Starting a blogging website in 2020 is not a difficult process thanks to various CMS (content management system) platforms. Selecting the best CMS platform for your website can help you to easily Magne, edit, and publish content on your website. Not only that but a good CMS platform will also help you to create an effective and fully functioning website for your business.

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With the wide variety of options available in the market, it becomes difficult for a user to identify the best CMS platform for their website. Remember identifying the best CMS platform can optimize your website functionality whereas a bad CMS platform can break your business.

No worries we have got you covered, reading this article will help you to demystify various CMS platform features through which you can easily figure out the best CMS platform for your business. We don’t want to confuse you, that’s why we have explained every detail about different CMS platforms.

But Before moving ahead we would like to make things simpler for you by drawing your attention to CMS platform usages distributions. Analyzing the above distribution will help you to determine which CMS platform is mostly preferred by different users and businesses and how it grew in the year 2019 compared to 2018.

In this article, we will be Giving your clear idea about what platform you can identify the best CMS platform for your website? We will also be mentioning the features of different Content management system platforms.

Table of Content

What is the CMS platform?
How to identify the best CMS platform for a website?
WordPress
Drupal
Joomla
WordPress.com
Blogger
Ghost
TYPO3

If you want to know about how to increase your conversion rate then check our blog on 14 Best Ways To Increase eCommerce Conversion Rate 2020

What is CMS Platform?

CMS stands for Content Management System that allows websites to manage, create, and edit the content on a web page. There are many popular CMS platforms available that allow the website owner to keep their website up-to-date and easily modify the content. No matter what type of website you are handling if you want to optimize its functioning then it is important for you to integrate the best CMS platform for your website.

There are various content management system (CMS) software available, among them, WordPress is the most popular and most widely used CMS platform in the world. WordPress alone contains 63.3% content Management system market share. Before selecting the best CMS platform for your website it is important to know how you can identify the best cms platform for your website?

How to identify the best CMS platform for a website?

With the wide range of CMS platforms available in the market, it has become difficult for website owners to identify the best CMS platforms for their website. So before going ahead with the further explaining read the below points that will help you to identify the best CMS platform for both eCommerce and standard website

User-Friendly interface

Integrating a CMS platform with a confusing interface can make it difficult for you to create, and edit your website content. If you are a newbie then it will become more difficult for you to manage the CMS Platform. That’s why every website needs to select the CMS that offers a user-friendly interface.

Your CMS platform should offer easy drag-and-drop features so that you can easily add the various elements on your web page. All the changes made in your website should instantly reflect on your web page. Even if you are publishing new content on your website you CMS should be quick to reflect the changes.

Easy Customization

Before integrating any CMS platform into your website make sure that you check their customization features and different design templates offered by them. Many CMS platforms offer a wide range of design templates to make web pages attractive and persuasive. You can check with your CMS platform provider about the templates offered by them. your CMS platform should also allow you to easily customize your designs and templates without writing HTML or CSS codes.

Trouble-free data transfer

A powerful and effective CMS platform will always allow you to transfer your data easily without any trouble. Not now but in the future, there are chances that you may plan to transfer all your data to different hosting or a different CMS platform. During that time you will realize the importance of this point. An effective and efficient CMS platform will allow you to transfer the data easily to other hosting or platforms.

Support Extension and Addons

The CMS platform you are selecting for your website doesn’t have to fulfill all the requirements. Both e-commerce websites and standard websites have different needs and requirements. Every CMS platform can’t come with all the features embedded in it. that’s where adding extensions and add-ons come into the picture.

When selecting your CMS platform you can identify your requirements depending on that you can make your decision. To make your selection process more effective you can identify the extensions and add-ons that are required for your website and you can check with your CMS whether it supports the extension and add-on that you are going to include on your website or not.

24X7 Customer Support

If you are starting to use a new CMS platform for your website then you need to check their customer support service. there are times when you know how to operate the CMS platform but you get stuck at some point because of some small issue. That’s the time when a seamless communication with customer support can help you to resolve your problem and move ahead with your website.

