When deciding what kind of website you want, you should factor in the pros and cons of both an HTML website and a website that runs on a content management system (CMS). You should also think about how often you want to update the website and who’s going to be doing the updates.
HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) has been around for a very long time, and has been the standard for website design for just as long. HTML is considered the building block to various other platforms, and one of them is the content management system. Along with CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), coding with HTML has a strong advantage in customization and search engine optimization. However, when you want to update content, you’re going to need to get into the code and take care of the updates yourself. Typically, site maintenance would be performed by a tech-saavy member of your business or the designer him/herself. But, what happens when that person leaves or if you’re unable to update the code yourself? To make things easier, content management systems were invented.
A CMS is a streamlined version of HTML and/or other scripting language(s). It works very different than HTML, but offers a lot more user-friendly features. Think of it as a WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) editor, just like a Microsoft Word document. You log in to your website’s back-end, pick a page you want to edit, change what you want on the screen, click “Publish” or “Save”, and voila! Your page has been updated. It’s fast, it’s simple, and you don’t need to understand any coding or scripting to manage and update your website. However, a higher price tag usually comes along with the customization and design involved with the features you want.
So, what kind of website should you pick? It really depends on your budget, and how familiar you are with HTML or CSS language. But no matter what, it’s good to explore your options and plan out what features you want in your website. Let’s plan your next design project together at CryoDragon.
Thank you a lot for such a great article here! And the blog is really interesting as well. I like to make some websites with CMS. I just take a template from http://www.templatemonster.com/wordpress-themes.php website and customise it then. It is much more fun for me personally. I know some HTML too though.
Hi Jeff! Thank you for commenting on our blog posts! We like writing about useful tips and providing answers to common or even difficult questions regarding web and graphic design. There are so many CMS-based templates out there. In fact, when we start a web design project, we like looking around to see what kinds of layouts and designs are suitable for our client, and then build or customize a theme around it. HTML is a great skill to have, and you’ll find that the more you know about HTML, CSS, and others, the more you’ll be able to customize your templates!