Moji zákazníci na tvorbu webových stránek mě často osloví s dotazem, jestli máme vlastní redakční systém a nebo whether we “cobble it together” on those free systems. If it were a company with a turnover in the billions and very specific requirements, I would understand. But when it is an ordinary website with a few subpages…
Free content management systems include, for example, WordPress or Joomla. You can learn how to build a website yourself for free using WordPress in the series I’m Building My Own Website.
If someone asks me this with an undertone in their voice suggesting that “those free things are some kind of low-quality whatchamacallit,” then it is clear to me that, before they came to me, they fell into the clutches of a clever salesperson selling some “super system for super money.”
WordPress and Joomla are sophisticated systems
WordPress is the most widely used content management system in the world and it is used by very solid websites with a lot of traffic too. It is a very high-quality system.
Joomla is not as widespread, but it is also a very high-quality system, and plenty of solid websites with high traffic and earnings in the millions use it. The main difference between these two systems is that they are simply different: they suit different purposes. More on the details another time.
What is a CMS and how does it work
A CMS, short for content management system, is software that lets you create, edit and publish website content without writing code. You log in to an administration area, write a page or article in an editor that works much like a word processor, add images and click publish. The system stores your content in a database and shows it on the website through a template.
In web design, a CMS separates content from design. A designer or developer prepares the look of the website once, as a theme or template. After that, you can add and change content yourself without touching the design. This is why a CMS is often called a platform. It is the base the whole website runs on, and other features are built on top of it.
What a CMS usually handles
- Pages and articles, including drafts and scheduled publishing.
- A media library for images, videos and documents.
- Menus and navigation.
- User accounts with different roles, such as author, editor and administrator.
- Extensions that add features like contact forms, online shops or language versions.
What CMS means in WordPress
WordPress is itself a CMS. When people talk about the CMS in WordPress, they usually mean its administration area, where you manage posts, pages, media and plugins. The core of WordPress handles the content, themes control how the website looks and plugins add extra features.
High quality and free? Yes
Some people think that if something is free, it cannot be any good.
This may be true of a trainee hairdresser compared with an experienced hairdresser with years of practice, but it does not apply to computers. With computers, you will often find very high-quality services and products completely free of charge. And even the trainee hairdresser can sometimes be better than the paid one. However, BEWARE, sometimes free tools for your website really are not worth a damn! You need to know what you are getting into. Apart from Joomla and WordPress, I have also tried other free content management systems, and most of them were rubbish. If I, as a project manager, were to take on the development of a system similar to WordPress, it would be a contract worth several million. Only a fool would not take advantage of it when it is free.
Another point is that the WordPress and Joomla content management systems are constantly being developed by someone. If you had your own system and wanted to keep up with the times, you would have to pay a developer to work on the system continuously.
Why are they free?
Most free software starts with the enthusiasm of a young developer. Either alone or with friends, they first create a simple system for their own needs and then make it available to other people, because why not.
If the idea catches on, the developer is pleased that people thank them and keeps working on the system for free. Then someone else joins in, and suddenly there is a whole team of enthusiasts. They create a website where people thank them and perhaps even send donations to support them. When the system grows and becomes a worldwide hit, it naturally brings in considerable money, even though it is free. For example, people make donations towards the maintenance of the system. Or there are organisations that are happy to pay for a special version of the system for themselves, and who could do it better than its creator? Or there are paid add-on featuresthat quite a lot of people pay extra for. Or advertising can be placed on the page where the system is available for download. And so on and so forth. Last but not least, there is enormous prestige. Thousands of people know the programmers of systems such as WordPress and Joomla, and they will never be short of well paid work.
What is a custom-built system good for?
It is a different matter with highly demanding websites or websites with a specific structure and requirements.
Such as an online timetable or a dictionary. Or the website of a film company connected to its existing film database. For websites like these, it is better to program a custom-built system. Alternatively, custom-built systems are used by organisations such as Pražská elektrická, where every article goes through an approval process involving around 180 people, so these approval processes are built into the website. Or if it were a website with millions of visitors a day, that would also call for a custom-built system. These are websites that are handled in a completely different way. They also use a different programming language and so on. Simply put, complications. Otherwise, in 15 years of building websites, I have basically never come across an ordinary website that would not be suitable to run on a free content management system. When I did come across one, it was, for example, because the client simply wanted something special and a custom-built system was easier to sell to them. Or they were websites with genuinely very specific requirements.
Common mistakes when choosing a content management system
- Deciding on the basis of a sales pitch. Start with what your website needs to do, not with what someone wants to sell you.
- Ignoring who will edit the website. If the people adding content are not technical, the administration area must be simple for them.
- Installing too many plugins. Each one needs updates and can conflict with others, so add only what you really use.
- Forgetting about updates and backups. Any CMS needs regular updates to stay secure, and you should always have a recent backup.
- Not thinking about moving later. Check whether you can export your content if you ever want to change provider or system.
Your own system will always be worse
Pokud chce někdo “vlastní systém” v řádech desítek tisíc, tak to vždy bude horší než WordPress a Joomla. I kdyby to byly jen peníze za licenci.
Dělal jsem dřív lidem vlastní systémy, ale upustil jsem od toho, je to prostě blbost.
To se prostě už nedělá, dnešní WordPress a Joomla jsou natolik kvalitní, že není důvod.
Do redakčních systémů zdarma můžete naprogramovat co chcete pomocí pluginů, takže to vůbec nemusí zvenčí vypadat jako WordPress nebo Joomla.
Možná si někdo myslí, že WordPress = blog. Tak to není. Na WordPressu můžete rozběhnout web, který vypadá jakkoliv. Stejně tak na Joomle.
How to choose the best CMS for your website
There is no single best CMS for everyone. The right choice depends on your website and the people who run it. These steps will help you decide.
- List what the website must do. A presentation site, a blog and an online shop each have different needs.
- Decide who will manage it. Think about how often content will change and how confident the editors are with technology.
- Compare the running costs. For example, if hosting costs you $100 a year, a free CMS adds nothing to that, while a licensed system adds its own fee on top.
- Try the administration area. Many systems offer a demo, so you can test writing and publishing a page before you commit.
- Check the community and support. A widely used system makes it easier to find developers, documentation and ready-made extensions.
Frequently asked questions about what a CMS is
What is a CMS?
A CMS, or content management system, is software that lets you manage the content of a website without programming. You write and edit pages in an administration area and the system publishes them on the website. WordPress and Joomla are well-known examples.
What is CMS software?
CMS software is the program that runs a content-managed website. It stores your texts, images and settings in a database and displays them through templates. You install it on web hosting or use it as a hosted service.
What is CMS in web design?
In web design, a CMS separates the design of a website from its content. The designer creates the templates once and you then manage the content yourself. This means you can update the website without asking a developer for every change.
What is the best CMS?
The best CMS is the one that fits your needs, budget and team. For most ordinary websites, a widely used free system such as WordPress or Joomla is enough. A custom-built system makes sense mainly for websites with very specific requirements.
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