Content management systems (CMS) represent an important tool — and industry, in the world right now. They can, potentially, let you get a website published without any technical assistance. This means businesses and individuals can have an online presence much faster than ever before. CMSs are not, however, all created equal.
Choosing a content management system that’s best suited to your needs is vital, but not as difficult as it might seem. You just need to know the different types, aspects, and features, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of particular platforms.
So, let’s take a closer look at everything you need to know about content management systems.
Understanding content management systems
The first question to answer is: what type of CMS do you need? There are various types of content management systems, which can be put into the following categories:
Traditional CMS
Content management platforms that are traditional (sometimes called monolithic) have a simpler architecture that integrates the front and back end of the website. This makes it easier for the user to manage everything in the same place — though they still come in many different forms. Traditional CMSs range from the world’s number one (WordPress) to more tech-savvy, highly customizable options, like Drupal.
Website builders
These are simplified types of CMS that allow users to sign up and start creating a website immediately. They usually offer the chance to purchase hosting and a custom domain. Such platforms enable you to customize and use extra features to adjust your websites. Popular website builders include Wix, Weebly, and Squarespace.
Website builders may be quick and easy for making a website in minutes, though in some cases compatibility for migration can be challenging. Many CMS platforms also have built-in website builders.
Headless CMS
These are platforms where the front and back end are divided into separate layers. On a traditional CMS, the presentation layer and the content database are connected in one place where you can create, edit, and manage content. This is then published on the website.
A headless CMS differs in that it focuses on delivering content to multiple channels. Using an application programming interface (API), you can publish content not just to your website, but also to social media platforms and an associated app. While this kind of infrastructure can offer scalability and a wide reach, it may present more challenges and require advanced technical know-how.
AI tools for CMS
Another point to keep in mind is that recent developments in artificial intelligence have impacted content management systems.
Many CMS platforms now provide various AI tools for website creation that make it quicker and easier to build a high-quality website. This may be through website templates or tools that generate text and images for your website.
Key factors to consider when choosing a CMS
There are various content management system features and factors that you should consider before choosing a CMS platform.
Assessing business needs
Your exact business requirements may be based on your business type, industry, sector, and size. If you’re looking to showcase a portfolio, then you will probably require fewer updates, while an online blog will need to make new posts on a regular basis. If you plan to launch an e-commerce platform, you’ll need more advanced functionality, such as user logins and a payment gateway.
Website types can vary vastly depending on their function. So before you commit to a platform, carefully assess your specific needs and define your goals to guide you every step of the way.
User experience and ease of use
Evaluate the CMS’s interface
It’s important to check out the interface and tools of each CMS — and demo using them if possible. How easy is each CMS to use, both for website creation and ongoing tasks/maintenance? Will you be able to use the platform yourself, or will you need to hire a web professional?
Check ease of use
1. If you haven't purchased hosting yet:
It’s worth exploring the demos you can find on the official websites of various CMS providers. You can get started by trying out the online Softaculous Demo.
2. If you already have hosting:
For hosting plans with control panels (such as cPanel) that include the Softaculous script installer in cPanel, you can use the Softaculous demo feature. With this you can directly access demos of various CMS platforms and get a feel for their admin panels and how everything works — without having to install a CMS.
Customization
Every CMS platform offers a different level of customization. Beginners in web development may be more comfortable with the easier-to-use platforms where customization is more limited. But if you want more control over adapting and adjusting the templates or designs of your site, then you’ll need to look for CMSs that offer more customization.
Scalability
Every business needs to know that its tools have the potential to scale as and when operations grow.
For example, an e-commerce project that launches and adds to its list of products may experience increased interest, especially over seasonal periods (such as Black Friday). This may mean they’ll need to support high traffic, handle more content, integrate with external systems (such as customer relationship management (CRM), analytics, or payment gateways), and take on a content delivery network (CDN) for global customers.
When your business enjoys sudden, exponential growth, you don’t want your CMS to hold you back.
Integration capabilities
If you have existing tools that need to be integrated into the web creation and management processes, you’ll need to check these compatibilities are available. It’s also possible that you’ll need to introduce tools in the future, such as CRM, marketing automation, or analytics platforms. So it’s good to know your CMS platform can offer this flexibility.
Security measures
At all levels and locations, security is essential, so you don’t want your CMS to become a weak spot. Make sure you check the security features and standards of each CMS, and whether security plugins (either free or paid) are an option.
Cost and budget considerations
Always a major factor, CMS platforms can range in pricing. Remember to take into account the initial setup costs, the ongoing maintenance/management costs (which may include the costs of web development personnel), and any potential costs incurred by sudden periods of additional growth.
Community support and documentation
Some content management platforms offer a wide range of documentation and a large community for support, which can be essential in times of need. Especially in cases where the platform does not offer customer support.
