Best CMS platforms to create Websites in 2021
Nowadays, there is a consistent growth in content marketing in many businesses, and no wonder the benefits it brings to our digital strategy are quite a lot.
Most developers prefer to use CMS (Content Management System) to create dynamic websites efficiently and securely.
A CMS allows the digital strategy of content creation to be a much easier process, eliminating the need for technical knowledge in writing and publishing.
Before the existence of CMSs, web pages had to be developed in HTML and tables. Then came technologies such as CSS that made web pages more beautiful, without the need for the cumbersome use of tables. Languages like PHP further aided the process of making dynamic websites. Thus, a lot has changed since the early days of the Internet about creating websites.
A CMS is a fundamental piece for creating digital strategies due to its ease of incorporating new functionalities through the use of plugins and integrations with different platforms for online payment, mailing, CRMs, etc.
In short, a CMS is software that allows people to organize content, mostly website content, without the need for programming skills. To create a full website, it is not 100% mandatory to be a programmer, which is why CMSs are so popular today. More than half of all websites worldwide are developed with some CMS.
Now, choosing the right CMS is a different matter altogether. There are many options for all tastes. They all have their pros and cons.
Below we share with you the top 7 CMS in 2021 to develop your website.
Likely, you have already heard the name WordPress at some point.
This CMS has a lot of goodness, so it has a well-earned reputation. Being extremely flexible, and with a short learning curve for simple websites, but with all the tools to become a development platform for large portals, there is no doubt that WordPress has its position secured.
WordPress was initially considered a platform for bloggers and has expanded far beyond that as we see today.
Besides, this CMS is fully customizable to achieve the required goals by using plugins or programming the functionalities we want.
When it comes to CMS, WordPress offers a great experience and is considered the best for website development. Publishing new content and pages has become a simple task thanks to its powerful editor. Besides, the platform offers user registration, almost daily updates to keep it secure and a huge community in the different forums and social networks.
Key features
- It has automatic publishing and content management options.
- It offers a powerful editor that allows you to create your content with ease.
- It is highly flexible, thanks to a large number of plugins and templates.
- It has a robust and vibrant community.
The only downside to using WordPress is that you will need to install a lot of plugins from time to time to achieve the exact functionality you need for your website. And if you don’t manage to do it that way, you will need to hire the services of a specialized digital agency with experience in WordPress customization to do it for you.
2. JOOMLA
If you’re familiar with WordPress, you’ve probably heard of Joomla.
Joomla is a CMS similar to WordPress. Although Joomla is quite well known, it may not be as easy to use as WordPress, but it can be very flexible in some parts. For example, Joomla is a perfect choice if you manage many “custom post types”.
To be exact, Joomla is ideal if you want to create a website that its main content base is not text. The platform also offers many options for user management, i.e. Joomla provides a fantastic opportunity for membership-based sites.
On top of that, Joomla also includes out-of-the-box bilingual support. That means you don’t have to install additional plugins to include more languages on your website.
As a final point, Joomla also allows you to use several templates or themes at the same time for different types of content to achieve the desired web design.
Key Features
- Provides strong support for custom post types.
- Offers innovative user management options.
- Includes out-of-the-box bilingual support
- Allows the use of unique templates for each page type.
3.SHOPIFY
Shopify allows you to develop a professional looking and working website in minutes.
This CMS specializes mainly in online store development, also known as e-commerce or e-commerce.
Shopify has many CMS features that are beneficial for e-commerce website owners. Products are easy to add, edit, organize and list with its streamlined CMS interface.
Inventory tracking for specific products is possible, so is the drag and drop option to sort available product images. With different inventory weights, prices and tracking, you get many variants for each product.
You also get keyword tags to help navigate and search within the store. Shopify CMS also provides third-party shipping services such as Fulfillment by Amazon and dropshipping practices.
4. DRUPAL
Drupal is another software that carries a lot of weight among the top open-source CMSs.
