10 Best CMS Platforms To Start Your Website Today

10 Best CMS Platforms To Start Your Website Today

More than 900 CMS development platforms are available to use but not each platform is popular to build a new website.

CMS has over 73 million websites and each one has its strengths based on the business goals. Various CMS are available to use that help you build a website without learning to code. You need to choose the right platform to make your website foundation strong. Primarily, CMS helps you edit and manage different content and media but it’s also important to know which platform is affordable, understandable, and valuable and provides SEO tools with some customisation options.

In this article, we’ll discuss the top 10 CMS platforms that are useful in 2023 and will help you begin with your first website easily. We’ll help you explore the best CMS platforms to suit your needs and objectives.

Let’s understand what a CMS platform is.

A CMS or also called a content management system is a software platform where one can easily use content to build a new website.

Generally, web pages are built with HTML, CSS and JavaScript languages that need deep learning of these programs. But CMS development platforms don’t require such programs to learn or any code before creating a website, all you need is some engaging content for the website.

How do you choose the right CMS?

Your business requirements and goals decide what right CMS is for you. But some criteria can help you choose the best CMS. Some of the factors like easily usable, security, price, customisation options and market prevalence, needs to be considered. For example, if you find a CMS fulfilling your all needs but it’s over your budget, then it’s not the best, however, the cheapest CMS platforms may need your hard work in maintenance, extensions and more. There are some solutions available in the market which fits in the ideal CMS for example with the finest price with required functions and features.

1. Match Your Budget with best CMS platform–

   Budget is the foremost thing to consider when you look for a CMS. Most of the CMC development platforms are open-source and free to use. However, the charges are majorly associated with templates, extensions, hosting and many other features. Every business has different goals and so they have their budgets to invest in which results in choosing different CMS for their marketplace. Many CMS have mixed free and paid plugins, templates and features to extend website functionality. Ultimately, an affordable option provides less customisation or freedom.

2. Usability for Non-developer is a must

   CMS platforms are meant to be available for all. People with no development or coding knowledge should be able to work with CMS. The CMS should have easy-to-understand and use tools, templates, backups, auto-updates, dashboards and more.

3. Look for SEO Tools

   Whether it’s an HTML website or best CMS development, SEO features are important for both. Choosing a website should consider having SEO tools. A CMS consist of SEO-friendly features to easily run a blog, categorize content, use tags, and add Meta description, photos & alt text. Mobile responsiveness would help more in ranking up in search engines. The template also decides whether navigation is SEO-friendly or not. Also, check whether the CMS provides 301 redirects for dead pages or not.

4. Don’t forget to check customisation options

   The open-source software provides more customisation and freedom to use CMS development. One can hire a developer or can manage everything own. Different CMS has various customisation options available. Everyone isn’t aware of coding and other critical language, and hence one needs to know how much attention your website requires.

5. Security is a very important

   Whether an application or a CMS website, security is a must for everything that’s on the internet. Hackers are always on the internet looking for something to steal or attack. Hence, the best CMS should have strong security to prevent viruses, ransomware or any other risky factor and secure your data. CMS can also use user permission settings, employing MFA for secure back-end operation and frequent software updates to keep the website secure. A few CMC development platforms also require maintenance by the manager.

6. Does it solve issues via Customer Support?

   CMS platforms are mostly free-to-use and don’t provide traditional customer support. The live support is still available for some of the platforms like WordPress.com, Shopify and not for Joomla or Drupal. So if you are a beginner, then choose a CMS with active user communities to resolve your issues.

10 Best CMS Platforms

1. WordPress

   Up to 43.2% of websites are using WordPress CMS. It’s the popular open-source CMS with the best scalability having around upto 58,000 plugins and about 31,000 themes in its library. It was introduced as the blogging platform which we use now for creating a website. It emphasises editorial features like posting blogs and articles. Drag and Drop functionality is the easiest function for everyone. It also allows using third-party themes.

