Creating a website has never been easier in 2020. With the array of tools available at your disposal, you can now create any kind of website you want in a snap.
One of these tools is content management systems (CMS).
CMS is a tool used to handle content creation and management. It helps you build great websites without needing to write programming codes from scratch.
CMS does everything — from creating web pages, storing files, and more. Consider them your website skeleton. This allows you to focus on your site design, content, and other aspects.
We’ll take a look at some of the most popular options based on website category so you can choose the best CMS for you.
How to Make a Website With CMS
Using CMS is surprisingly simple. You can do it in a few steps:
- Purchase web hosting and your domain.
- Install a CMS onto your web server.
- Configure the CMS to design how you want your site to look and function.
- Create and publish your content using the CMS interface.
If you encounter any issues, Crazy Domains can help you install the CMS of your choice.
Now let’s dive into the top content management systems.
The Best CMS Options for Every Type of Website
Blog and Personal: WordPress
There are tons of great blog content management systems. But all new sites should use WordPress hosting — at least until they find a better fit.
WordPress is the most popular blog powering millions of blogs. It’s easy to use, feature-rich and has many free elements.
Because of that, you can do almost everything with the platform. Aside from blogs, you can use it for other ways including:
- Static websites
- Forums
- Social networks
- E-commerce sites
- Online courses
- Membership sites
- Portfolios
Key Features
- Ready-made themes, which make web design a breeze
- Can manage non-blog pages like About pages easily
- Spam protection
- User registration and authenticated comments
- Different levels of users — from admins, editors, and publishers for finely tuned controls
- Ping-O-Matic tools for maximum blog exposure
Installation
WordPress is easy to install. Follow the instructions here. Be sure to take advantage of the millions of WordPress tutorials on YouTube!
Ecommerce: Magento
Ecommerce websites can be extremely demanding. That’s because the majority of your business is online. You’ll need a variety of apps to make sure everything functions smoothly.
Magento is a legend in ecommerce. In fact, more than 31% of ecommerce sites use it.
Key Features
- Analytics: reports of abandoned shopping carts and customer behaviour
- SEO: Gives URL meta-information to products and categories
- Payment
- Shipping
- Catalog Management
- Site Management: control multiple websites from one admin panel
Installation
Magento offers a free demo for interested customers. Learn more about installing Magento here.
Community Building: Pligg
There’s no shortage of great forum apps you can use like phpBB and MediaWiki. But if you want a more modern approach to community building, check out Pligg.
Pligg is an open-source social publishing application. Users can easily submit content, vote on links and engage with each other and moderators.
Key Features
- Groups: users can create groups with shared interests
- Direct messaging: users can easily communicate privately with one another
- Advance Comments: You can comment and rate comments by other users
- Profiles
- Module system adds additional functionality without altering Plug code
Installation
Pligg is open source and you can download it for free here.
Business: FrontAccounting
FrontAccounting is a simple, open-source accounting software designed for small and medium businesses.
Key Features
- Purchase Orders
- Goods Receivable Notes
- Fixed Asset
- Sales Orders
- Customer Invoices/Credit Notes
- General Ledger with Budget
- Languages
- Currencies
- Several Companies
- Supplier Invoices/Credit Notes
- Payments
- Allocations
- Accounts Payable
- Items and Inventory
- Stock
- Manufacturing
- Deposits
- Allocations
- Accounts Receivable
- Dimension
Installation
FrontAccounting is free and available to download here. Consider donating to the developers so they can keep improving the great tool.
Multi-Purpose: Matomo
No matter what type of website you have, you should care about your traffic. Matamo is an open-source alternative to Google Analytics. More than 1.4 million websites use it.
Matamo provides insights for a huge range of key information. You can track website visitors, session time, bounce rate, marketing campaigns and much more.
Key Features
- Campaign tracking
- Goal conversion tracking
- Ecommerce analytics
- User geography
- A/B Testing
- Google and Facebook ad compatibility
- Funnels
- Heat maps
Installation
You can try Matomo for free. If you upgrade to the paid tier, you can unlock even more features.
How Many CMS Do I Need?
Reading this list of great CMS options, you might think, “I need all these!”
Content management systems are like hats. Wearing a bunch at the same time won’t help out you too much.
Instead, take time to check out these options and what looks like a good fit for you. What are your needs? In which areas do you need better organisation?
From here, check out each of these options. They’re all free or offer free trials. So if one doesn’t work so well, try out a different one. That’s the best way to find the perfect CMS for you.