There are CMS platforms that Offer FAQs on some queries with poor customer support that either fails to respond or they answer after weeks. For making your selection you can check the community supports or customer support that can help you to resolve your problem at any time. No matter how reputed a CMS platform is if they are failing to resolve their user’s problem then it’s recommended not to select the particular CMS platform for your website.

Now you may think How much does it cost to integrate a CMS platform into your eCommerce website?

The cost depends on the type of CMS platform you want to integrate into your website. There are both paid and free CMS platforms available. If you want to use a paid CMS platform for your website then there will be a monthly charge if you are using it for your website. Integrating a free CMS platform will not cost any money but there are paid 3rd party extensions, plugins, web hosting, designs, and more where you have to put your money. depending on your requirement you can identify the extensions required for your website and integrate the best CMS Platform for your website.

Best CMS Platforms to choose in 2020 for your e-commerce website

1. WordPress.org

With the increase in popularity today almost every online user knows the name WordPress. If you are looking for a content management system CMS platform that offers a user-friendly interface, then WordPress should be your first choice. No matter what type of website your building WordPress CMS is compatible with both standard and E-commerce websites. It is considered as the world’s most popular CMS platform with one third i.e 33% of the website powered by WordPress

It is a free CMS platform that offers various free as well as paid plugins and themes. If you are using WordPress then you don’t need any prior coding knowledge. its online guide and vast community support can easily help you to set up and start a fully functioning website for your business. Whether you are using WordPress for blogging purposes or for selling products. It will surely help you to optimize your website and give you the best result that you desire.

In WordPress, you can easily download, install & activate plugins and themes for your website. If you are planning to create a website using WordPress Then you need to know that with the increase in the popularity risk on the website also increases. That’s why it is important to keep your plugins, themes, and WordPress software up to date.

WordPress is a free CMS platform that requires a domain name and web hosting to run a website. Buying a domain name can cost you around $5 to $20 depending on the name of your domain. Website hosting cost depends on what type of posting you are looking for your website. If you are taking shared hosting then it will cost between $2/monthly to $6/monthly depending on the plan. Charges for dedicated hosting can go between $150/ annually to $500/annually. To know more about hosting your can check our blog on 5 Best WooCommerce Hosting Provider In 2020 For Your Online Store

Key Features:

It is an open-source CMS platform that offers flexibility to build any type of website for any business.
Doesn’t require any prior coding knowledge (for customization a little knowledge about CSS can help you create an attractive website)
There are more than 4000+ free licensed themes available in WordPress using which you can create both standard and eCommerce websites.
WordPress offers Over 50,000 plugins that can be used to optimize the website functioning and performance.
You can easily integrate third-party extensions and themes in WordPress without facing any difficulties.
WordPress allows you to test and easily make changes in your website appearance

2. Drupal

It is another popular open-source Content management system (CMS) platform that can be used to create both standards as well as eCommerce websites. WordPress alone acquires 63% of the content management stars share but still, Drupal is considered as the competitor of WordPress. you just need the domain name hosting to create a website using Drupal.

Drupal attractive features make it easy for the user to extend the functionality, include themes that reflect instantly and adjunct, and easily customize the appearance of the website. The only difference between WordPress and Drupal. WordPress offers a user-friendly interface but when it comes to Drupal it is mainly used by developers to build a website for enterprise-level businesses.

If you are using Drupal for your website then you need to have a developer who can manage the whole website. Because the customization feature is not as easy and simple as other CMS platforms. It is a complex tool, if handled and used properly then it will surely give you maximum ROI (return on investment)

Key Features:

It allows the user to easily add and modify the content on the block page and the homepage.
Offers plenty of customization features
It uses blocks to add content and module to add features into your website
Drupal offers more than 40000 modules that you can add to your website.
Using Drupal you can easily assign new roles by giving personalized permission. In short easy user management
More than 2500 themes available

3. Joomla

Joomla features are very much similar to WordPress and drupal. The only thing that sets Joomla apart from other content management system (CMS) platforms is the security feature provided by them. It is a free and open-source CMS platform that provides a wide range of extensions, templates, features, and community support. If you’re planning to integrate Joomla as a CMS platform then you need to know that its design makes it difficult for normal users to run and handle the website.

