CMS
What it is for
Without a CMS every change goes through a developer. With one, the association's team publishes a news item, changes an opening hour, adds a page, replaces a photo. The CMS also manages images (cropping, formats), users and their permissions, drafts and version history. It is the tool of the person who runs the website, not of the one who builds it.
A CMS is not essential to every website. A launch website of one to five pages, which changes twice a year, lives very well without an editor: changes go through the provider on request. The CMS becomes useful when someone publishes regularly.
How to choose
- The simplicity of the editor for non-technical people: if your editor cannot find their way in ten minutes, the website will not be kept
- Security and the frequency of updates, and who applies them
- The real cost: licences, paid extensions, maintenance, hosting
- Ownership: do the code and the content belong to you, can you leave with them
- Who will be able to maintain it in three years, if your provider disappears
The main families
Open source CMSs installed at a host (WordPress, Drupal, Wagtail): the code is open, you own it, maintenance has to be organised. Hosted platforms (Wix, Squarespace, Webflow): everything is included in a subscription, but the website does not leave the platform and search visibility depends on its choices. AI website generators: fast for a single page, limited as soon as you need to publish.
Common mistakes
- Choosing the CMS before knowing who will publish: the tool does not create the writer
- Piling up extensions: each one is one more update and a possible flaw
- Leaving the administrator account to a provider or a volunteer gone two years ago
- Forgetting the backups of the content, which lives in the database and not in the files
In Kern4Good
The programme's editable websites are built on Wagtail, an open source CMS based on Python and Django, chosen for its robustness, its clear editor and the absence of paid extensions. The foundation is shared by the cohort; each website then lives its own life with its own code repository, which belongs to the association. On the ladder of the Pricing page, the CMS comes with the small editable website at 4 000 EUR; below that, websites are static, without an editor, which makes them cheaper.
Further reading
Why not WordPress?
WordPress suits many websites. The programme chose Wagtail for its security without extensions, its speed and an editor designed for non-technical people. It is a shared-foundation choice, not a judgement.
Can we change CMS later?
Yes, content can be migrated. It is a project, with an address inventory and redirects, so better choose a CMS you will keep for a long time.
Is a CMS paid?
Wagtail, WordPress and Drupal are free. What costs is the design and development work, hosting, and on some CMSs the paid extensions. Hosted platforms are paid by monthly subscription.
Who applies the security updates?
On a website hosted by the programme, KERN-IT, within the hosting. On a website hosted elsewhere, it has to be organised with the host: a missed update is the first cause of hacked websites.