Custom website developers will have a plethora of chances in 2021. There will be various platforms to select from, allowing you to develop practically any website style. However, because there are so many possibilities, choosing a Content Management System (CMS) might be difficult.
We’ll help you make the proper decision in this article. Everything you require from the top CMS is outlined.
A Quick Overview of Content Management Systems (CMS)
CMS allows you to construct websites and publish fresh information more conveniently and flexibly. In Intuit, a Content Management System (CMS) enables developers to produce and manage web content. Assume you used a text editor (such as Notepad or TextEdit) to upload articles directly to your website. This may be an excellent example of CMS development. The majority of the greatest CMS alternatives include enhanced functionality. You may engage a CMS developer to index your material, modify it, format it using visual editors, and more.
There are no ironies if you mix up a CMS with a website builder. The latter is a website creation tool that requires little comprehension and expertise in coding. Typically, you may achieve this by providing access to a visual drag-and-drop editor. They are, however, often simpler, with few modification choices and minimal control over how they are configured.
A CMS, on the other hand, needs extensive technical understanding. Nonetheless, the finest CMS alternatives include a multitude of tools for designing and developing modern websites.
This sort of CMS provides a one-stop approach for building web pages and managing content. It all depends on the sort of CMS you use. It will also get you access to other capabilities that may be installed via ‘plugins’ or ‘extensions.’ However, we’ll go over it in greater detail shortly.
What Can You Build With a CMS Platform?
Many believe that CMS characteristics enable it to utilize some of the greatest CMS systems established initially while retaining blogging as a major focus. There are the top CMS platforms that were initially designed to handle blogs. However, the goal is to evolve to the point where they are very configurable. WordPress, for example, is extremely popular and controls more than 30% of the whole web.
In actuality, CMS programmers are so adaptable that you may employ them for practically any form of more comfy project you choose. However, it provides an excellent foundation for websites centered on content creation and sharing.
As a result, it’s great for making basic blogs, lesson websites, portfolios, news sites, and more. With the correct tools, you can now tackle the criticality of advanced projects requiring a CMS, such as online stores, private membership sites, and forums.
We’re now going to introduce you to some of the top CMS alternatives accessible today. But first, let’s go through the characteristics to look for when selecting a CMS for a website.
What Features Should the Best CMS Have?
You should have a good concept of what a CMS developer does by now. Let us now discuss some of the specific functions they may provide. The ideal CMS should include the following features:
As a result, you can post new material. The CMS feature will contain a robust editor and several chances to assure the precision of your content.
Taxonomy choices for content. More content implies the need to keep things structured. A CMS should let you establish categories, tag your articles, and so on.
Editing functionality for pages. You may construct numerous sorts of pages for your website in addition to publishing content. The CMS should provide you with the tools you need to do the task.
A great level of adaptability. The greatest CMS platform, in our opinion, provides a fully flexible environment. That means you can add practically any feature you desire, allowing you to design more sophisticated websites.
A thriving community. CMS with active communities is always being developed, so you’ll always have access to updates, security fixes, and assistance from other educated individuals.
These are the five basic CMS characteristics you should look for in any CMS worth your time and money. Aside from that, CMS features and projects vary greatly.
In the following sections, we’ll go through some of our favorite CMS platforms. That is, to help you discuss and make unique, analyze their merits and downsides, and assist you in selecting the finest CMS for your site.
The CMS is jam-packed with fantastic features. We’ve selected a few for you. However, they all have one thing in common: they are all open source and can be installed with a single click on Hostinger! You won’t have to pay a dime to download and test each one. With all-in-one web hosting options, you can select the ideal CMS.
Here is a list of the top free CMS solutions for 2021, sorted by popularity and features:
- WordPress
We want to be certain that you’ve heard of WordPress. It has by far the highest market share among its competitors, and it’s simple to understand why. Quite common in CMS website design and extremely useful in a variety of ways. So this is an excellent opportunity for WordPress enthusiasts.
Although WordPress is a popular blogging platform, it is considerably above the scope of most people’s knowledge. An easy-to-use platform allows you to modify it to your heart’s content by utilizing plugins and themes (to choose among thousands).
As a result, when it comes to content management, WordPress can deliver an enhanced experience. Publishing new posts and pages is straightforward, and you have access to a comprehensive editor that allows you to format your content. Furthermore, the platform allows for user registration, regular upgrades, and a huge and helpful community.
Key Characteristics:
- Includes easy-to-use publishing and content management tools.
- It has a robust editor that allows you to format your material easily.
- It is extremely customizable through the use of plugins and themes.
- A welcoming and active community
The one downside of using WordPress is that you’ll have to mix and match plugins to add certain functionality to your website. Although there are obstacles to match WordPress’ personalization, developers searching for CMS development solutions will find prospects for CMS choices for simplifying and engaging blogging experiences.
- Joomla!
When it comes to deciding which CMS software is ideal, Joomla is one of the names frequently coming up alongside WordPress. The general view is that Joomla is not as user-friendly as WordPress since it is more adaptable in many ways.
For example, if you handle a large number of ‘custom post types,’ Joomla is a good choice. An ideal platform would want to host a website that is not largely reliant on text content. All of these platforms provide several choices for user management. As a result, it’s ideal for membership-based websites, for example.
Furthermore, Joomla comes standard with multilingual support. To add new languages to your site, you may utilize plugins or extensions. Finally, Joomla enables the use of several templates or themes for various sorts of content.
Key Characteristics:
- Provides exceptional support for unique post types.
- Advanced user management options are available.
- Out of the box, language support is included.
- Each page type has its template.
On paper, Joomla appears to be a terrific and strong choice. However, it is not as user-friendly as WordPress. Therefore it may take more effort to learn how to operate a website using this CMS.
It does not provide extensions, or templates like some of its rivals do. As a result, it is not a deal-breaker, but you may need to do it manually. As a result, you are making it suitable for folks who are new to development.
- Drupal
Drupal is another option that carries a lot of weight in debates and is often recognized as one of the greatest open-source CMS. While it lags behind WordPress and Joomla, it is nonetheless significant.
In practice, Drupal provides the same functionality as Joomla. It, for example, provides a versatile framework for dealing with bespoke post types. It also gives you much control over your users and their rights, and it can manage multilingual sites.
On the other hand, Drupal falls in the taxonomy system in several areas for being far more powerful than its competitors. Furthermore, Drupal is regarded as a more secure platform than both WordPress and Joomla.
Key Characteristics:
- Allows you to customize the post creation and management system.
- Allows for sophisticated user administration and permissions settings.
- Supports multilingual sites out of the box
- A sophisticated taxonomy system enhances it.
- Provides top-tier protection for your website.
With it, you may create a website using one of the ‘big three’ CMS platforms, namely WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal.