Choosing the right CMS for your next project may seem daunting, but here we will step you through the pros and cons to help you make the best choice.

What is a CMS ?

According to Wiki, “a content management system (CMS) is a software application that can be used to manage the creation and modification of digital content.” In basic terms, a CMS is the software your website is built with. There are plenty available to choose from but the most popular ones, which you may have already heard about include, WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Magento, Sqaurespace & Wix. So which one is best for you? Let’s go through some of the most popular ones.

 

WordPress

According to LiveStats, at the time of writing this article there are currently 1,717,807,999 websites online right now. Wow – that’s massive! Sure a lot of them haven’t been updated in years but what’s interesting is that the majority are built with WordPress.

The latest statistics according to W3tech show that WordPress has 61.4% of the marketshare – that’s phenomenal! Joomla has 4.9% and Drupal 3.1%.

So why are so many websites in Australia built using this intuitive platform? There are many reasons why WordPress has grown to become the world’s most popular CMS –

Affordability – You can get it free out of the box and build your own blog – of course unless you’re a WordPress expert this will be an extremely limited design and you will still need a WordPress Hosting Company like Hills Web Design to host it for you – but for those who are short of funds and have some computer skills you should be able to work things out quite easily.

Infinite Plugins and Available Addons – If you are ready to take the plunge and get a website designer to build your professional website for you, the great news is your existing WordPress Website can be updated, customised and enhanced. With the availability of customisable themes, plugins and add ons (some with annual fees) there are almost no limitations on what can be achieved with WordPress.

Security – An up to date WordPress Website is one of the most secure websites in the world! So then why do we see so many WordPress websites getting hacked? The answer is simple, if you are not updating your WordPress site regularly it will eventually be targeted and hacked. This goes for any website, however, WordPress can be a little more vulnerable due to the fact that many 3rd party plugins are used.
Hills Web Design offer Website Care Packages which include regular updates to keep your website secure. Monthly backups, security software and reporting are also part of the maintenance packages we offer. Don’t wait until it’s too late, we have many clients comes to us who need to fix their WordPress website after it was hacked. Hills Web Design are Australian WordPress Experts and we can save your WordPress website after it is hacked, however we prefer to help you save money and secure it before that happens.

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) – WordPress has a variety of SEO plugins available to make SEO that little bit easier to update and maintain. A Plugin like Yoast is a great place to start. Read more on why having your SEO done professionally with WordPress can take your website to a whole new level.

Limitations – well there’s only really one, customisations. Unless you know what you’re doing, customising WordPress can be fairly limited. Hiring an Australian WordPress Expert is the only solution!

Joomla

Oh Joomla – we love you! People often ask us why we even bother using Joomla when WordPress is so much more popular. While Joomla only has around 5% of the market share, that’s still almost 2,000,000 websites worldwide, that’s not something that should be ignored.
Anyone who doesn’t respect Joomla and it’s true capabilities has either never actually used Joomla (simply heard it wasn’t as good as WordPress) or tried to use it and found it was beyond their skill set.

Hills Web Design are Joomla Experts and have built hundreds of websites using this CMS. Generally reserved for the mid to higher end developments which require much more customisation. Joomla simply does things that WordPress can’t – the downside for many website users and developers is that you need expert development skills to be able to do it and to maintain it effectively.

Affordability – Just like WordPress it can be installed quickly – you will still need a Joomla Web Hosting Company to host if for you.

Plugins and Available Addons – Joomla has a massive community with plenty of add ons available, however it can take an expert to determine which ones work best. Over the years we have found the best add ons for customising Joomla and use them across our Joomla sites.

SEO – We find customising SEO much more flexible on Joomla CMS – The ability to add SEO to each article, image and page is easier and you do not require plugins to do this for you.

Security – Joomla is considered the most secure CMS on the market. However, we cannot say it enough, you need to keep your website and add ons up to date! Joomla is no different. An out of date Joomla website is just begging to be hacked.
We have many clients who come to us after their website has been hacked asking us to fix their hacked Joomla site! Sure we can do this, in fact we’re Australian Joomla Experts and can fix your Joomla website, remove hacked joomla files and restore your Joomla website. However, we much prefer to keep your Joomla website updated and secure with our Monthly Maintenance Packages.

 

Drupal, Shopify, Squarespace, Wix, Magento

We’re moving down the list in popular CMS – but these great options are all for different purposes. Drupal & Magento’s popularity is limited only due to the fact that you need to be a professional developer to use it, no DIY here!

Shopify, Squarespace and Wix are all DIY options for beginners, so a lot of beginners use them. They are extremely limited, in particular Squarespace and Wix, but if you are looking for cheap out of the box options where you can literally stick your logo in the corner, add your contact details and a picture or two displaying your services then this is for you.

If you need support with your DIY website then we are always happy to help. If you want to go that next step and get a professional website done then contact Hills Web Design today!