   For small businesses, it’s the best platform with an easy interface and easy-to-use web themes. It’s available for all level users. An editor and developer can also customise many functions and elements to make the website creative and attractive. For example; Sony Music has a WordPress website. It consists of various plugins, free WP themes and functions with flexible needs and cost. It doesn’t offer customer support and you won’t find every theme with high quality. Updating the site and plugins are on the mentor’s end for security purposes. A beginner WordPress site may cost you from $10 to $40 per month.

2. Joomla

   Being an open-source CMS, Joomla powers over 2% of whole websites, Joomla isn’t easier than WordPress but has beautiful features and functionality at its core. A beginner may feel challenging to install the initial setup. From multilingual features to a Banner management tool to 2-factor authentication, Joomla has a lot to make a perfect website for all. You can add a search field in Joomla CMS to help visitors find what they want.

   It also has some cons like the platform’s terminology isn’t beginner friendly and compatibility is less likely to match between plugins, extensions and modules. If you want a professional website like Roger Federer, then Joomla is the best choice for you. It cost in between $0.84 to $3.04.

3. Magento

   If you wish to create an eCommerce website on a best CMS development platform, then Magento is for you. It focuses on SEO, security, customisation and e-commerce optimisation. This platform is powerful having a high number of restore features. It offers mobile responsive websites and can manage a huge number of stores in different locations. The only thing as cons you may see is the setup because you’ll require a developer for the initial Magneto setup.

   For large-scale eCommerce stores, Magento is the perfect CMS platform, for example; Helly Hansen which provides outdoor clothes. The hosting provider and custom domain require the payment in Magento where the KVM 1 costs $6.08. Features like Checkout and Catalog management are most used in Magento e-commerce websites.

4. Drupal

   Drupal is popular for getting high traffic on websites. It’s for professional website developers having API architecture and in-build optimisation for site performance and security. This platform is compatible with different digital platforms. To expand the website, Drupal offers around 46000 built-in modules and also it’s secure in terms of website security. Drupal has very less incidents of security attacks compared to other CMS.

   With its vast selection of configured themes and modules, Drupal is for developers with the finest knowledge of CSS, HTML, and PHP which consume more time in developing the site or updating the new version. For example; the City of Los Angeles website keeps the city updated.

   It has key features such as personalised customer experience, Multilingual with over 100 languages and automated marketing campaigns. The average cost of $15,000 to $42,000.

   

5. Magnolia

   Magnolia is an all-in-one system used by large startups, e-commerce and enterprises. It can manage multi websites, channels, languages and the user experience. This platform offers advanced functionality to suit every organisation’s requirements.

   There are two options for buyers – Client service and Cloud service. The Client-based option let the organisations integrate infrastructure and get custom Java development. The Cloud-based service helps companies launch their projects without any IT assistance requirement and this service helps users with no tech background. Even though Magnolia is useful, it’s not more like CMC development platform but it has tutorials for new users. The best part is you can integrate this platform Amazon S3, Google Analytics and it uses Authorization Service guidelines and Java Authentication for website security. The security app also helps in granting access to users and you can also use Magnolia’s suggested Apache Web Server for external security.

   Talking about customisability, this platform is flexible and adaptable by various businesses. Plug and play option is for newbies and developer resources are required for companies with complete customisation. This CMS development platform is built in modules that you can easily interchange and you can also customise Java, user interface and more to create server filters and tailor workflows. Fuel rewards are the best example of Magnolia. It has no fixed price. Hence, you’ll have to quote the price.

6. Concrete5

   A user with less technical knowledge would like Concrete5 CMS. This open-source software specially builds for such newbie developers who can manage and customise the content using drag-and-drop content blocks. This platform consists of a flexible style editor, easy interface, and SEO tools and helps create sitemaps in the website. It has secure user management to work perfectly with multiple developers. It’s best for companies who want to build a complex website for their businesses such as the broadcasting company, ITV. The negative part of this CMS is that you won’t find any developers’ community and autosave options are not available.

