CMS is an abbreviation for a content management system. With millions of websites built with a CMS, selecting the right one can make or break managing your digital presence. A CMS allows businesses to create, manage, and update their content without needing advanced and pro-level technical skills. Whether you need a simple blog, a powerful e-commerce website, or a secure corporate-level platform, the right CMS can act as an appendage to your team. It can not only help produce content that is original, organized, and of the highest quality but also help structure the website operations very smoothly. So, you can make a website and get it up and running without any technical knowledge of code or with just a basic level of expertise with the help of a CMS.
Since so many websites are being powered by CMS, there are many options for content management systems to choose from. With so many CMS options for websites, making the right choice can feel confusing and even overwhelming. That is why we have created this guide with bmymarketer’s CMS experts, who will walk you through selecting a CMS by evaluating features, comparing popular platforms, and offering practical tips. Whether you’re running a small business or managing many of them, the tips provided here will help you find the best CMS platform for business that seems the best for your own brand.
Why Your Business Needs the Right CMS
1. User-Friendly Content Management Without Coding
One of the biggest advantages of a CMS is that it helps anyone manage the website content, i.e., non-technical users, without writing code. Usually, updating or creating web pages requires developers to work with languages like HTML, CSS, or JavaScript. However, with a CMS, anyone on your team, whether they’re marketers, product managers, or bloggers, can easily add, edit, and update content through an extremely user-friendly interface.
Let’s take an example of a restaurant website that advertises for seasonal promotions. With a CMS like WordPress, the marketing team can update the menu and create a blog post announcing the promotion within minutes. There would be no need to hire a web developer separately. So you can stay on top of the trends and new updates in your business without needing any outside help.
2. Faster Website Updates and Collaboration
A CMS makes it incredibly easy to update content quickly. Quick updates are vital nowadays if you want to keep up with both your audience as well as your competitors. The content management system also allows multiple people to collaborate and work together. Your photographer, content writer, and editor can all log in together and work on their specific tasks simultaneously. It also keeps everyone in the loop without needing lengthy demonstrations and meetings, saving everyone’s time and energy.
Take the example of a news website like CNN or BBC, which needs to publish breaking news as soon as events unfold. With their CMS, journalists can upload stories, editors can make revisions, and the content goes live in real-time. This way, their audience is always getting the latest news, and they are not lagging behind their competitors in the news industry by waiting for everyone on the team to finish their parts one by one.
3. Cost-Effective Website Management
A content management system can also be cost-saving as well as time-saving because it decreases the frequency of hiring a developer for routine updates. For technical help periodically and initially, you might need to pay an expert. But, when everything is in motion, and you need updates like changing product listings or adding new products/services, your in-house team can do it very easily. So, you would not need to outsource as much and your expenses would be lower directly in that regard.
For example, if you own a startup selling handmade crochet blankets and want your own website instead of an Etsy or Amazon store, you can initially hire a web developer to set up a WordPress store. Once the site is live, you can easily handle products, updates, promotions, and blog posts on your own. It not only gives you a sense of independence but also eliminates the need to hire a dedicated developer to be around for your website. Talk about a win-win!
4. SEO-Friendly Features to Improve Visibility
Most CMS platforms come with built-in SEO tools or plugins that make it easier to optimize your website for search engines. These include features like customizable URLs, meta descriptions, and alt tags for images. That is how your content ranks well on Google without any extra effort. CMS plugins like Yoast SEO (for WordPress) offer suggestions as you go to help businesses improve their on-page SEO, which then improves their organic traffic.
For example, small businesses like niche online bookstores can use Yoast to optimize product descriptions and meta tags. By targeting keywords like “best mystery books” or “top children’s books,” the store increases its visibility in search engines without any specific techniques or skills. That will not only boost the store’s visibility in Google searches but also help it rank much higher.
5. Mobile Responsiveness Built-In
With over half of the web traffic coming from mobile devices and increasing, it is obvious that mobile phone usage will keep growing with time. One of the most important advantages of a CMS is that it has a mobile-friendly framework. Websites built for laptops or bigger screens do not translate well on phones, but with a mobile responsive CMS, you don’t have that issue anymore. That will make your website incredibly user-friendly and smooth on any screen size. In fact, Some CMSs even let you preview how a page will look on mobile before publishing.
