How to Choose a CMS: Weighing the Pros and Cons
CMS selection for Custom Web Development
In today’s content-saturated world, practically every business needs a content management system (CMS) to create, manage, edit, and publish their content. Choosing a CMS is one of the best ways to bring team members together to collaborate – even with limited technical knowledge or experience.
Of course, there are dozens of CMS options out there, and each offers its own set of pros and cons. How do you know which one is right for your team’s needs and skills?
That’s why we want to discuss four of the top content management systems out there. All of these platforms are relatively user-friendly and popular, but you need to find the one that’s best suited to your business’s goals and requirements.
In the process of choosing a content management system? Let’s evaluate the pros and cons of the following options.
(1) WordPress
Pros
WordPress is one of the most commonly used content management systems in the world, currently accounting for up to 43.1% of all websites as of 2023. For nearly two decades now, WordPress has established itself as a leader in the CMS industry, and for good reason.
The WordPress CMS is extremely user-friendly, especially for tasks such as blogging and organizing pages and content within a website. It also offers more than 54,000 (mostly free) WordPress CMS plugins, which allow users to easily adjust the functionality of their websites without much skill or training.
Due to WordPress’s open-source platform, its websites’ source code can be studied, changed, and shared openly online. This can save users a great deal of development time as they can use pre-existing codes and themes to create a professional website.
Because the WordPress CMS platform is quite customizable and easy to use, it’s often a good choice for sites that are heavy on blogging and content production. Users can change their websites’ themes and organization, without necessarily writing any code.
Cons
Although the WordPress CMS interface is user-friendly, WordPress does not include some of the wizard tools or step-by-step instructions that a novice user might need. In other words, if you’re not a WordPress wizard, you may have trouble handling functionality hiccups or advanced customizations.
Typically, WordPress works best for small websites. Large, complex sites are more likely to encounter issues with speed or functionality, which inexperienced users may be ill-equipped to deal with on their own.
(2) Shopify
Pros
Nearly 649 million people purchased something from a Shopify store in 2022. By the end of this year, it’s expected that Shopify merchants will have more than 700 million customers.
As a result, it’s no surprise that the Shopify CMS has become the leading eCommerce content management system choice. Most users herald its ease of use, its variety of beautiful templates and built-in themes, and its secure website hosting. As a SaaS platform, it includes all of its maintenance and core hosting updates automatically.
Additionally, Shopify includes straightforward features for functional store management, including the ability to easily:
Add products
Manage store inventory
Set up shipping and delivery processes
Manage customer payments
Review sales analytics
Anyone can open a Shopify store with no setup fees and a free 14-day trial. The Shopify support team is also available 24/7 to assist with questions and concerns, which can reassure many eCommerce business owners with limited web development experience.
Cons
Despite all of the great features, there are cons to using Shopify as a CMS. One of the biggest drawbacks is the cost. Users will face monthly fees for using the platform, as well as sales transaction service charges and additional costs for templates, themes, and plugins.
Furthermore, the Shopify CMS does not offer email hosting and is relatively difficult to customize. Unlike most other platforms that use PHP coding language, Shopify uses its own Liquid language. If you have no experience with Liquid, this can make changes and specific customizations difficult.
As a result, Shopify usually isn’t a great choice for businesses with heavy blogging activity or that are looking for built-in email hosting services. Instead, it’s better suited to websites focusing heavily on day-to-day sales transactions and reporting.
(3) Squarespace
Pros
Marketed as a “website builder for creatives,” Squarespace certainly produces streamlined, beautiful websites. Users have the ability to select from a range of pre-built pages and versatile templates, all of which immediately make a website look incredibly professional.
Just recently, Squarespace also introduced its Fluid Engine editing system, which makes it possible to drag and drop features on a website. Users can quickly add plugins such as appointment booking apps, email marketing tools, and social media posts.
Squarespace can enable access for multiple users, which makes collaboration simple and enjoyable. It’s also highly recognized for its mobile-friendly website interfaces, as well as its speed and flexibility.
Cons
As luxurious and aesthetically pleasing as it might be, there are some cons to using Squarespace. It offers excellent blogging capabilities but is not necessarily the best for large websites with large menu hierarchies. Complex sites may experience low page speeds, which can lead to poor user experiences and SEO results.
Although Squarespace sites are customizable, the platform does not allow for many major coding changes. This can pose a problem for sites that require special features or generally heavy customizations.
Additionally, the website editor is not the most user-friendly of all the CMS options. Even simple website editing tasks can cause a bit of a headache, which makes Squarespace less than ideal for inexperienced users who are looking for something basic.
(4) HubSpot
Pros
Many people know HubSpot as a robust marketing tool, but it also offers an entire platform of tools for marketing and sales. The HubSpot CMS, known as its “Marketing Hub,” is an all-in-one inbound marketing engine.
Users can enjoy a wide range of content management tools, including:
Email marketing
Landing page creation
Social media marketing
Reporting and analytics
Search engine optimization (SEO)
Currently, it’s estimated that more than 158,000 businesses are using HubSpot in more than 120 countries –and the platform is growing in popularity. The CMS platform is truly designed to support business growth through customization options and a customer-centric approach.
The Marketing Hub will even provide helpful SEO recommendations and social media publishing options. If you’re looking for a platform that will quickly help you put out great content and expand your reach, HubSpot might be your best option.
Users also enjoy that HubSpot offers a SaaS platform, which includes all of its annoying maintenance and core hosting updates.
Cons
Of course, no CMS system is entirely sunshine and rainbows. HubSpot does have its flaws, and many find these inexcusable in light of the system’s inflexible contracts.
One of the biggest complaints voiced by many users is the difficulty of viewing, approving, and editing content schedules. If you have multiple approved users you’ll want to collaborate on your content plans, HubSpot makes things a bit challenging.
Furthermore, HubSpot does not offer A/B testing in its lower packages. A/B testing or “split testing” is critical for many marketing campaigns and content engagement strategies. Furthermore, this CMS option offers fairly limited eCommerce capabilities and secure zone functions.
In general, the HubSpot Marketing Hub is really designed to be an all-in-one tool. If you’re planning to continue using other tools or need more customization options, you’ll likely want to look at a more affordable and flexible CMS option.
The Wrap-Up
As you can see, there are a great many details to consider as you evaluate different content management systems. It’s not about choosing the most popular CMS option, but about selecting the right platform for your business and its needs.
At Yellow Comma, we’ve designed and developed websites across a wide range of industries. We know how critical choosing the best CMS is, and we’re here to help you identify your brand’s path to success.
To learn more about creating a custom website and choosing a CMS, contact us online. One of our developers will be happy to start a conversation with you.
You don’t have time to do things twice, so let us help you pick the right CMS the first time.
*The WordPress and Shopify logos are the property of their respective owners.