MODX Website Development

August

2020

MODX Revolution is a free, open-source CMS that gives developers full control over HTML markup. Companies choose it for corporate and multilingual websites that need speed, clean SEO and a simple admin panel without plugin clutter.

Discuss your projectTelegramWhatsApp

In short

We build a MODX website within 10 working days after the brief is approved and content is supplied; an online store within 15.
MODX suits projects that need a custom design, several languages and full control over meta tags.
For a standard blog or a store on a ready-made theme, WordPress with WooCommerce is often the more economical choice.
Mmix.ua and the CrystalTax website from our portfolio both run on MODX.
After launch, the site needs core and extra updates, backups and monitoring.

What is MODX and how does it differ from other CMSs?

MODX Revolution is a PHP content management system released under the GPL. The current branch is MODX 3, which runs on PHP 8. Templates are plain HTML with MODX tags, so the front-end developer works without restrictions.

In WordPress the theme defines the look and plugins add features. In MODX the data structure is built for the project: template variables (TVs), templates and snippets. That takes an experienced developer. The upside is a site with no unused code.

One detail matters here. MODX Evolution and Evolution CMS are a separate branch with their own history. We build new projects on Revolution 3.

Which websites are a good fit for MODX?

Corporate and service websites with a custom design.
Multilingual websites: contexts and the Babel extra link language versions of each page.
Catalogues or small stores on miniShop2 with LiqPay, WayForPay or Monobank payments and Nova Poshta API delivery.
Landing pages and promo pages that must load quickly.

If the project needs a marketplace, a complex customer account or a mobile app sharing one backend, we look at Laravel or Next.js. The tool follows the task.

MODX or WordPress: which should you choose?

Criterion	MODX Revolution	WordPress
Markup and design	Full control, templates built to the mock-up	Depends on the theme and page builder
Extras	Fewer ready-made, added one by one	Tens of thousands of plugins
Multilingual	Contexts + Babel	WPML or Polylang plugins
Online store	miniShop2	WooCommerce
Who maintains it	A developer who knows MODX	A larger pool of specialists

The rule of thumb is simple. If you need a template-based site with many third-party integrations, choose WordPress. If you need a custom design, clean code and a tidy admin panel for your manager, MODX works well.

How long does MODX website development take?

In our experience a brochure or corporate website is ready within 10 working days after the brief is approved and content is supplied. An online store takes up to 15 working days. A landing page takes up to 3 working days. When the project includes integrations with a CRM (KeyCRM, HubSpot), accounting software or external APIs, we set the timeline after the specification.

The work runs in stages: brief, structure and wireframe, design, front-end and MODX build, content, SEO setup, mobile testing and launch.

What does SEO setup on MODX include?

Readable URLs and 301 redirects when migrating.
Title, description and H1 for every page, editable in the admin panel.
XML sitemap and robots.txt.
Schema.org markup: Organization, BreadcrumbList, FAQPage, Product.
Hreflang for language versions.
GA4, Google Tag Manager and Search Console setup.
Core Web Vitals checks: LCP, INP and CLS.

On promoting a MODX site: the CMS itself does not earn rankings. That is the job of SEO: keyword research, content, internal links and technical health.

What affects the cost?

We quote after the brief. The price depends on the number of unique templates, languages, catalogue and filters, payment and delivery integrations, the volume of content and data migration from the old site. Ready-made templates cost less; a custom design costs more.

MODX support and improvements

If another contractor built your MODX site, we start with an audit: core and PHP versions, extras, access rights, forms and backups. Then we update the core, close vulnerabilities and finish the missing features. Updates go to a staging copy first and to the live site afterwards.

MODX projects

Mmix.ua, the site you are reading, runs on MODX with three language versions. The website of the consulting firm CrystalTax also runs on MODX: custom design, service structure and SEO. More projects are in our portfolio.

Frequently asked questions

Is MODX free?

Yes. MODX Revolution is free under the GPL licence. You may pay for some extras, hosting and the developer's work.

Can you build an online store on MODX?

Yes. We use miniShop2 for the catalogue and cart, connect LiqPay, WayForPay or Monobank payments and Nova Poshta API delivery. An online store takes up to 15 working days after the specification and content are ready.

Is the MODX admin panel hard for a manager?

Basic text-editor skills are enough. The resource tree mirrors the site structure, and the fields for headings and meta tags are labelled. We run a short training session after launch.

How do you move a site from WordPress to MODX without losing rankings?

We keep page URLs or set 301 redirects, move titles, descriptions and texts, check the sitemap and submit it to Search Console. After the move we watch indexing for several weeks.

Do you work on MODX sites built by other developers?

Yes. We start with an audit of the core version, extras and security, then agree the scope. Changes are tested on a staging copy first.