You're starting a website. How do you choose the best content management system?

To choose the best content management system (CMS) for a new website, consider factors such as your website's goals, technical expertise, customization needs, integration capabilities, security features, scalability, budget, and expert advice. Evaluate popular options like WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Shopify, and Magento based on these criteria to find the CMS that aligns best with your requirements and resources.

What is the main goal of your website? Is it a blog, an e-commerce store, a portfolio, a news site, or something else? Different CMSs have different features and functionalities that cater to different types of websites. For example, WordPress is a versatile and popular CMS that can handle various kinds of websites, but it may not be the best choice for a complex e-commerce site that requires a lot of customization and security. In that case, you may want to look into Shopify, Magento, or WooCommerce, which are more specialized for online shopping.

Depending on your website goals, business size, and required functionalities, you can decide which CMS to proceed with. In my experience, when I worked with a startup with diverse needs, I found WordPress to be the best choice for content and function management. This is because it allows anyone on the team, even those unfamiliar with CMS software, to easily learn, manage, and edit content as needed.

From the start, it's helpful to outline goals, lifecycle of a website, integration abilities, ease of customization, and budget along with having a team knowledgeable in using the CMS platform can help you quickly select the best fit for your business. Many factors could change the outcome, but having a plan ready, understanding the importance of content presentation, and expandability of the platform could give the website longevity, minimize costs, and optimize growth opportunities. WordPress, Drupal and Shopify are just three of the top CMS platforms available and each offers its strengths. Knowing how those strengths play into your business and how to capitalize on them is important.

How comfortable are you with coding and web development? Some CMSs are more user-friendly and intuitive than others, and some require more technical knowledge and skills to set up and maintain. For example, WordPress is relatively easy to use and has a large community of developers and users who can offer support and guidance. However, it also has a steep learning curve if you want to customize your website beyond the basic themes and plugins. On the other hand, Drupal is a more advanced and powerful CMS that gives you more control and flexibility over your website, but it also requires more technical expertise and coding skills to use effectively.

nsider your budget for both the initial setup and ongoing maintenance. Some CMS platforms are free to use but may require paid plugins or themes to get the functionality you need. Others come with a subscription fee. Also, factor in hosting and domain registration costs.

How much are you willing to spend on your website? Some CMSs are free and open-source, while others are paid and proprietary. Free CMSs may seem more appealing, but they also come with some drawbacks, such as limited features, security risks, and lack of support. Paid CMSs may offer more features, security, and support, but they also come with a higher price tag and may lock you into a specific vendor or platform. You also need to consider the costs of hosting, domain name, maintenance, and updates for your website, which may vary depending on the CMS you choose.

Think about the future of your website. Will you need to scale up as your business grows? A CMS that allows for easy scaling and has flexible options for adding features and functionalities will be beneficial in the long run. Platforms like WordPress offer a vast array of plugins and themes that can accommodate growth and change.

How do you plan to grow and change your website in the future? Some CMSs are more scalable and flexible than others, meaning they can handle more traffic, content, and functionality without compromising the performance and quality of your website. For example, WordPress is a scalable CMS that can handle millions of visitors and thousands of pages, but it may also slow down and become vulnerable to attacks if you don’t optimize it properly. On the other hand, Joomla is a flexible CMS that can adapt to different types of websites and content, but it may also become complex and difficult to manage if you don’t organize it well.

Among popular CMS tools are, WordPress, Squarespace and Wix. However, what you need to consider other than what's stated in the article is: a. Will you be building the website yourself or hiring someone else? b. Is it user-friendly and customizable? c. What is the price? d. Does it allow for third-party plugin integration? e. How secure is it? f. Can multiple people/teams collaborate on it? g. Is it future-proof? h. How quick is the customer support? The list is in no particular order but helps you really narrow down your options. Hope this helps!

Besides the above perspectives, there are some other factors that may influence your choice of CMS, such as the design and layout of your website, the SEO and analytics of your website, the integration and compatibility of your website with other tools and platforms, and the availability and quality of support and documentation for your CMS. You may also want to do some research and compare the pros and cons of different CMSs, read reviews and testimonials from other users and developers, and test out some demos and trials before making a final decision.

One of the major mistakes businesses dot, is that they get very passionate about their website for a month and give it full attention and then it doesn't get updated for months. Which is why my advice for any business is to get someone and have their main task be working on the website constantly.