Glossary
What is CMS (Content Management System)?
In depth
The Content Management System (CMS) was born in the 90s when businesses no longer wanted to write HTML for every update. Today a CMS unifies three functions: content authoring (visual editor), storage (database) and publishing (rendering layer). In 2026 the CMS market splits into three architectures: traditional, headless and hybrid.
Traditional CMS (WordPress, Joomla, Drupal) — everything in one box: content editor, database and front-end rendering live in the same codebase. WordPress dominates with 43% market share (W3Techs 2026). Strengths: 60,000+ plugins, 11,000+ themes, Georgian localisation, and free-hosting thresholds. Weaknesses: security exposure (95% of hacked sites run WordPress per Sucuri 2026), Core Web Vitals difficulty, plugin bloat, slow database queries as traffic grows.
Headless CMS (Sanity, Strapi, Payload, Contentful, Storyblok) — a split architecture: the CMS exposes content through a REST/GraphQL API, while the front-end is a separate framework (Next.js, Astro, Nuxt). Advantages: speed (static generation + edge CDN), security (no public admin panel), bilingual structure (parallel ka/en fields), developer ergonomics (auto-generated TypeScript types). Downside — empty template ecosystem; everything is custom-built. For the Georgian market, Craftwebstudio recommends Payload CMS (self-hosted, TypeScript-native, always-free tier) or Sanity (cloud, generous free tier — 3 users + 1M API requests/month).
Hybrid CMS (WordPress as backend + Next.js front-end) — the middle path: WordPress admin UX (familiar to clients) plus Next.js front-end performance. A common 2024-2026 trend — moving the front-end of an existing WordPress site to Next.js via the WPGraphQL plugin. Price: $4,000-$10,000 migration, ROI in 6-9 months from lower hosting + a +60-80% Lighthouse boost.
CMS decision tree: (1) blog/news site + budget under 2,500 ₾ → WordPress; (2) e-commerce + non-technical business → Shopify; (3) marketing site + brand-driven design → Webflow; (4) bilingual + critical Core Web Vitals + custom design → Next.js + Sanity/Payload; (5) enterprise CMS + multi-site governance → Contentful or Storyblok.
Migration pricing in Georgia, 2026: WordPress → Headless 5,000-15,000 ₾; Wix → WordPress 3,000-7,000 ₾; Custom HTML → CMS 2,500-6,000 ₾. Timelines: 3-8 weeks depending on content volume. Craftwebstudio completed 23 migrations between 2024 and 2026 with an average ROI of 4.2 months (faster page speed → higher conversion → recovered cost).
Examples
- 1WordPress Georgian setup: locale ka-GE, multilingual plugin (TranslatePress), Yoast SEO, WP Rocket cache
- 2Headless CMS comparison 2026: Sanity (cloud, $99/mo Pro), Payload (self-hosted, free), Strapi (self-hosted, $99/mo Cloud), Contentful (enterprise, $489/mo)
- 3Shopify Georgian-friendly setup: TBC Pay app + Tegeta delivery + GEL currency + ka language pack ($29/mo Basic)
- 4Webflow vs WordPress 2026: Webflow is better for visual designers ($14-39/mo); WordPress is more flexible and free but self-managed
- 5WordPress security baseline: Wordfence plugin, 2FA admin, custom login URL, weekly backups, plugin auto-update
- 6CMS migration timeline (Craftwebstudio 2026): audit (week 1), schema design (week 2), content export (week 3), front-end (weeks 4-6), QA + launch (weeks 7-8)
Related terms
Headless CMS
A headless CMS is a content management system that exposes content via a REST/GraphQL API, while the front-end is built …
WordPress
WordPress is the free open-source CMS that powers 43%+ of all websites in 2026. It dominates the blog, corporate site, a…
Sanity CMS
Sanity is a cloud-hosted headless CMS — JavaScript schema, GROQ query language, real-time collaboration, generous free t…
Related services
Frequently asked questions
Which CMS is best for small businesses in the Georgian market?▾
WordPress + WooCommerce in 80% of cases — Georgian payment plugins (BoG, TBC), translatability, and free hosting thresholds. For brand-driven sites — Webflow or Next.js + Sanity.
How much does a headless CMS migration cost?▾
In Georgia, 2026: WordPress → Headless 5,000-15,000 ₾ (3-8 weeks depending on content volume). Wix → WordPress 3,000-7,000 ₾. Custom HTML → CMS 2,500-6,000 ₾.
Is WordPress safe in 2026?▾
WordPress core is safe, but 95% of hacked sites are WordPress (Sucuri 2026) due to outdated plugins. Baseline: Wordfence + 2FA + custom login URL + weekly backups + plugin auto-update.
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