Which CMS should I choose for my website?

That’s the first question you probably ask as soon as you want to create a Web site. Many websites are managed through a Content Management System (CMS). There are several CMSs, open source or not, that you can choose from to build your own website. What are the differences between these systems and how do you ultimately choose the right CMS? We list some of these for you below:

The most commonly used management systems are:

• 
  WordPress
  .
• 
  Joomla!
  .
• 
  Drupal
  .
• 
  Magento
  .
• 
  TYPO3
  .

Each system has a difference in the learning curve (how easy the system is to learn), the cost (of purchasing the CMS, templates, plug-ins and maintenance), the number of plug-ins available and functionalities (forms, payment methods, SEO tools, etc.). How quickly you teach yourself a system also depends in part on your own commitment and level of knowledge. How much budget you want or can spend on a template or additional plug-ins and development is also up to you.

WordPress is currently the most widely used system. You see many web developers, freelancers and Internet agencies offering websites with this. Install regular updates, including plug-ins, and an SSL certificate installs are therefore a must to stay properly secured. This is to stay ahead of cybercriminals and plug possible holes. Joomla, Magento, TYPO3 and Drupal must also be properly secured. You need to optimize your website or webshop both technically and in terms of content to make your website easy to find in Google; whichever CMS you choose. Technical adjustments are necessary. Think of adjustments such as search engine friendly URLs, header settings, meta description, naming of images, etc. In a previous
blog
we already addressed this.

WordPress

WordPress is one of the most popular CMS systems to create a website with. Both beginners and experienced users can handle it because it is easy to learn. There are an average of 8 updates per year, which can be easily installed. You also have a premium version, which allows you to take advantage of additional features. All websites are built in responsive design, so can be seen well on both desktops, tablets and on smartphones. WordPress can get slow if different plug-ins are used, though. Also, WordPress requires a lot of maintenance because of the updates that are performed annually. At
SQR WordPress hosting
these updates are performed automatically for you. This makes it even easier to work with. To use WordPress for an online store, ‘WooCommerce’ as a plug-in is ideal. WooCommerce began as a simple plug-in, but has grown into a huge community and much more than just a single plug-in. WooCommerce is one of the most popular webshop systems and downloaded millions of times worldwide.

Drupal

‘Drupal’ works very differently from, say, WordPress or Joomla! This is because Drupal uses small, free modules that together form a new functionality. A modular system that you can set up yourself. This makes for a CMS with lots of possibilities. Regular updates are released. In the early days of Drupal, the software was designed to function as a community platform. Drupal has a powerful and robust API that makes it possible to create virtually any application. This makes Drupal suitable to serve as a framework for any application. Drupal has always maintained and further developed this feature, making the system ideally suited for Web projects that involve large user groups. Due to the modular system and the learning curve that comes with it, Drupal is best suited for ‘Corporate,‘ ‘Community’ and ‘Magazine’ websites. Often Drupal is also installed in
1 click to install
at hosting parties.

Joomla!

“Joomla!” was for a time the most widely used CMS in the world. Joomla! is not always perceived as very uncluttered. In the beginning, the interface even came across as rather cluttered, especially if a website contained many external plug-ins. Joomla! is best used for Corporate websites and Magazine websites. Joomla! is designed so that it is easy to install, even for beginners. Many web hosting parties even offer the option to install Joomla! automatically or in
1 click
, allowing your site to be live within minutes. It is less suitable for a website where external visitors create an account with different roles associated with it. For example, intranet, extranet, etc. Also, Joomla! is slightly less suitable to serve as an online shop. On the
Joomla! community
you can find more information about this. The interface, the ease of use of Joomla! looks friendly at first glance, but some parts are a little more difficult to manage, and require a little more explanation.

TYPO3

In the Netherlands, TYPO3 became especially popular when well-known organizations began using it, such as universities, television stations and government agencies. Exceptions aside, TYPO3 websites are generally not the most aesthetically pleasing or modern websites, but they are often large websites with more than a thousand pages and/or users. Because of this scalability and, among other things, a solid rights system, TYPO3 is in principle a good candidate for a large community Web site or other type of enterprise-level project. Developing TYPO3 proprietary extensions is fairly easy to do without too much PHP knowledge. With the TYPO3 extension “Kickstarter,” you can quite easily lay down the foundation for the desired functionality. So handy to take a look at that should you choose this CMS.

Magento

Magento is a popular shopping cart system. All this makes Magento suitable for both the merchant and large e-commerce projects. The reason why this system is so popular has to do with the fact that with this system you can create a comprehensive, professional-looking web store that completely meets your needs and requirements. In addition, the system is very user-friendly, allowing even laymen in the field of website construction to create a complete and professional online store using the system. Entrepreneurs often choose Magento because it offers a complete package of online payment links, inventory management, multiple currencies, multilingualism, invoicing, marketing tools, analytics and so on.

Website builder

We also have the Website Builder in our product range that allows you to build your website or webshop very easily via a so-called WYSIWYG tool (What You See It What You Get). You can test these in advance to see if that’s right for your idea.

Choosing CMS

Choosing a CMS can be compared to choosing between a gasoline, diesel or electric car. It totally depends on what you are going to use it for!

Each solution has its own advantages and disadvantages. So which one should you choose? That depends entirely on your situation: what is the purpose of your Web site? Do you want a very easy-to-manage site with a few pages, photo gallery, contact form and perhaps a blog? Do you want to be able to maintain it yourself without any technical knowledge? Then WordPress is a good choice in many cases. However, do you have development requirements and are going to create something less straightforward? As a web designer, are you looking for more flexibility and extensive functionality? Then you could opt for Joomla!, Drupal or TYPO3. Do you want a comprehensive web shop and have a higher budget for development? Then check out the options for Magento.

However, there is another aspect at play: popularity. In recent years, WordPress has become so popular that you can find specialists everywhere. From freelancers to large design agencies all working with WordPress. In this respect, WordPress has really surpassed Joomla, Drupal and TYPO3. Our partners can also tell you more about the deployment of the different CMSs. Should you be interested in this:
let us know
!

On the Internet you will find several comparison pages where “Content Management Systems” are compared on various points. There you can still see the differences for yourself at the detail level. With this, we hope to have given you at least a little more insight into the various CMSes. And who knows, you may already be out!