This comes especially handy in the service industry. You can choose a seat on a bus, train, or airplane. Similarly, a restaurant chain that has a mobile-friendly WordPress website can let customers view menus and book tables easily on smartphones. If these websites are not responsive, it could frustrate mobile users, and you could even lose potential paying customers.
6. Third-Party Integrations
A CMS can integrate with many third-party tools like payment gateways, CRMs, analytics platforms, and email marketing tools. This makes it easier to run your business efficiently because it combines the power of different software systems. For instance, you can connect your CMS with MailChimp to send automated emails or with Google Analytics to monitor website traffic at your chosen time.
Third-party plugins are also great for generating good leads. For example, a real estate agency that integrates its Joomla-based website with HubSpot CRM can capture leads directly from the website. Not only that, but they can also track customer interactions and close deals faster, all without switching between more than one software.
7. Scalability for Growing Businesses
A good CMS can grow with your business. Whether you need to add more pages, introduce new products, or expand into international markets, a great CMS can easily handle it. Many platforms also allow you to upgrade functionality by installing additional plugins, modules, or extensions.
A very common example is WordPress, which is used worldwide. Let’s take a local Swiss shoe brand like Bata, which started small with an online store on WordPress but later expanded internationally. By adding the WPML plugin, they offer their website in multiple languages, catering to a global audience without needing to rebuild the entire site.
8. Security Features to Protect Your Website
With a rising need to be cyber secure, it makes sense to also guard your website digitally from external threats like viruses, malware, data and information theft, etc. The good thing is that most modern CMS platforms offer the latest security features, such as SSL support, firewalls, and two-factor authentication (2FA). These features protect your website from cyberattacks, data breaches, and other vulnerabilities. CMSs like Drupal are known for their focus on security, which is why they are popular among government agencies and larger, established businesses.
Establishments like Tesla, the European Union, and even the City of London use Drupal because it can securely manage sensitive customer data with advanced access controls and encryption. The reason is that regular security updates from the Drupal community protect the websites of major institutions around the world from the latest threats.
9. Multi-Language Support for a Global Reach
If you aspire to have a business that eventually goes international, you should look at CMS like Joomla and WordPress. These CMSs can help you connect with people on the other side of the world, offering either plugins or built-in features for managing multiple languages.
For example, if you are starting a travel company or even have a travel blog because you love a nomadic lifestyle and want to turn it into a world-famous travel guide like many have, you should start with a CMS that supports that. Your content can be translated into different languages, and it makes it extremely easy to attract international users from all over the world to visit your website for guidance, engagement, and other services.
10. Analytics and Performance Monitoring
For better understanding and checking up on how your website is performing, it is handy to have a CMS that already does that for you. Many content management systems come integrated with tools like Google Analytics. You can keep an eye on metrics like visitor behavior, conversion rate, bounce rate, etc, and see what you need to work on more. It gives you the ability to identify areas for improvement.
A CMS makes it easy to track website performance by integrating with analytics tools like Google Analytics. This helps businesses monitor visitor behavior, track conversions, and identify areas for improvement. It also tells you how your audience interacts with your content based on what they comment, browse, purchase, or leave. It can help you revamp your entire digital marketing strategy from social media to email marketing. It can not only help your undecided, grifter users convert but also improve the efficiency of your overall website.
For example, if you own a software company and offer value in terms of writing ever-green blogs, tips and tricks, easy ways to use your products/services, tutorials, etc, analytics can be extremely helpful. It will tell you what is being read by your audience, what is getting less attention than you would like, and how to fix that. Without that data, you can only speculate what went wrong, but data makes the reasoning and intervention valid. It makes fixing things, checking what interventions work, and how to optimize them way less frustrating than just going in blind or hiring a third party.
Different CMS Platforms and How to Choose One
There are many CMS platforms available out there. Some of them are suitable for small businesses, some for artistic websites, and some even for corporations. Each platform comes with its strengths, weaknesses, and technical features that you have to be mindful of when going around choosing one. Let’s look at the most popular ones and understand how they work.
