A CMS is a web-based application that simplifies the management of a website. In addition to making it easy for non-technical employees to create, edit and remove content, a CMS will:
- Create navigation elements automatically
- Create an index of the content, making it searchable
- Track users’ security settings and permissions
- Add plugins/functionality to their site
- Manage an online store
This is just a short overview of what a CMS can do for your website.
Suppose you are using an old-fashioned HTML-based website or relying on an outdated platform someone developed for you ten years ago. In that case, it might be a good idea to consider migrating to one of the popular CMS platforms. This will ensure your website will keep up to date and provide a better user experience to your visitors. Keep in mind that if you are hesitant about the process, you can ask your developer to maintain the same look and content as your existing (old) website on the new CMS. We found that this process often makes business owners more comfortable as the first stage of migration.
Types of Popular CMS
Open Source
WordPress
WordPress is used around the world to manage websites large and small. A free CMS focuses on usability, security standards, and aesthetics. Initially, WordPress was a simple blogging platform, but now it supports the websites of many large companies. If your company’s website has multiple users, RSS syndication, comments, many categories, or several APIs, then WordPress is a suitable CMS.
Magento Opensource Edition
Magento Opensource Edition is the free open source version of Magento’s platform that started in 2008. Available for everyone to download, install and extend, users are welcome to adjust to the software to meet their needs, but development knowledge is required.
Joomla
Joomla is an open-source CMS that is also free. Like WordPress, Joomla is used by small websites and large companies. With Joomla, installation is simple, content management is easy, and site maintenance uncomplicated. Joomla is a reliable, stable alternative for those looking for something other than WordPress.
Drupal
Drupal is also suited for all types of websites, thanks to its many features and different configurations. Like Joomla, Drupal is an open-source CMS. Although a smaller portion (about two percent) of websites use Drupal, it is used for everything from personal blogs to government websites – including data.gove.uk and whitehouse.gov.
Premium CMS’s
Shopify
Shopify is a complete CMS designed for eCommerce that allows you to quickly set up an online store and start selling your products. It lets you upload and manage your products, create your storefront, receive payments, manage orders, all with a few clicks of the mouse.
Magento Commerce Edition
Magento’s Commerce Edition is much more than a licensed edition of Magento OpenSource. Although built on the same code stack, the Magento Commerce platform is more suitable for larger companies with a large volume of traffic, lots of products, or overall greater website complexity. The Commerce version also includes Magento Technical Support and Magento Dedicated Account Management.
Wix
Wix.com is a cloud-based CMS platform that hosts your site on its platform. It allows users to create HTML5 sites with a drag and drop interface. Users may add almost anything else the other CMS offer like social plugins, e-commerce, contact forms, e-mail marketing, and much more to their sites using either Wix-developed or third-party applications. Although Wix is built on a freemium business model, it does charge a premium for upgrades. You must purchase a package to connect their sites to your domain, remove Wix ads, add e-commerce capabilities, or increase your data storage and bandwidth. SO basically, the freemium is pretty much irrelevant for actual businesses.
There are many more CMS platforms, but these are the most popular ones.
