I think it's about time I got to grips with using a CMS or two. At the moment, Im thinking mainly Wordpress or Modx. I'd rather start off with something pretty lightweight though, so would Wordpress be the best bet at the minute?

Im aware Wordpress is mainly a blogging system, but I've heard it can act as a decent CMS too?

Wordpress can function as a CMS. You can have a unique home page, create custom queries that draw from specific categories, etc. It is VERY flexible.

Most of my sites I push for WP simply because users want total control over there text on the site. The fact is, you don't even need a blog section, the whole thing can be made of standard web looking pages.

One strategy is to set up websites where Pages are static like "About us" or "Contact us". Then, like many sites have, use the blog section for Categories like "Latest News" or "Bulletin Boards" etc.

Other "real" CMS's are nice, but they have so much functionality that users often don't need or get confused. Most of my clients just want control over the text and maybe upload an image here and there.

IMO - Wordpress makes a great CMS for this type of control over a site.

Forgot to add a great new article on this - http://www.noupe.com/wordpress/power...wordpress.html

the whole thing can be made of standard web looking pages

Does Wordpress allow you to have total control over how you want your website to look? Or are you very limited design-wise?

I too am wanting to be able to offer cms. I'm currently using Microsoft Expression and have found - so far - that I can tweak it to code any design I choose.

Also, for existing websites created in Expression, is there any way I could "add on" a Wordpress page so that clients would have 1 page they can update???

Does Wordpress allow you to have total control over how you want your website to look? Or are you very limited design-wise?

Absolutely! In fact, that is one of the main reasons I like it. I am very much into the design of a website and hate settling for premade stuff and I have found wordpress to be much easier than Drupal or others to do so( IMO). There are many great articles on how to create a design from scratch like this one http://css-tricks.com/video-screenca...ress-part-one/
You can even have different templates for differnt pages, posts, etc.

I too am wanting to be able to offer cms. I'm currently using Microsoft Expression and have found - so far - that I can tweak it to code any design I choose.

I have no experience with this at all, sorry. Do you use it for coding features or WYSIWYG editing features? A HUGE part of creating WP templates is fully understanding CSS, I assume you have a grasp on that.

Also, for existing websites created in Expression, is there any way I could "add on" a Wordpress page so that clients would have 1 page they can update???

You can add wordpress a level down in your site so the whole site does not revolve around it. However, the work it requires to create a complete theme from scratch will be overkill for one or two pages. Keep in mind, though it isn't terribly complicated to design a site from scratch in WP, you still need to create MANY different "files"(includes) such as a "page", "post", "index", "comments", etc. template.
In a case where only one or two pages will be CMS, or the client is on a limited budget, I have used a premade template and just tweaked the css to match the rest of the site in "some" way.

Thanks, Wordpress it is then!

these days its Joomla!
this is the best CMS for the current time.
for your information Joomla is very much supported by all its plugins, components, and other stuffs.

I agree with rosalesemil, the best cms ever. Wordpress is also another choice for your site. I started to use Wordpress month ago, and I'm fine with it. Joomla for complexity, Wordpress for easiness. If you want to read more info about these, have a look <link drop removed> - best resources for webmasters.