- Often more expensive and time-intensive
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