   It’s free to use but the Self Service Hosting charges $2.78 monthly which companies like to use. You’ll also need to pay for a domain of the website. Concrete5 provides responsive designs with multiple marketing tools like adding social media profiles. It uses and measures login history, SSL, captcha, email validation, and content approval for security.

7. Contentful

   The headless CMS, Contentful is adaptable to all platforms, apps and browsers. It keeps the content separate from a web page and uses API to display the content as data. It’s flexible with various types of content. Companies and individuals, who want a custom website to easily connect with other platforms, should try Contentful, for example; Exec Finance App. The major con of using this platform is that your website’s actual layout wouldn’t be adjusted with a specific eye on the back end and also if you want to build the content on multiple platforms, some advanced tech knowledge is required.

   Having an existing domain name won’t charge you for using Contentful and the additional tools, support charges start at $489 monthly.

   Key features that a developer can use are –

   • Content modelling and organisation with images, text and more.
   • One can assign different users to build content with a single account.
   • It can easily integrate with third-party cloud software and additional application.

8. BigCommerce

   For a beginner looking for an all-in-one eCommerce platform, BigCommerce is one of the best CMS development platforms to get easily started with. This platform offers a trial plan, hosts the site, and manages backups and security. Domain names are free however for a custom domain you’ll have to pay. One can add multiple payment modes like digital wallets, credit or debit cards. The best feature is support options which a developer or a beginner can use from the dashboard anytime. This support includes phone support, live chat, community support, email and more. One can also integrate WordPress with BigCommerce to get a perfect e-commerce website.

   Also, this CMC development platform won’t offer you much control over your e-commerce where themes are limited. You can’t integrate the website with third-party services. There are limited themes and integrations which may hold you back from using a third-party service to grow your business. It has a monthly subscription base starting at $29.95 each month. But, with a certain threshold of sales per year, your plan automatically increases.

9. Shopify

   You may have listened about Shopify which is the hosted e-commerce platform. This platform is specially designed for online retailers. The management of your eStore is easy with this platform. Shopify is the best choice for newbie shop owners however the themes and apps are limited. Software updates and backups are automated but don’t provide control over functionality.

   A range of security features and support allows shop owners to manage their sites. For users who don’t have time and resources, Shopify is a simple and effective platform having built-in tools, payment options, customer reviews, web traffic analytics and more. It’s the perfect example of how a CMS can help you with your website’s day-to-day management.

   Shopify doesn’t allow customisations in code. It has approximately 5,700 apps (free & paid) and up to 70 themes. In terms of security, Shopify stores are PCI compliant and the payment options are available through Mastercard, Visa, Discover, American Express and more. It automatically fixes security issues. Shopify has three premium plans, starting from $29 per month. Custom domains will cost you additionally.

10. Umbraco

    Umbraco is similar to WordPress and one can use it as an alternative. This open-source CMS platform is based on Microsoft’s .NET framework. It offers Security patches and enterprise-level support that offers support, licenses and discounts on Umbraco training.

    The Grid layout allows adding content freely or customising the components. This CMC development platform has a multilingual tool and rollback to measure the changes in web content. Companies with different types of content can get efficient results from this platform, just like Johnnie Walker’s site. However, the plugins are limited and the developers’ community isn’t available, the cost is free. The professional plan costs $7,500/year.

We have discussed the 10 top CMS platforms above and, in the conclusion, we can tell you to choose the CMC development platform based on your priorities for example Magento for eCommerce and WordPress for great flexibility.

We understand that you may need more information before you make any decisions. We are always available for a free discussion and ready to jump on a call. Feel free to contact us, and our expert web designers will help you make the right decision for your business. For more useful resources you can browse our blog, and keep an eye on our Medium page (coming soon).