While it is far below WordPress and Joomla in market share, that doesn’t make it any less distinguished and capable.
In practice, Drupal has many of the same functionalities as Joomla. For example, it offers a flexible structure for dealing with custom post types.
It also provides a great deal of control over your users and their consents, and you can even manage bilingual sites out of the box.
On the other hand, there are other parts where Drupal is in a class of its own. For example, its classification structure is more powerful than that of its opponents. In addition, Drupal is considered by some to be a more secure platform than WordPress and Joomla.
Main features
- It has a complete and flexible system for creating and managing custom publications.
- Offers state-of-the-art user administration and permission settings.
- Includes out-of-the-box support for multi-language sites.
- Features a complete content rating system.
- It is promoted as a CMS with top-notch security.
5. SQUARESPACE
You may have heard others call Squarespace a “website builder”, or a “web application”, or something else, but in essence, Squarespace is a tool that allows you to create and maintain websites through a web browser.
To be more specific, Squarespace is a hosted, flexible and easy CMS. Unlike WordPress, which you have to install on your web server, Squarespace gives you the CMS already installed.
Since Squarespace is a hosted product,means you can access the CMS from any browser on the Web. So all you have to do is log in from their website, and you can start working.
The downside is the little flexibility to achieve specific functionalities. Unlike WordPress, where we can program the functionalities we want, Squarespace is limited in this regard. As a result, it is more recommended for beginners who can’t yet afford professional web development.
6. WIX
Wix is considered by many to be the simplest CMS platform on the Web.
It is worth mentioning that Wix has a mechanical interface, a collection of add-ons or plugins and several third-party accessories to integrate tools such as Google Analytics.
However, it has certain limitations when it comes to implementing or integrating more complicated tools.
People with more knowledge in technology, programming and digital marketing are the ones who stay away from using Wix the most, and it is understandable since those with such knowledge seek not to feel limited to the features offered by Wix to develop their ideas.
On the other hand, beginners and those just looking for a web presence see in Wix a great opportunity to create their website.
7. MAGENTO
Launched in 2008, Magento CMS has grown significantly over the years. Adobe currently owns Magento.
Famous brands such as Nike, Ford, Samsung, Nestle, Lenovo and many more use Magento as their CMS. Magento offers many added values that enhance the experience of our website visitors.
Powerful search capabilities that filter results with several parameters, one-step checkout and single page processing, secure account control, order modification, and more are its main features.
For back-end administrators, Magento is a multifaceted suite that has a wealth of flexible marketing and promotion tools, such as an automatic visual page reader that makes designing product pages and modifying them very simple.
It also provides unique flexibility by allowing users to choose third-party applications, specifically for personalization.
This CMS also integrates easily with eBay, Google and PayPal. Magento CMS ranks high in terms of scalability.
OTHER CMS WORTH MENTIONING
Apart from the CMS already mentioned, there are many others capable of achieving everything we need. Being less known, they have a low percentage in the market share, but it does not mean that they are not excellent. That is why we are going to mention other CMS worthy of being on this list:
- OpenCart: a CMS for e-commerce.
- PrestaShop: another CMS for e-commerce.
- TYPO3: a scalable CMS used by many companies for their website.
CONCLUSION
Choosing a CMS is mostly about individual preferences and what you are most comfortable working with. Of course, all of the best CMS options have their supporters and critics, but you should not decide lightly.
Ultimately, a CMS is a tool that allows people to edit photos, text and other types of files on a website without needing the required technical knowledge of HTML, CSS, Javascript, PHP, etc.
At our digital agency based in Panama, we are fans of WordPress because of its ease of use and maximum level of customization, apart from more than 15 years of experience using it.
Although this article is mainly based on market share, if we have access to the source code of a CMS, the possibilities of what we can achieve with the one we want are limitless. For beginners, it is always the right decision to seek expert advice from an experienced digital agency.
