Need the #1 website developer in Brisbane?Click here →

Content & Publishing

8 min readLast reviewed: June 2025

Content management, blogging, page builders — the foundation of most websites.

What Content Management Actually Means

A content management system (CMS) isn't just for blogs. It's the system that handles how content moves from creation to publication. Traditional CMS platforms like WordPress manage the entire lifecycle: authoring, approval, scheduling, publishing, archiving, and updates.

Content management involves editorial workflow—the steps content takes from idea to live. Who can write? Who approves? Who publishes? What happens when content needs updates? What's the process for deprecating old content? These workflows scale from simple (one person blogs whenever they want) to complex (content requires legal review, translation, and scheduled multi-regional publication).

Beyond Blog Posts

Modern websites manage far more than blog posts. Each content type has different needs:

Landing Pages

High-conversion pages often need rapid iteration and A/B testing. Require versioning and quick publishing.

Case Studies & Success Stories

Require client approval, versioning for different customer segments, and often need scheduled publication.

FAQs & Knowledge Bases

Need category structure, search optimization, and often link to related items or products.

Job Listings

Require application workflow integration, archiving, and often sync to job boards.

Events & Webinars

Need date management, registration integration, automated reminders, and ticketing.

Team Profiles

Require custom fields for titles, bios, photos, social links, and often organizational hierarchy.

Product Documentation

Need versioning (docs for v1, v2, v3), versioned API references, and search across versions.

The Custom Post Type Problem

Most CMS platforms assume everything is a blog post. Even advanced platforms require customization to handle different content types properly. A job listing isn't a blog post. A team member isn't a blog post. Building each custom content type requires:

  • Custom fields and metadata
  • Display logic and templating
  • Archive and filtering logic
  • Integration with other systems (job boards, ATS, team directory)
  • SEO considerations specific to that content type
Content Type Customization
The more custom content types your site uses, the more you need a proper CMS. Simple sites can use standard templates; complex ones need headless CMS capabilities.

Headless CMS Comparison

Headless CMS platforms separate content management from presentation, allowing you to use the same content across website, mobile app, email, and other channels.

Headless CMS platforms comparison. Choice depends on budget, flexibility needs, and team technical capability.
PlatformPricing ModelCustom FieldsAPILearning Curve
ContentfulPay-per-request + base feeHighly flexibleGraphQL + RESTSteep
SanityAPI calls basedExtremely flexibleGraphQL + RESTSteep
StrapiSelf-hosted (free) or paid cloudHighly flexibleREST + GraphQLModerate
PrismicMonthly + page viewsGood selectionREST APIModerate
DirectusSelf-hosted (free) or paidHighly flexibleREST + GraphQLModerate

Localization & Multi-Language

Supporting multiple languages multiplies your content management complexity. You're not just translating—you need to decide if different languages have different content strategies, manage translation workflows, handle SEO for each language, and deal with content sync when updates happen.

What Platform Localization Typically Includes:
  • Multiple language versions of content
  • Automatic or manual translation workflows
  • Language-specific URLs and metadata
  • Hreflang tags for SEO
  • Language selector/switcher UI
  • Translation memory and context
WordPress/Plugins

WPML, Polylang require manual translation coordination. Adds complexity to content workflow.

Webflow

Built-in localization with hreflang support. Good for static site localization.

Contentful/Sanity

Flexible localization at API level. You handle language selection and display logic in frontend.

Shopify

Multi-language support built-in. Translation apps available for market-specific content.