Is WordPress the right CMS for me?

  • Resolved aleks77

    (@aleks77)


    12 years, 1 month ago

    Hi,

    I am planning to launch a new website, and I am looking for feedback whether WordPress is the right CMS for this project. I have been working a bit with WordPress in the past, but mostly simple blog-style websites. This time, I need to go beyond what I used in the past. Perhaps these functions are available in the lastes WP version, or can be achieved by using plugins?

    Below i have listed a few things i want to implement, which are giving me a headache:

    – My site will be a combination of static pages (500 or so) and posts. I will need to combine pages and posts in the same top menu.
    – I will need a main menu with at least 3 sub-levels.
    – I will need different side menus, and I will need to be able to appoint a specific side menu to a specific page (i.e. if a page is loaded, the menu assigned to this specific page will be displayed). I will need about 20 different side menus.
    – I need a member area for authors and contributors, where I can set user rights. Ideally I will have a customized template for members to administer their profile.

    I think anything else I need is already incorporated in WP, or will depend on the template I will be using.

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts, whether the above is possible in WP, and which plugins and/or themes I will needs for it. Please note, I am not a programmer, so I will not be able to make any changes in a template’s PHP coding.

    Cheers, A.

Viewing 9 replies - 1 through 9 (of 9 total)
  • Nikki Blight

    (@kionae)

    12 years, 1 month ago

    With a little tweaking and the right plugins, yes, you could get WordPress to do all of that. But it won’t do it all right out of the box. So whether or not it’s right for you depends on the effort you’re willing to invest.

    Gabe Young

    (@gabeyoung)

    12 years, 1 month ago

    I agree, you don’t need to be a programmer to do what you’re asking.

    Even better, some of those can be done without needing plugins but it may depend on what theme you choose.

    Thread Starter aleks77

    (@aleks77)

    12 years, 1 month ago

    That’s okay… I am not expecting to get everything out of the box, as long as I do not need to change or add anything to the programming itself.

    Do you have any experience with themes, which could do all this? Perhaps there are providers of premium themes, with which some webmasters have very good experiences (so i could write them and ask)? I am okay with putting down a bit of money to buy a premium theme, as long as its professionally done, and I don’t have to hire a programmer to build a theme from scratch for thousands of Dollars.

    Gabe Young

    (@gabeyoung)

    12 years, 1 month ago

    You definitely don’t need to pay several thousand dollars. There are some really good premium themes out there (and some great free ones too). Most of them will cost less than $100 so there’s little risk in making the attempt yourself before hiring someone.

    Do your own research but I suggest looking at Thesis and Catalyst for a baseline.

    Thread Starter aleks77

    (@aleks77)

    12 years, 1 month ago

    Thanks for the tips on Thesis and Catalys… which brings me to another question again:

    What is the difference between a ready made theme and the more expensive framework?

    Moderator Ipstenu (Mika Epstein)

    (@ipstenu)

    🏳️‍🌈 Advisor and Activist

    12 years ago

    http://designpx.com/development/themes-vs-frameworks/

    Thread Starter aleks77

    (@aleks77)

    12 years ago

    Ok, thanks. So basically, when I have a framework, i will be able to create my own themes.

    Still I do not understand, why I then need the so-called child themes I read about. Or is that optional?

    Moderator Ipstenu (Mika Epstein)

    (@ipstenu)

    🏳️‍🌈 Advisor and Activist

    12 years ago

    You don’t need a child theme, but if you, say, want to tweak a supplied theme (like TwentyEleven), do so with a child theme, so if they upgrade, you don’t lose your changes.

    If you’re using a framework, you’re expected to be savvy enough to know how to update your theme when a framework update comes out.

    Thread Starter aleks77

    (@aleks77)

    12 years ago

    Thanks for the support. I am not sure at this point, whether I could actually reproduce many of the cool themes available today from scratch using a framework. I might better go with a standard theme for now, and as I become more skilled witch to a framework at a later stage.

    Cheers.

Viewing 9 replies - 1 through 9 (of 9 total)
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