It comes with various features and interfaces ideal for developers and users having prior coding knowledge. Because some of its functions are difficult to understand. But here is the thing if you are using Joomla for creating and publishing content then you don’t require much editing and coding knowledge. With a few clicks, you can easily download and install Joomla.

If we talk about pricing then Joomla is a free CMS platform where you don’t have to put any money. A website you have to buy a domain name and web hosting compatible with Joomla. If you talk about web hosting then integrating SiteGround can be the perfect choice as it offers web hosting specifically for Joomla. If you want to optimize your site functionality then you can integrate paid extensions compatible with Joomla.

Key Features:

Joomla is a free and open-source platform that can be customized easily with the help of a developer.
Offers more than 10000 templates and extension to optimize the website functionality
It offers vast community support which makes it the perfect CMS platform to integrate for E-Commerce and standard websites.
You can use Joomla to edit and manage content without taking any help from a developer.
And many more

4. WordPress.com

Now You might be confused about why we are explaining WordPress again. Not only you but many people get confused between wordpress.com and wordpress.org. In simple words, wordpress.com is a commercial hosted CMS that offers pre-hosted blogs whose functioning is very much similar to a self-hosted version. If you’re operating your website with multiple users then you can easily assign the position to them as it offers multiple user support. There are two options available in wordpress.com you can use free themes or you can shift to premium themes by upgrading your plan.

If you’re a beginner and planning to start a blogging website then wordpress.com can be a perfect choice as it allows users to add and manage the content easily. Using its user-friendly interface you can easily sign up and start blogging for free. But if you want to add custom designs and domains then you have to buy the pricing Plan offered by wordpress.com.

If we talk about pricing then wordpress.com has a free plan available for their users. But here comes the twist if you are using wordpress.com subdomain then WordPress will display ads on your blogging website. To avoid that you have to buy your domain and WordPress pricing plan that will cost $48/annually. If you are planning for eCommerce then a pricing plan will cost your $540/year. There’s also a WordPress VIP option available that offers various features to their users.

Key Features:

Offers User-friendly interface (edit and manage content without any difficulties)
Allows you to easily sign up and get started with blogging
Using the pricing plan you can select a custom domain name for your website
Allows you to easily switch the themes from the dashboard
WordPress.com offers strong analytical that allows your user to check their visitor frequency
If your website grows then you can easily transfer your data from wordpress.com to wordpress.org.
And many more

5. Blogger

If we talk about the best and cheapest CMS platform for blogging then after WordPress, blogger CMS is the name that will pop up in every new beginner’s mind. Many of you may not know that blogger was launched in August 1999 i.e 4 years before WordPress was launched.

But with the increase in the popularity of WordPress, Blogger CMS popularity faded. But to date, It is considered as the best CMS suitable for individuals looking to start a career in educating the audience through blogging. Using Blogger CMS you can easily add the photos and text content. it also allows users to add widgets to blog and edit the HTML which most of the blogging CSM fails to provide.

If you are looking to create a simple blogging website with little to no customization and design then Blogger can be the perfect CMS platform. Because compared to WordPress, bloggers do not offer too many templates and plugins to optimize your blogging page. But if you Have effective company content that can relate with your audience then you don’t need much of designing and visuals to grab your audience’s attention.

Key Features:

Easy and user-friendly interface
within a few clicks, you can start your blogging website
you don’t have to buy the domain as it already includes posting and subdomain
Don’t require any prior coding knowledge
Easy to add text and images
Allows the user to add widgets to their blog
Community and customer support
And more

6. Ghost

If you’re planning to start a blogging website then we would recommend “Ghost” because it is particularly designed for creating blogging websites. Ghost is a newly introduced CMS platform that was launched in the year 2013 and grabbed many individual’s attention. It is a freemium Content management system (CMS) platform that comes with the both free and pro version. Ghost (Pro) offers free hosting for all types of websites.

