Traditional HTML Website vs WordPress

You may have heard about using WordPress to build a website but not quite sure what the difference is between building a tradional website and WordPress then read on.

From the “front end” or “outside” of a website you cannot tell the difference between a traditional website and a CMS website. The difference lies in the “back end” or “administrator” portion of your website.

Traditional Website: Your website is built and then the files (or pages) are uploaded to your web host (or server). Any changes to the content, menus or links have to be made through an HTML editor. This can sometimes be difficult for people who are not familiar with or do not have access to the server where their website is being hosted. There really is no “back end” or “admin” feature. This will usually result in having someone else make these changes for you. Many people start out just wanting a basic website to display contact information and to give them a presence on the web, then later on they want to add features like maps, forms, and video. This can become costly if you need to make large or frequent changes to your website.

(CMS) Content Management System Website: A content management system is software and data bases that keep track of every piece of content on your website like: text, links, menus, user logins, photos, documents, or just about anything you can think of. Many web hosts will have a “one click install” for the CMS you want to use. If this is not available then you can download the zip folder from the CMS’ website you want to use and upload the files to your web hosts server. After the install you configure your websites content and features through a separate admin panel. For example: If your site was called, http://www.joomla.org/, to access the admin section you would go to http://www.joomla.org/administrator. You can change, add or remove content as often as you like. The major advantage of using a CMS is that it requires almost no technical skill or knowledge to manage. You can add dynamic features like maps, shopping cart, music and video in the form of extensions. These extensions are simply uploaded through your admin panel. Think of the CMS as an Iphone but instead of applications you have extensions. These extensions can be created by anyone. Most of them are free and some you have to pay for.

It is always a good idea in the beginning to plan, or have the option, for expansion for your website. This is why I prefer using a CMS, there is really no down side to it and it is often cheaper to design than a traditional website. Joomla is my choice in CMS, the software is free and it comes pre-loaded with many features. There are also thousands of extensions and a huge community base of support. WordPress and Drupal are also popular applications and work in the same way.

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