A closer look at leading CMS platforms
Here we have put together a quick content management system guide so you can find the one that best fits your personal needs.
WordPress
By far the world’s top web content management system in terms of market share, WordPress powers 43.6% of all websites. This CMS giant operates on two sister platforms: WordPress.com, which includes hosting, security, and maintenance, and WordPress.org, for which users are required to provide these services.
Ideal use cases
The enormous global popularity of WordPress shows that it has applications across the board. Blogs, small businesses, and beginner websites may be drawn to the convenience of the hosted platform, while WordPress.com could appeal to e-commerce platforms, government websites, or sites for large organizations.
Some big names that are built on WordPress include Microsoft News, Time Magazine, Sony Music, and NASA.
Drupal
Another popular open-source content management system, Drupal is also flexible and scalable. While Drupal isn’t as widely used as WordPress, it can still boast many of the same benefits.
Ideal use cases
As an advanced CMS with robust security features, Drupal can be a great option for governmental departments, NGOs, enterprises, high-traffic websites with complex requirements, and educational institutions. Well-known Drupal users in the US include the National World War I Museum and Memorial, CallOpps (public employment site), and the University of Southern California (USC).
Joomla
With 2.4% of the CMS market and powering around 1.6% of all websites, Joomla is an open-source, flexible content management system. Many CMS hosting providers offer hosting plans specific to Joomla, sometimes with a one-click installer.
Ideal use cases
Joomla is typically used by small to medium-sized businesses, community portals, multilingual websites, e-commerce platforms, education institutions, and media sites. Examples of Joomla users include Harvard University, IKEA, Holiday Inn, the Guggenheim Museum, and The Hill.
Magento
Owned by Adobe since 2018, Magento is a CMS and e-commerce framework built on PHP. Magento was designed with e-commerce and online stores in mind.
Ideal use cases
It’s suitable for various e-commerce platforms in a range of sizes, from medium to large businesses. Some well-known examples of websites that use Magento include the Paul Smith online store, Pepe Jeans, Marie Claire, and Nike.
Other options
If you’re still not sure, there is a wide range of other CMS platforms to choose from. Some of these come in the form of the website builder model, such as Wix and Squarespace. Others, like Shopify and WooCommerce, are specifically aimed at building websites for online stores and e-commerce.
Managed hosting is another great option for anyone who doesn’t have the time or skillset to optimize their server and general hosting setup. It’s available for most hosting types and CMS combinations.
For instance, managed cloud hosting for WordPress can offer a speedy setup time, optimization for performance with advanced caching, and server-side configuration management. These services help simplify website creation and maintenance for users.
Manage your content with ease
Now you know how to choose a CMS for your website, which is a critical step in getting online. Getting your website organized, connecting with audiences, and managing content in the best possible way can be a challenge. The CMS platform you choose makes a big difference to the end result, so it’s important to make the best choices from the outset. This means finding the platform that best meets your field, technical skills, features needed, and the specifics of your web project.
Frequently asked questions
A content management system (CMS) is a software application or platform that allows users to create, manage, and modify websites without advanced technical or coding knowledge. It simplifies the process of building and maintaining websites by providing user-friendly tools and interfaces for managing content.
Whatever your business requirements, there’s a CMS that can provide you with an efficient and manageable website. So you can concentrate on creating content and improving your business.
For those with limited skills or experience in web development or website creation, it’s best to go for a CMS that demands less customization. Examples of CMSs that provide more assistance for beginners include WordPress, Joomla, and Magento.
If you’re still not sure about how to choose a CMS platform and you want the end result to be a professional and sophisticated website, it may be best to seek external assistance from a web developer.
The most important things to take into account will likely depend on the size of your project, as well as your industry, business type, structure, technical ability, future plans, and budget.
So, knowing how to choose the right CMS is not always straightforward, but choosing a more flexible CMS will allow you to change certain service providers, such as hosting, at a later date.
It’s certainly true that WordPress is the most popular CMS in the world — it powers the most websites and has the largest market share. It offers two separate CMS platforms and extensive support and community for users. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s right for your particular needs.
You may prefer to choose a CMS that’s more specific to your business type (such as e-commerce), offers more agreeable pricing, or has more customization potential.
Open-source CMS platforms are free to download and use. However, depending on your needs, there are generally associated costs to consider. These can include domain, hosting, premium themes or plugins, developer assistance, and more. So, it depends entirely on the services you use and the management plan you choose.
Yes, CMS migration is usually an option, but this does depend on the particular CMS platforms involved as well as the nature of your website and data. With some CMSs, migration may be a simple and seamless operation, but in other cases it may take some planning and effort.
However, CMS migration could be a good option at a later date, so it’s best to check that the compatibility is available.
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