How to Choose the Right CMS

Choosing the right CMS can become a headache; there are many to choose from, including WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Shopify, Magento, and the list could go on.

How do you know which is right for you? Well, it could depend on what type of website you need. Are you looking to build a simple, personal blog, an eCommerce site to sell your products or services, or are you a professional business looking for a reliable, fast CMS? Here is a short guide that may help you determine your needs.

If you are new to maintaining a website- a CMS is an application that allows you to create, and maintain a website. You will have access to an ‘admin panel’ where you can make new pages and posts, upload other types of content, and arrange the content the way that you want.

In the world of CMS’s, there are three big players; Joomla, WordPress, and Drupal. There are also some others, that are more specific for a certain type of website; for an example, Magento and Shopify are both CMS’s that are for eCommerce websites.

eCommerce Websites

If you are managing an eCommerce website, your choice is narrowed down between Shopify and Magento. Both allow you to manage your website perfectly and you really cannot go wrong with either. However, here at Codal we recommend using Shopify to run and manage your eCommerce website.

Shopify offers a handful of stellar, and free design templates. So, if you don’t have the time and budget to hire a web designer, you’ll be fine with one of the templates. Shopify also integrates with everything you could possibly need it to. Starting with FedEx, UPS, USPS, it also integrates with marketing, accounting, reporting, and customer service tools.

It also is extremely secure, Shopify is self-hosted, which means that it carries the risk of securing all of your data, and they are Level 1 PCI DSS Compliant (meaning, your data is secured by the same protocols that banks use).

Personal Blog

If you are simply trying to start a personal blog, WordPress is probably the right choice for you. WordPress has a low learning curve, has a large choice of ready designs and plugins, and was originally made for blogging.

WordPress is known to be one of the easiest CMS’s to use, so if you want to start a simple personal blog or website, there is no need to use a complex CMS. WP has a huge community of users. Because of it’s popularity, you will always be able to find an answer or get support if needed.

Professional Business

If you are running a website for a professional business, your options are between WordPress, Joomla!, and Drupal. Since WordPress is more ideal for a simple website, here we will compare Joomla! and Drupal for your business website.

Many believe that there is no doubt that Drupal is the most powerful CMS, and is intended for those who want to build a large, fast, and dynamic website. Drupal has a higher learning curve than most CMS’s, it is usually preferred by people who are more technically inclined, and who are familiar with CSS, and HTML. However, it is one of the fastest; pages load very quickly, and most pages are typically more responsive.

Compared to Drupal, Joomla! Is has less of a learning curve (but still a larger one than WordPress), it requires a basic understanding of technical skills. Joomla! also has less plugins and themes available for it’s users. It also has a great support/help portal if you run into problems.

Between the two, Drupal is probably the best for a professional business, if you have a developer, or a technical savvy team. If this is not the case, Joomla! may be a better option.

About The Author :

This Article is written by Codal’s Writer. Codal is a full-stack UX Design and Mobile Application Development Company with a focus on blending an agile and innovation process with the latest emerging technologies.