WordPress
WordPress is the most popular CMS in the world, powering over 40% of all websites—over 478 million in number! Originally designed for blogging, it has grown into a flexible platform that supports everything from small business websites to large e-commerce stores. In fact, a lot of famous businesses that you interact with on a daily are developed on WordPress. From Disney to The New Yorker, you will find a whole range of small and big names built on this platform. WordPress is built on PHP and MySQL. It is open-source and free to use, modify, and distribute. It offers both self-hosted (WordPress.org) and hosted (WordPress.com) versions and supports e-commerce with plugins like WooCommerce.
Advantages
WordPress is incredibly user-friendly, so it is perfect for beginners because of its easy interface. You can learn to use it without any technical background. Thousands of free and paid plugins help you add features (like SEO tools) and customize theme designs without coding. It is also great for SEO since SEO plugins like Yoast make it easy to optimize your site for search engines, which helps with online visibility. Because it’s so popular, WordPress has a huge community. You can easily find help through forums, tutorials, and YouTube videos.
Disadvantages
One disadvantage is that it might slow down over time. Relying too much on plugins may affect site speed, which could frustrate visitors. Another issue is security. It has standard security features, but since WordPress is widely used, it’s also a popular target for hackers. To avoid security issues, you need to keep plugins and themes updated regularly. Additionally, you can build it easily with a Gutenberg editor, but customization requires some coding. While it’s beginner-friendly, more advanced customization may need some knowledge of CSS or HTML.
Joomla
Joomla is a popular and powerful CMS that sits somewhere between WordPress and Drupal in terms of complexity. It’s great for building more structured websites like membership sites or online communities. It is also built on PHP and MySQL and open-source like WordPress. It is hosting everything from MTV Greece to Harvard University’s schools. It also supports e-commerce through extensions like VirtueMart.
Advantages
Joomla has advanced user management, so it offers better control over user roles and permissions than WordPress. This makes it ideal for websites where many people need different levels of access. For example, if you are a college administrator, you will have a separate level of access from an instructor, a professor, or a student. Unlike WordPress, it also has multilingual support, meaning you don’t need additional plugins to run your site in multiple languages. Joomla offers more flexibility than WordPress but doesn’t require as much technical knowledge as Drupal.
Disadvantages
While easier than Drupal, Joomla is harder to learn compared to WordPress, especially for beginners. It also does not have a huge library of plugins and themes like WordPress, so that can limit your customization to some extent. Although Joomla has an active community, it is relatively smaller compared to WordPress. That is why finding quick solutions or tutorials is a bit harder.
Drupal
Drupal is known for being extremely powerful, highly customizable, and incredibly secure. However, it does require you to have a certain degree of know-how in coding and development. It is very commonly used for governmental websites, official websites of non-governmental organizations, universities, giant corporations, and websites that need a higher degree of sophistication and functionality. Not to mention, the most attractive feature of Drupal continues to be its unmatchable security standards. It is also open-source and built on PHP and MySQL. Like Joompla, it offers multi-language support and advanced content workflows, which is ideal for large-scale and high-security requirement websites.
Advantages
Drupal gives developers full control over every aspect of a website, from design to functionality. Therefore, it is highly personalizable and you can mold it however you want it to be. With security features like no other, it is a popular choice if you want to protect any sensitive data. Since it is scalable, it can handle a huge amount of data and traffic without lagging or slowing down. So, it is very high-performing.
Disadvantages
Drupal definitely requires technical skills, and hence, it is not beginner-friendly. You need web development knowledge to set it up, customize it, and manage updates. It is also more expensive to maintain. Since Drupal requires professional developers, maintaining a Drupal site can be costly. It also comes with limited theme and plugin options. Although there are extensions, Drupal’s ecosystem is smaller compared to WordPress.
Shopify
Shopify is a hosted CMS designed specifically for e-commerce. It allows businesses to easily set up online stores, manage products, and accept payments. Unlike WordPress or Joomla, Shopify is not open-source. Therefore, it is a paid service with everything hosted on Shopify’s servers. It is a hosted platform, so there is no need to find separate web hosts. It also supports a variety of payment gateways and is ideal for e-commerce businesses of all sizes because it is created especially for the e-commerce industry. It also has built-in SEO tools and mobile-responsive themes.
