What is the best way to turn Wordpress in to a CMS?

 

I add a static page with in Wordpress, then for each other 'static' page needed, like About Us just change the includes file to show static text.

But that defeats the object a bit doesn't it, is there a better way?

Well I generally just create a 'page' template (or maybe 2 or 3 variations of them; you know... full width; two column etc...) and then just add my pages, titles, content etc... all through wordpress and let it do the rest.

 

http://www.dailybloggr.com/2009/06/5-explicit-tutorials-on-converting-wordpress-to-cms/ is a good place to start reading

I'd look into developing a custom theme. You can take a Wordpress installation and turn it into a fully-functional Wordpress CMS site with some custom post types and some good HTML/CSS work.

 

I usually create a page template for the homepage, a page template for any unique subpages and a page template for all other subpages. Then, I create custom post types for any recurring content. For small areas of recurring information (think footer, sidebars, etc.) you can create a custom widget area.

 

It will take a bit of learning and will require some rudimentary programming knowledge (PHP is the language used but any web scripting language will give you the background to understand it) as well as mid-high level skill with HTML/CSS. I'd recommend learning how to build the custom themes from the ground up, it's an invaluable skill.

 

I started learning how to create Wordpress themes about two or three months ago and I feel pretty comfortable with it now. My goal is to make the User Experience for the client as good as possible, so my focus has been streamlining the use of the admin panel. Not sure if it's the best practice, but it has been working well so far!

Edited March 15, 201115 yr by porkchops

I've just 'taken on' Wordpress as my CMS-ish tool of choice (Drupal was causing my head to spin!) and this thread has given me much food for though. Props, guys.

You probably want to take a look at this guys blog... he's really good at explaining how to use custom field templates etc. You could also check out my companies blog for advice on other similar wordpress tips and tricks.