What to Consider When Choosing a CMS

Using a CMS to create and maintain a website is essential. Without a Content Management System, it would not be possible to create a website without prior programming knowledge. Let's see what it is, what functions it includes, and what factors you should consider when choosing one.

What is a CMS?

A CMS (short for Content Management System) is an online platform that includes functions so that any user can create, manage, and maintain a website. These types of platforms are specially designed for dynamic content, such as blogs or online stores.

Their great popularity is due to how easy it is to create a website with a CMS, as it is not necessary to know programming or languages like HTML or CSS, among others. Additionally, they also simplify the process of uploading the created content to the domain.

What Can You Do with a CMS?

A CMS includes a wide variety of functionalities available to users. It allows you to create and publish websites, edit texts and codes of a website, and manage audiovisual content integrated into it, such as videos or images. Similarly, it also allows moderating user comments.

In the case of e-commerce, a CMS allows you to control and publish the inventory of products quickly and easily. It also offers the possibility to sell both digital and physical products. Not to mention many other specific functions depending on the CMS you use or the plugins and addons (extra additions) you decide to incorporate, such as forums, communities, or courses.

Types of CMS

On the Internet, you will find a wide variety of CMS that can be classified based on different criteria. According to their functionality and use, based on the technology they use, or based on the type of license (closed or open source).

Depending on the hosting or server where the website is located, we can find different types of CMS: hosting on your own server, CMS with cloud hosting, or CMS with SAAS (Software as a Service). The first is more customizable but requires greater control and involves more risks and maintenance needs.

The second does not require maintenance, and you only have to worry about hiring the server and installing the license. While in the third, the CMS takes care of all technical aspects, so you only have to worry about paying the subscription for the server. It is perhaps the most recommended for users who have never touched a website before, although it also allows for less customization and includes fewer functions.

Main CMS

On the web, you can find a wide variety of CMS to choose from. The main and most well-known are as follows:

WordPress

WordPress is the most popular CMS on the Internet, and almost half of the websites you find are created with this CMS. It offers great flexibility to create any type of website thanks to its wide variety of plugins, which enhances customization. It is a free system that you can install on your server and is particularly beneficial for SEO.

There is a large WordPress community online with numerous resources for users, professional advice, support, or guides to make the most of it. Being so popular, it also registers a higher number of attacks and has a greater number of vulnerabilities.

WooCommerce

It is not a CMS in itself, but a plugin that you must install on WordPress if your goal is to create an online store. It has all the advantages of WordPress and is perfect for selling physical, digital products, and even with affiliates. It is a free service and allows many integrations with services like Stripe, PayPal, or Google Shopping. It offers many customization options.

Joomla

Joomla is a CMS as old as WordPress, but its resources are not as numerous, as it offers fewer customization options and fewer added options. It is more used by developers due to its more robust operation, although it is more challenging to use at first. There are modules, extensions, and plugins where compatibility fails, which makes many users give up using it. Additionally, for certain functions, you will need a programmer, and those specialized in Joomla are not very numerous.

Wix

Wix is a very popular CMS thanks to its ease of use and its strong investment in advertising. Its intuitive interface and practical app store where you can find many functionalities are its strong points. It is not as versatile as WordPress and is more limited in terms of SEO, but it has improved in recent years. It is widely used as a first website, although you need to pay a monthly fee to use the CMS along with its server.

Squarespace

Squarespace is a CMS very similar to Wix but not as well-known. It is easy to use and intuitive, but it is more limited. To use this CMS, you must subscribe to its service along with its hosting.

Shopify

Another of the most popular CMS is Shopify, specialized in online stores. In recent years, it has seen spectacular growth due to its ease of use and a very simple interface, allowing users to set up an online store in no time.

The user part is designed to enhance conversion (it is evident that they are e-commerce specialists), and integrating payments with the app store to expand functionalities is very easy. They have significantly improved speed, SEO, and other technical aspects, although the price can be high in their monthly fees.

Magento

Another leading CMS on the web is Magento, Adobe's e-commerce platform. You can install Magento on your own server, although it consumes a lot of resources. It focuses on providing great security and a high degree of customization for online stores. It can be a bit expensive, but the investment is worth it for what it offers and its functionalities.

Magento is used by some of the big brands we all know, such as Coca-Cola or Nike, to set up their online stores. It is perfect for large stores with a vast assortment. In any case, its use can be complicated at first, and professionals who master Magento are not exactly the cheapest. The price of Magento is high; in fact, you have to consult it because it is not listed on the website.

Prestashop

Prestashop is another platform specialized in e-commerce highly recommended for small and medium-sized stores. You can install Prestashop on your server for free, although most extra modules are paid, which can increase the cost of the service. It has a large community in forums, and there are many guides and tutorials published.

This CMS includes fewer designs and fewer customization options, although the learning curve is higher. In any case, if you need a professional, it is easier to find one than for Magento.

Other CMS to Consider

In addition to all the previous options, we can find other less-known CMS, such as the following:

• Ghost: special for bloggers. It is fast but more limited.
• Blogger: a classic system for blogs. Quite outdated. Few options and very limited.
• Weebly: similar to solutions like Wix.
• Drupal: it is the CMS for some large websites, such as university sites or The Economist. Good community and flexible, although customization is more complicated. It does not have as many resources as WordPress and has fewer professionals available (more expensive). It is a more robust and secure solution, although some coding knowledge may be necessary.

Factors to Consider When Choosing Your CMS

When choosing a CMS, you should consider many factors, although the most important are the following:

1. Main functionality: Are you going to create a blog, a website, or an online store?
2. Knowledge: Have you ever used one? Do you know anything about programming?
3. Resources: plugins, addons, and templates included. Which one offers you the best options for your project?
4. Customization: Can you customize your website as much as you want? Can you do it easily?
5. Scalability: Is the CMS prepared for the website to grow quickly and reach millions of visits in the medium term?
6. Expert professionals: Do you know professionals who master any CMS? If so, what is the cost of their services if needed?
7. Prices and costs: How much does it cost to use the CMS? Which one offers better plugins or addons at a lower price?
8. Security: Which CMS offers greater security and protection against possible hacks and cyberattacks?
9. SEO: Which CMS is better for quickly positioning your website in search engines?
10. Community: Which CMS has the most guides, tutorials, and forums to seek help and support?

Now that you know what a CMS is, what factors to consider when choosing one, and which are the most well-known and popular, you just have to analyze the different options to find the one that best fits the needs of your online project.

See you in the next post!