Choosing HTML or CMS

As I surf the internet (as I often do). I often wonder why people use different platforms such as Wordpress, Joomla, Drupal or HTML.

I think it would be a good idea to consider which platform to use whwn you think about having a website in the first place. Ask yourself a couple of basic questions like:

• Who is going to manage the site once it has been made
• How many people need access to the site for changes
• How often are changes to the site likely to be made 

If it is just going to be you and nobody else then it would probably be a good idea to use HTML as it gives you maximum control . You can use programs like Adobe Contribute to share work when you need to.

If several people are going to be involved in changing the site content, it would be more advantageous to use a Content Management System (CMS). Once you have the site looking and behaving as you would like. Other users can create and edit the content with various levels of permissions. You still stay in control of course as you would be the site administrator with the ability to edit everything.

I am a fan of hand coding but time constraints mean that I use 3rd party software as well. In Particular, Dreamweaver from Adobe.

There are definite advantages to doing thing differently. Make sure that you look to the future of your website and that will help you decide. The old adage of 'Horses for Courses' will serve you well.

Our website design company offers free advice to all so it costs nothing to ask.

What do you think?