It all started when I had to build my first website and had no clue what a CMS even was. Like, I thought websites were all coded from scratch by elite nerds. Turns out? Nah. We got tools for that now.
So CMS—it stands for Content Management System (kinda fancy term, yeah?). What it really means? A way to manage your site without sweating code like it’s algebra class. Just log in, click stuff, type your words, boom—web magic.
I used WordPress first. Not on purpose. Somebody just said “everyone uses it” so I was like, aight, lemme try that thing. Didn’t regret it. Mostly.
WordPress… man, it’s like the kingpin of websites. Last I checked, something like 40%+ of the whole internet’s built on it. That’s wild if you think about it.
At first, it overwhelmed me. Plugins, themes, widgets—like what even are those? But I kept clicking around ‘til stuff made sense. Eventually.
And the thing is, once you get the vibe of it? You can do anything. Wanna blog? Easy. Start a store? There’s WooCommerce. Make a membership site with locked content? It got you.
Honestly, I felt like a wizard after installing a plugin and watching my page transform without lifting a single line of code. Pure wizardry, swear.
But yo—WordPress ain’t perfect. You gotta maintain it. Updates, backups, security stuff. If you don’t? Things break. They just do.
I once ignored updates for like three months. Site got hacked. Some weird ad for adult shoes showed up. True story.
Now, other CMS platforms exist too. Like, lots of them. I tried a few. Some are chill. Some too basic. Some, weirdly powerful but confusing AF.
Wix? Bro, that one’s like playing with digital LEGO. Drag. Drop. Done. Super easy. But you hit limits fast. Wanna do weird advanced stuff? Good luck.
Then there’s Squarespace. Clean. Stylish. Designers love it. I made a site for a photographer friend—looked gorgeous without me touching code. But also kinda rigid? Like, no
t much freedom to go crazy.
Shopify—I only touched it when I had to help someone set up a store. That platform’s sharp when it comes to products and payments. It’s built for selling. But if you tryna make a blog and a store? Feels a bit locked in.
One time I made a Joomla site. Not gonna lie—I struggled. It’s powerful, yes. But feels… old school? Like, you need patience. Not for beginners, in my opinion.
Oh, and Drupal—forget it unless you’re already some kind of dev god. It’s enterprise-level stuff. Security and structure? Top notch. But learning it made me cry once. Or twice.
Meanwhile, Ghost? That one’s different. Clean UI. Super fast. Built for writing, not all the fluff. If you just wanna blog and send out newsletters, it’s amazing. I’d
use it more if I didn’t need all the extra tools.
Each CMS got its own flavor. WordPress is like a buffet. Others feel more like set menus. Depends what you hungry for.
What helped me choose most of the time was just asking: What do I wanna do? Like—am I building a blog? An online store? A portfolio? Based on that, the platform picks itself, kinda.
Also gotta consider how techy you are. I’m kinda mid-tier. I can mess with code if I need to, but I’d rather not. WordPress gave me both: ease + power. That balance? Sweet.
But if I were totally new and just needed a simple site up fast? Probably Wix or Squarespace. Ain’t nothing wrong with drag-and-drop when deadlines breathing down your neck.
E-commerce tho? Shopify wins. Even tho it costs more, it just works. Inventory, payments, shipping—it’s all there. You just… focus on selling.
WordPress + WooCommerce works too but needs more setup. I’ve spent hours debugging payment gateways there. Still love it. Just not for the faint-hearted.
And hey, CMSs can always be changed later on. I used to think choosing one was like marriage. Nah. More like renting an apartment. If it sucks? Move out.
One tip tho: don’t build on something just ‘cause it’s trendy. I saw someone use Ghost for an online course platform. Ghost ain’t made for that. It was a mess. Use stuff the way it’s meant to be used—or be ready to hack around.
Sometimes I get nostalgic thinking about how clueless I was at first. Now? I spin up WordPress sites for fun just to test ideas. Funny how that works.
End of the day, all these platforms help you do one thing: put your stuff out there. Blog posts. Products. Art. Doesn’t matter. Just use what lets you work fast and stay sane.
So yeah, for me, WordPress is still home base. But I visit the neighbors often. Squarespace for looks. Shopify for money. Ghost when I wanna write and nothing else.
The real secret? Don’t overthink. Pick one. Build. Break stuff. Learn. Then you’ll know what works—for you.Also, you can know more about JavaScript in startups here.