Blog Tipz

Software used to create websites (which you need to install on your computer) have become less and less popular outside of the design/coding fields, which still require Photoshop and Dreamweaver-equivalent programs. We can pretty much click two buttons to have a website up and running with a default template.

Let’s assume we’re talking about WordPress for this discussion, rather than other platforms, as it is one of the most popular. These ideas certainly apply to other platforms that have evolved, but I am sure many of you are quite familiar with WordPress.

Traditional Websites

By definition, traditional websites are those that required you to manually create pages, then using FTP, you could upload them to your website. With some more complex initial setups, you could enable automatic updating, but much of the work still relied on the end-user creating the pages and designing/inserting the content where appropriate.

Today, you don’t have to know any of this to blog with WordPress, let alone create a fairly complex blog/website. So, the question is: is it really necessary to install WordPress (or any other platform) in order to communicate through a simple website?

What CMS Systems Are Capable Of

If you want to create a simple landing page for your product with its own domain, you might consider designing the website, and then uploading it using the “traditional” method. However, when you consider the alternatives, there really are other options.

This website that you have designed (either from scratch or using a pre-designed template) will require you to manually update each page if you happen to be using a desktop editor. Choosing to use WordPress for a simple website is the clear choice, as everything can be done online with ease.

Managing content used to be challenging, unless you were using once-popular CMS systems like Drupal or Joomla. These were designed around modules and managing the look of the template without having to re-design everything when you were aiming to only change minor details.

The Advantages and Disadvantages

When we look at the advantages and disadvantages of using a CMS like WordPress compared to a more manual/traditional route, there really is a clear solution.

Advantages

• Easy to change and modify your existing content.
• Easier to add new content to your site.
• All the basic page editing, comment abilities, and settings are within the back-end.
• Thousands of plugins and themes available with a one-click installation process.
• Better support – you aren’t dealing with simple HTML, but a system provided by a community/company.

Disadvantages

• Easier to setup a basic HTML-based website, especially if you have already designed and populated the website with content.
• WordPress (and other systems) can occasionally have database issues that can wipe out your entire blog.
• Basic sites don’t really requite the advanced features of WordPress, but this is also an advantage.

Your Choice

Now that you’ve seen some of the benefits and disadvantages, you need to make a choice. Simple HTML editor or a full-fledged CMS system?

In all honesty, the CMS system will do more for you, if you want to build the site out with more content in the future. HTML editors can do fine if you have a few custom pages, but won’t work too well if you want to include the ability to leave comments.