What Is a Content Management System (CMS)?

A content management system, often abbreviated as CMS, is software that helps users create, manage, and modify content on a website without the need for specialized technical knowledge.

In simpler language, a content management system is a tool that helps you build a website without needing to write all the code from scratch (or even know how to code at all).

WordPress

Wordpress is the world’s leading CMS platform. Roughly, 40% of all websites are powered by WordPress and within the CMS market, WordPress holds a staggering market share of 60.8%.

There are many reasons WordPress is considered the standard-bearer for CMS website platforms. WordPress is the quintessential can do everything well platform. The interface is user-friendly and there are a vast number of plugins, over 55,000 from the WordPress plugin directory, to help you easily add functionality to your website.

Drupal

Drupal is a large-scale website platform. It is somewhat similar to WordPress in the sense that they are both content management systems (CMS) allowing users to manage the content of their website while displaying it in a clear, logical manner.

One advantage that Drupal has over other CMS platforms, like WordPress, is its multilingual functionality.

Magento

Magento is a high performance and scalable e-Commerce website solution or large-scale online businesses. Magento offers versatility, advanced search engine optimization features, real-time product and sales tracking paired with the ability to connect with 3rd party vendors to maintain relationships and increase sales. Magento is mobile-friendly to the tablet and smartphone user and full of helpful features to the e-merchant and online customers such as digital coupons and promotions.

Joomla

Joomla is another CMS website platform. Launched in 2005, Joomla is reviewed as more difficult to use than WordPress though easier than Drupal. You will still need to have an understanding of HTML and PHP, but the dashboard is more user-friendly than Drupal. The main use for Joomla is e-commerce as well as social networking sites.

Weebly

Weebly offers a more beginner approach to website development. With a drag-and-drop builder that is very user-friendly and doesn’t require any coding experience. What you gain in ease you give up in customizability. Weebly was purchased by Square and is building out its ecommerce offerings, but they are not yet to the level of the other platforms.