Its user-friendly interface and highly responsive web design make it easy for the initial stage blogger to start their journey without facing many difficulties. If you already have a server then you can check the compatibility and depend on that you can install Ghost.

Same as WordPress and Joomla, Ghost is also free software that can download and integrate with web hosting. You just have to pay for the domain name and web hosting. One of the disadvantages of using Ghost, it doesn’t support all types of web hosting. To operate your blogging website you can upgrade to Ghost pro that comes with builtin hosting. The basic pricing plan of ghosts starts with $36/month and goes up to $249/month depending on your requirement.

Key Features:

Don’t require any prior coding knowledge
The working of the block editor is very much similar to WordPress
Offers extensive support for SEO (search engine optimization)
If you’re planning to offer online magazine or subscription to your customer then you can easily do it through Ghost
There are many more features that can help you in running a successful blogging website.

7. TYPO3

If you are new to the industry then TYPO3 can be the new and lesser-known CMS PLatform. Yes, It is not a popular CMS platform that doesn’t mean that it’s not effective. If you are looking for a free CMS platform for your enterprise-level website then picking TYPO3 can be a smart move. It is a free open source content management system platform that was released in the year 1998 which makes it older than the blogger CMS platform.

When we talk about user-friendliness then we don’t recommend TYPO3 to all of our audience. But if you have prior knowledge in website development and design or you have an in-house development team then TYPO3 can be a good choice for your website.

If you have a small website for small business then it is recommended to go with other platforms like WordPress. Mainly TYPO3 is built for business having a large website for managing the intranet network then TYPO3 can be the best choice for your website.

Lastly, we would recommend TYPO3 for a website having multiple websites that are used by the same company or business. Using this CMS platform you can easily share the access right, template, extensions, and users among your sites.

Key Features:

It can handle large websites (enterprise-level) having multiple sites from a single installation.
TYPO3 features allow you to handle websites using different languages.
it is an open-source platform that makes it easy for you to extend the website depending on the requirement, your Developer can easily make the changes in the CMS.
It allows you to easily modify the access right for individuals working for your website.
It offers more than 6000 extensions and applications to its users.

Conclusion:

Today with the increase in the number of CMS platforms it has become difficult for a user to identify the best CMS platform for their website. No matter what type of website you are building it is important for you to integrate a CMS platform if you don’t have an in-house developer or prior knowledge about coding.

By now you might be having a clear idea about different CMS platforms present in the market. To select the best CMS platform for your website you can identify your requirement and depend on that you can make a decision. If you’re planning to start an e-commerce website for Enterprise level business then Drupal and Joomla can the perfect choice.

Whereas if you have a small and medium-sized business then it is recommended to opt for WordPress as its user-friendly interface will make it easy for the user to handle the back end. For creating a blogging website you can offer wordpress.com, ghost, typo3, or wordpress.com.

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. How much do CMS platforms cost?

The cost depends on which CMS platform you’re integrating into your website. There are a few CMS platforms that don’t cost any money. Whereas there are also CMS platforms where you have to pay monthly charges if you are using it for your website. Integrating a free CMS platform will not cost any money but there are paid 3rd party extensions, plugins, web hosting, designs, and more where you have to put your money. depending on your requirement you can identify the extensions required for your website and integrate the best CMS Platform for your website.

2. How much does HubSpot CMS Cost?

If you are planning to integrate the HubSpot Content management system platform for your website then you can either choose the starter plan that will cost you $1200 per year or your can with no visitor limit plan which will cost your $3600/annually.

3. Is drupal better than WordPress?

WordPress and Drupal both are considered as the best content management system (CMS) platform for building eCommerce as well as standard websites. but there is a difference that can make it easy for you to decide whether Drupal is better for your website or WordPress. WordPress offers a user-friendly interface but when it comes to Drupal it is mainly used by developers to build a website for enterprise-level businesses.

