Ask who maintains this in two years
The most consequential question in a CMS decision is rarely technical. It is: who updates this site once the build is finished, and what are they comfortable with?
A technically superior platform that the organisation cannot operate will end up stale, which defeats the point of having a CMS at all.
WordPress: the sensible default, not the automatic one
WordPress powers a large share of the web for good reasons: a huge ecosystem, a familiar editing experience, widely available hosting, and no shortage of people who can maintain it. For content-driven sites with non-technical editors, it is usually the pragmatic answer.
Its weaknesses are real though. The plugin ecosystem is uneven in quality, security requires ongoing discipline, and it can become heavy if assembled carelessly.
- Best for: content sites, business sites, blogs, standard e-commerce with WooCommerce
- Consider carefully when: you need unusual data structures or a heavily custom application
Static and headless approaches
Static site generators and frameworks such as Next.js produce extremely fast, secure sites with a small attack surface, since there is often no database to compromise. Paired with a headless CMS, editors still get a friendly interface.
The trade-off is operational: more moving parts, a build step to understand, and a smaller pool of local people able to take it over.
- Best for: performance-critical sites, documentation, marketing sites with developer support
- Consider carefully when: the client has no technical support and needs full independence
Hosted website builders
Platforms like Wix, Squarespace or Shopify handle hosting, updates and security for you, which is genuinely valuable for a small organisation with no technical resource.
The cost is control and portability. Customisation is limited to what the platform allows, and migrating away later ranges from awkward to painful. For a small brochure site that may be an acceptable trade; for something you expect to grow, it is worth thinking about early.
Questions worth answering before deciding
Most CMS debates resolve quickly once these are answered honestly.
- Who edits the site, and how confident are they technically?
- How often does content change: daily, monthly, rarely?
- Is there budget for ongoing maintenance, or must it run unattended?
- Does the site need e-commerce, memberships or bookings?
- What does the hosting environment realistically allow?
- How likely is this to need to migrate in three years?
There is no universally correct answer
Be cautious of anyone who recommends the same platform for every project regardless of context. That is a preference being presented as an assessment.
The right choice depends on the content, the team, the budget and the timeline, which is why the recommendation should come after those conversations, not before them.
Written by Ntege Israel Charles, a Web Developer and WordPress Developer based in Kampala, Uganda. If any of this applies to a site you are responsible for, get in touch.