CMS Selection Guide: Choosing the Right Content Management System

Choosing a CMS: A Decision That Lasts Years

The CMS you choose today determines who can update content, what's technically possible, how fast the site performs, and what it costs to maintain. Choosing well protects years of work. Choosing poorly creates debt. Optumio maintains websites across multiple CMS platforms — and sees the long-term consequences of CMS decisions firsthand.

The Core CMS Decision Framework

Ask these questions before evaluating specific tools:

Who updates content?

• Non-technical editors → Need a user-friendly interface (WordPress, Webflow, Squarespace)
• Developers → Can use headless CMS with code-based content types (Contentful, Sanity)

What type of content?

• Blog and standard pages → Any CMS
• Complex structured data → Headless CMS with custom schemas
• E-commerce → WordPress/WooCommerce, Shopify

What's the delivery target?

• One website → Traditional or coupled CMS
• Multiple platforms (web, app, smart display) → Headless CMS

Platform Comparison

WordPress: Powers 43% of the web. Massive ecosystem, excellent editor experience, huge talent pool. Best for: content-heavy sites, e-commerce (WooCommerce), marketing sites. Maintained by Optumio care plans.

Webflow CMS: Visual builder with built-in CMS. Editors work in the Webflow editor. Best for: design-forward marketing sites where editors need to add content to custom layouts.

Contentful: API-first headless CMS. Content types defined in a web interface, content delivered via REST or GraphQL APIs. Best for: complex content models, multi-platform delivery, developer-led teams.

Sanity: Open-source headless CMS with real-time collaboration. Highly flexible schema definition. Best for: teams who need maximum content model flexibility and developer-friendly tooling.

Ghost: Publishing-focused CMS. Newsletter built in, subscription monetisation. Best for: newsletters, membership publications, creator-led content businesses.

Design Agency evaluates and recommends CMS platforms as part of website project scoping — the right tool for the client's team, not the agency's preference.