If you are using Drupal for your website then you need to have a developer who can manage the whole website. So if you are operating your website with few team members and without a developer then it is recommended to go with WordPress. if you have an in-house web design and development team then you can opt for drupal.

4. How much does it take to create a website using Drupal?

Earlier we have told that Drupal mainly targets enterprise-level businesses which means if you are building a website with minimal custom development then the timing involved will be between 6 to 10 weeks and the costing will be between $40,000 to $50,000 depending on the requirement. Whereas if you are using Drupal to build a website with large custom development there are chances that your price may go beyond $80,000.

5. What is the best CMS platform for Small websites?

As you have read earlier on this blog what process is the most convenient and cost-effective CMS platform for both small and medium-sized Enterprises. Integrating WordPress will not cost any money but there are paid 3rd party extensions, plugins, web hosting, designs, and more where you have to put your money.

Don’t worry the costing is dependent on the requirement of your website. if you are starting a blogging website then and you have to just invest in buying a domain name, hosting, and if required theme for your website. There are various free plugins available that you can use to optimize your WordPress website performance.

6. Is Joomla better than WordPress?

Joomla is a good CMS platform that allows users to manage And publish the content easily. But if we compare Joomla with WordPress then There is no doubt that WordPress user-friendly interface makes the best CMS platform compared to resume. It comes with various features and interfaces ideal for developers and users having prior coding knowledge.

Because some of its functions are difficult to understand. But here is the thing if you are using Joomla for creating and publishing content then you don’t require much editing and coding knowledge. Using the above information you can easily figure out which content management system CMS platform is best for your website

7. How much does Joomla’s website cost?

Joomla is a free open source content management system (CMS) platform. Can visit the Joomla.org to download the latest version of the CMS. if you are building a fully responsive website using Joomla CMS then it will cost you between $1000 – $9000 depending on your requirement and size of the website.

8. How do I install Joomla on a local server?

If you’re planning to install Joomla on the local server then it is different from the normal process using the below tips you can easily integrate Joomla on your local server: You can visit Joomla.org to download the latest version. You can easily download the compressed zip file. To know more you can click here to get the in-depth details with images.

9. Which is the best CMS platform for eCommerce?

Today With the increase in online shoppers most of the businesses are shifting to e-commerce platforms. To create an effective and powerful E-commerce website you need to identify the best CMS platform for your eCommerce website. Below we have mentioned some top-performing eCommerce platforms for both small and large scale businesses.

WooCommerce
Magento
Shopify
BigCommerce
Square Space
OpenCart
Volusion
PrestaShop
WIX

10. Do I need a CMS Platform to start a blogging website?

In short Yes, you need a content management system platform if you are planning to start a blogging website. CMS stands for Content Management System that allows websites to manage, create, and edit the content on a web page. This means if you want to run a successful blogging website then it is essential for you to integrate the best CMS platform.

If you want to build a website without a CMS platform then you need to know the programming language. Because a web page is created using programming languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Without a CMS platform making changes in your website will become a difficult job if you don’t have any knowledge about programming languages. In the initial stage, we would recommend you start with WordPress as it is a free CMS platform that offers a user-friendly interface with seamless community support.

11. How do I choose the right CMS Platform?

With the wide range of CMS platforms available in the market, it has become difficult for website owners to identify the best CMS platforms for their website. But before selecting a Content management system platform for your website you need to identify how you can select the right CMS for your website? Using the below tips you can easily identify the best CMS platform for your website :

User-Friendly Interface: Integrating a CMS platform with a confusing interface can make it difficult for you to create, and edit your website content.
Ensure that your CMS platform is scalable
Easy Customization: Before integrating any CMS platform into your website make sure that you check their customization features and different design templates offered by them
Trouble-free data transfer: A powerful and effective CMS platform will always allow you to transfer your data easily without any trouble.
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