Sometimes, I thought that even using a CMS is overkill - mainly when a client wants a website with a couple of static pages, which they want to be able to update on their own. I even made a "mini CMS" of my own, but solving your own bugs on your free time can be tedious. Yesterday I stumbled upon a simpler way - namely, Get Simple.
So what is it about? Think about a CMS that focuses on having a customizable menu (flyouts included!), file manager for uploading / using images, and a WYSIWYG editor for the pages. Oh and plugin support. And multilanguage ( that's as many languages as you want!). Plus, it's intuitive enough for users to be able to pick it up in an hour or so.
It's by no means a silver bullet for all your woes - themes are scarse, and there are some edge cases where you still need to pop the hood open, but the API is small and versatile enough; I was able to port & customize a theme to client specification, as well as code a simple plugin (based on a similar one of course) in less than a day.
But I do think that the pros far outweigh any con for specific use cases -
PROS
- No DB at all - you can probably find a free host for this
- WYSIWYG for the clients to write their own texts / updates
- Upload manager to add pictures / files to the above
- Plugins to extend what you feel is missing, either from contriubuted plugins or your own
- Simple API to make plugin development (too) simple
- Easy to make themes
CONS
- Only one user out of the box, your clients will be able to tamper with settings
- API is sometimes TOO simple, making you reinvent the wheel
- Not as fast as DB-driven solutions
- Not scalable to more than a tens of pages (not tested, just an assumption)
All in all, GetSimple just perfect for simple "company presentation" sites, where the deadline is days and they are not interested in investing effort in making much.