There are two approaches to creating a website: developing from scratch or based on a ready-made CMS (Content management system) - a content management system. We will not go into long discussions about which is better and why, we will give 3 main arguments in favor of CMS: Easier to use. A new page is created in a couple of clicks, there is a visual editor for marking up text, inserting images and other functionality dear to the heart of a content manager. Cheaper to develop. Developing a website from scratch is 1.5-2 times more expensive. Easier to support. It is easier to support a well-known CMS than to dig into someone else's code and understand someone else's logic.
To sum it up: if you don’t need non-standard functionality on your website, CMS-based development is a logical and profitable option.
What is CMS and what is it for?
CMS is a system or software with a PHP-based framework that allows you to manage the content of a website. CMS is also called a website engine. Modern systems resemble a constructor: many modules from which a typical website is assembled.
The engine can be divided into three main parts: a database storage, a storage of interface components, and a visual editor. Most often, the developer's task when creating a shopify website design site on a ready-made CMS is to ensure that the customer ultimately interacts only with the third component, the visual editor.
TOP-8 CMS: review
The choice of engine is based on the tasks that the business solves with the help of the site. In addition, the quality of the site, its design in the future affects the promotion of the site. Of course, there are many more than eight CMS, we decided to analyze the most popular and give personal recommendations for use.
Drupal
One of the most popular free engines. Neither the CMS nor the admin panel can be called intuitive. When creating a site on Drupal, programming skills will come in handy, while knowledge of HTML will not hurt when editing and creating pages. Many developers note the flexibility, functionality and performance of the CMS, as well as the variety of free templates and functions.
Pros: free; has SEO modules, which is important for website promotion in search engines.
Cons: not compatible with all hostings; complex admin panel; requires revision and programmer assistance; sometimes breaks due to engine or plugin updates that do not happen simultaneously; low-quality ready-made templates.
Recommended for: corporate websites, information portals.
WordPress
The most famous free CMS. There was a period of time when every second or third site was made on WordPress. It is especially popular among blogs and news sites. Have you probably visited TechCrunch or Lifehacker? They were created on this engine. Easy to develop and use. Many good free templates, each of which needs to be improved and adapted to specific tasks.
Pros: simple and free CMS; easy to find a programmer; compatible with all hosting services; intuitive admin panel.
Cons: works slowly and incorrectly when installing a large number of plugins; not all plugins are compatible with each other.
Recommended for: blogs.
Tilda
A bright representative of the third approach to creating websites is the constructor. We at Neti.mobile do not single it out as a separate development method, because we are not talking about development here. It is enough to choose a suitable template, replace pictures and texts and the site is ready. Tild has many templates, it is possible to create a block from scratch and integrate with mailing services and CRM, it is also simple and clear. But, compared to other engines and constructors, it is expensive.
Pros: simple; many possibilities; adapted for SEO optimization; integrates with other services.
Cons: more expensive than analogues and other engines; templates are similar; capabilities are limited.
Recommended for: landing pages.
Joomla
If we were to award prizes, the prize in the category “most complex free CMS” would go to Jooml. The engine is quite popular, but in our experience, it is the leader in terms of difficulties. It loads more slowly, is more difficult to promote in search engines, and problems invariably arise when switching to a new version, installing plugins and modules. But there are also advantages. Read on for more details.
Pros: free CMS; great functionality and choice of templates; compatible with any hosting and does not require large resources.
Cons: inconvenient admin panel; no official support; not SEO friendly.
Recommended for: goal-oriented and persistent developers.