Advantages
Shopify makes it incredibly easy to launch an e-commerce store. No coding skills are required. It also has a built-in payment system. Shopify comes with its own payment gateway, Shopify Payments, but it also integrates with other gateways like PayPal and Stripe. With 24/7 customer support, Shopify offers phone, chat, and email support, which is a huge help for businesses new to e-commerce.
Disadvantages
Since Shopify is a closed platform, there are limits on what you can customize without hiring a Shopify developer. Shopify also charges monthly fees, which can increase with additional apps or features. There is also a small catch if you use other payment gateways than Shopify’s own payment system. In that case, Shopify charges transaction fees on each sale.
Wix
If you were ever active on YouTube, you must have seen endorsements for the hosting platform Wix. Wix is a drag-and-drop website builder that offers CMS features for users who want a simple way to create websites. It is beginner-friendly and doesn’t require coding skills. That is why it is ideal for personal projects, small businesses, or portfolios. It is a hosted platform, so there is no need for separate hosting services. And, it also comes with built-in e-commerce features so that you can make your sales.
Advantages
Wix is famously extremely easy to use. Its drag-and-drop interface is perfect for beginners with no technical background whatsoever. Wix provides hosting, domain registration, and design tools in one package. It truly gives you an all-in-one solution. It also comes with many pre-designed templates. With a huge and versatile variety of templates for different industries, it makes it easy to get started quickly on your project, be it a business or not. You can also find a lot of tutorials for free online that can help you work with it, so you don’t need any outside expert.
Disadvantages
Wix works well for small websites but isn’t ideal for larger, more complex websites that need advanced features. Therefore, its scalability is pretty limited. Wix is easy to use, but it is not as SEO-friendly. While Wix has improved its SEO tools, it still doesn’t perform as well as WordPress in terms of SEO. You also need to choose your design or template very carefully and mindfully because it is difficult to switch to another one without rebuilding your website from scratch. So, it is not as flexible with its customization.
Magento (Adobe Commerce)
Magento is a powerful, open-source CMS designed specifically for e-commerce. It is widely used by large businesses that need advanced features and control over their online stores. Since it was acquired by Adobe Inc. in 2018, Magento offers two versions: Magento Open Source (free) and Adobe Commerce (paid, enterprise-level). It is built on PHP, MySQL, and Zend Framework. It also supports third-party integrations with customer relationship management (CRM), enterprise resource planning (ERPs), and different payment gateways. Since it is both open-source with a community version and offers paid enterprise solutions, it is ideal for large and complex e-commerce businesses.
Advantages
Magento provides complete control over product catalogs, pricing, shipping, and promotions. Since it is very customizable, it is a first choice for businesses that have complicated product management needs. It supports large-scale stores. Therefore, it can manage and take on very high traffic and large inventories without slowing down or lagging in performance. Magento is, hence, ideal for international brands as well. Along with multilingual support, it also offers multi-currency support which makes it perfect for businesses that operate on a global scale. Magento comes with built-in tools for SEO, making sure that your products are easily discoverable online.
Disadvantages
Magento has a steep learning curve and requires development skills to set up and manage. Beginners might find it very overwhelming, and you are better off saving yourself a headache and hiring an expert. Even though the open-source version is free, maintaining and customizing a Magento store often requires hiring experienced developers, which can get expensive. However, it is definitely worth it in the long run. Magento stores can experience slow loading times if not optimized correctly, especially with large product catalogs, which is another reason why it requires you to get help from outside expertise.
Sitecore
Sitecore is a premium (Managed Cloud Premium) CMS and digital experience platform (DXP) for enterprise-level companies that need advanced marketing tools and personalization. It combines content management with data-based insights to provide a smooth and very customized customer user experience. Sitecore is built on the Microsoft .NET framework. It also has AI-driven personalization and analytics tools. It can also support multiple websites and languages from a single instance, so it is ideal for businesses that focus heavily on marketing and customer experience.
Advantages
Sitecore is known for its excellent personalization capabilities. It allows businesses to give users personalized content based on their behavior, purchase history, and preferences. With integrated marketing tools, it offers built-in tools for campaign management, analytics, and A/B testing, thus making it a very sought-after and powerful platform for digital marketers.
It is both scalable and secure because Sitecore is designed to handle huge, complicated, and enterprise-level websites. These websites scale at a record amount and also need a high degree of security, and Sitecore offers both in one place. Another advantage is its omnichannel support. Sitecore helps businesses deliver a consistent user experience on multiple channels. Be it websites, mobile apps, or email campaigns, your target audience and users will get the exact same premium experience on every online platform.
Disadvantages
Sitecore is one of the most expensive CMS platforms, both in terms of licensing and maintenance, but rightly so if you compare its experience with other CMS platforms. With respect to technical expertise, Sitecore is not that beginner-friendly. Businesses often need to hire developers and specialists to manage the platform effectively in both short-term development and long-term management. It is also a fairly complex setup. It offers a lot of features, but figuring it all out can be tedious, time-consuming, and complicated, especially without an expert.
Ghost
Ghost is a lightweight CMS designed primarily for bloggers, writers, and content-focused websites. It is well-known for its simplicity, speed, and focus on publishing. Therefore, it offers a simple, minimal interface emphasizing content creation. It is built on Node.js for high performance. Ghost is also open-source, with a hosted version available through Ghost.org. For better functionality, it supports markdown for fast content formatting. Hence, it is ideal for bloggers and writers of any niche.
Advantages
Ghost is built for speed, ensuring quick page loads and excellent performance. With a focus on content, ghost offers a distraction-free writing environment, perfect for bloggers or online publications. It also provides built-In SEO and social sharing tools. These features help writers optimize their posts without needing additional plugins. Ghost allows you to monetize content through subscriptions and memberships directly from the platform. Hence, you can earn fairly easily from your content.
Disadvantages
Ghost is designed for simplicity, so it lacks the extensive customization options of platforms like WordPress. It also has a smaller ecosystem and fewer themes and plugins compared to other CMS platforms. Therefore, it is not suitable for complex websites. Ghost may not be the right choice if your website needs advanced functionality, such as e-commerce or multi-language support.
CMS Features for Business Needs: What to Look For
Choosing the right CMS involves carefully planning and considering your business’s unique requirements. Here are some practical CMS selection tips from our experts to help you make an informed decision that you will not regret.
Always test the platform before committing. Many CMS platforms offer free trials or demos. Testing the CMS in a real-world scenario will help you determine if it meets your needs. Not all CMS platforms are easy to learn. Choosing a simpler CMS will save time and reduce frustration if your team lacks technical know-how. Consider the total cost as well. While some CMS platforms are free, additional costs may arise from premium plugins, themes, and maintenance services. Many businesses need to control who can create, edit, and publish content. In this case, you should look carefully at CMS with role-based permissions because it ensures that tasks are delegated properly and securely. SEO is essential for businesses that depend on organic traffic to attract customers. Therefore, a good CMS should offer built-in SEO tools or plugins that simplify on-page optimization.
With more users accessing websites on mobile devices, a responsive design is non-negotiable. Your CMS should offer mobile-friendly themes or tools so that your website looks good on any device. It should also integrate easily with external tools like CRMs, email marketing platforms, and analytics tools. Scalability and performance should not be compromised, so it must be able to handle increased traffic and new features as your business grows.
Conclusion: Making the Right Choice
Selecting the best CMS for your business website is a strategic decision that requires careful brainstorming. Platforms like WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal have strengths and weaknesses. WordPress is perfect for ease of use, Joomla offers flexibility for complex sites, and Drupal excels in scalability and security. If you want simplicity, go with Wix. Magento is the top choice for large e-commerce stores, while Shopify caters to smaller online retailers with easy-to-use tools. Sitecore is an ideal choice in personalized digital marketing for large businesses, and Ghost is perfect for bloggers and content-focused sites.
Choosing the right CMS depends on your business’s short-term and long-term goals, technical skills, and budget. You can choose the CMS that helps you fulfill your goals by evaluating and analyzing your business needs, testing platforms, and considering long-term costs. Use this CMS comparison guide and the practical tips to avoid common pitfalls and set your business up for success. If you feel stuck, have a hard time deciding, or even want some help with starting on your final choice of the CMS platform, you can contact one of bmymarketer’s expert developers. With a free demonstration and initial consultation, we guarantee you a lot of clarity and some progress towards reaching your goals of having your website on the right CMS.
