Having a website for your company allows you to extend your visibility on the web, and thus develop your business by reaching a wider audience. While some had already begun this digital transition before the pandemic, for many things have accelerated since the health crisis. How do you choose between the different management systems and which CMS to use for your business?
What is a CMS?
The acronym CMS stands for Content Management System. CMS are application programs that enable the creation of dynamic websites without any knowledge of coding languages. Thanks to a simplified interface, you can edit your own pages without any programming knowledge.
However, CMS can't meet every need, and can't replace the expertise of a web developer for custom projects. Nevertheless, they can be used toquickly and easily establish a presence on the web through the creation of showcase sites. But they can also be used to boost a company's search engine positioning through SEO optimization of blog content. Or sell products online by setting up payment solutions.
CMS offer a simple back office with drag-and-drop functionality and a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor for live display of results. The management systems provide templates adapted to the creation of responsive pages for mobile-friendly sites. Different roles can be assigned to encourage teamwork, and CMS systems generally rely on a community of users and professionals.
Open source CMS for creating showcase sites
1. Wordpress
Wordpress is the world's leading open source CMS, with over 60% of all websites worldwide based on it. Thanks to a very active community, this CMS offers a large library of templates and extensions for customized configuration.
Wordpress is particularly well suited to the creation of showcase sites and blogs. The CMS simplifies the publication of new articles, thanks to its intuitive editor, and enables high-quality SEO positioning.
Wordpress' weakness could lie in cybersecurity. It's important to be vigilant and to regularly update security modules with Wordpress, especially given its high popularity.
2. Joomla
Also among the most popular, Joomla has been somewhat overshadowed by Wordpress. Simple to use and easy to configure, Joomla also offers great prospects for showcase sites and blogs. Since version 3, the CMS has made considerable progress in terms of security.
Joomla offers customizable rights and profile management. It is possible to create intranet or extranet spaces on a paying membership basis. However, with a limited number of extensions, Joomla requires a minimum of programming knowledge to add certain functionalities.
3. Drupal
The platform is considered more secure than the previous two. The Drupal CMS offers the same overall experience as Joomla: user control, ready-to-use multilingual site...
However, Drupal is more complex to get to grips with. Although it allows the development of customized projects, it is preferable to have some experience in the technical field.
Solutions for setting up e-commerce platforms
1. WooCommerce Wordpress extension
The integration of the WooCommerce plugin into the Wordpress CMS makes it possible toinclude the management of an online store alongside a site whose main activity is content creation. However, some technical knowledge is required to manage the platform's maintenance and add-ons.
2. Prestashop
It's a very popular platform on the e-commerce market. The French CMS is easy to use and offers a wide range of functions. Prestashop adapts to product catalogs of varying volumes, and facilitates the development of online stores for all types of retailer.
3. Magento
While this open source CMS is an international benchmark, Magento is more suited to complex projects. Design, configuration, installation and interface handling all require technical skills.
Shopify is another popular e-commerce solution. However, this is not a CMS, but a SaaS (Software as a Service) solution.