A CMS (Content Management System) platform lets you easily create a website without dealing with complex code (at least for most of them). They became popular as they are easier to maintain, especially for companies that can't sustain an in-house web development team.
There are multiple CMS options available, which means you have to make considerations in determining the right CMS to address your needs. In this article, we listed the top 3 preferred CMS and highlighted their key features.
What is a CMS Platform?
A Content Management System (CMS) is an application that enables you to publish and manage content on the web in an intuitive fashion. Typically, CMS software offers an interface that does not require HTML skills or other technical knowledge. Content managers and authors can make changes without the help of a developer.
You can rely on CMS software to run any of these types of sites:
- Blogs
- News sites
- E-commerce sites
- Corporate websites
- Intranets
While CMS platforms allow you to dynamically update the content of your site, customizing the layout and site experience may still require some coding.
CMS Features
The core purpose of CMS software is to simplify content creation processes for non-technical people. The five core features of a good content management system should include:
- Ease of use. A CMS should make it easy for you to create, edit and publish content.
- Design options. A quality CMS will include a powerful editor, and plenty of options to make sure your content looks top-notch. It should offer you plenty of website design templates to choose from.
- Data portability. A great CMS platform should have tools for you to easily export your data and move it elsewhere.
- A high level of customizability. In our experience, the best CMS platforms are highly customizable. You should be able to add almost any feature you want, which in turn enables you to offer more functionalities to your websites.
- A strong community. A CMS with active communities for support and resources are always easier to work with as they often provide free resources for the development of updates, a wide variety of plug-ins, security patches, and other features.
With these features and capabilities in consideration, we have listed the top 3 most preferred CMS platforms you can use:
1. WordPress
WordPress.org is the world’s most popular content management system (CMS). It enables you to create professional websites with minimal effort.
Key Features:
- Includes intuitive publishing and content management options.
- Is highly customizable, thanks to thousands of plugins and themes.
- Provides a powerful editor that enables you to format your content with ease.
- Has a strong and vibrant community.
2. Drupal
The Drupal is another open-source CMS platform. It’s the CMS behind some major websites, including The Economist’s site and a number of university websites.
It is a good option for developers or for people able to hire a developer. It’s especially good if you’re aiming to build a highly customized site that handles a lot of data.
Key Features:
- Offers a flexible custom post creation and management system.
- Provides advanced user management and permission settings.
- Includes support for multilingual sites out of the box.
- Has a detailed taxonomy system.
- Boasts top-notch security for your website.
3. Joomla
This Joomla - is another popular free open-source CMS platform that comes with a lot of different templates and extensions.
It was first released in 2005, so like WordPress, it’s been going for years. It’s an ideal CMS platform for developers and experienced website creators, not so much for beginners.
Key Features:
- Offers excellent support for custom post types.
- Provides advanced user management options.
- Includes multilingual support out of the box.
- Supports using unique templates for each page type.
If you’re planning to build your own CMS website, LANEX is capable of building your website on Drupal or WordPress CMS. You may check our affordable package offerings or feel free to email us at sales@lanexcorp.com or call (858) 371-9424.
