There are a lot of Content Management System (CMS) platforms out there and knowing which to choose can be a challenge.

CMS platforms and website builders both offer management functionality, but there’s a big difference between the two.

To help you decide, we’ve looked at the pros and cons of web builders – and rounded up some of the best CMS platforms that enable you to manage your website easily and provide your visitors with a great experience.

The pros and cons of website builders

You may have considered using a website builder platform. The low monthly costs are appealing and there are plenty of cheap options out there, including GoDaddy, Weebly and Wix.com. There is however a reason they are offered at such a low price, and this is because they are built using pre-designed templates which often don’t allow for a great deal of customisation.

SEO is vital if you want your website to be found by the right audience. However, with a web builder, you’ll be restricted when it comes to what SEO can be applied. As a result, your site is unlikely to rank as highly in Google searches.

Also, in some cases, the media content you use is stored on the content domain rather than your business website. This means that your images and videos won't help you to achieve a higher search ranking.

So, while web builders are offered at a low price, can be very easy to use, with tools that offer some customisation on the appearance of your site – they lack the more advanced customisation and functionality that a CMS platform offers.

The benefits of CMS platforms

The main advantage of a CMS platform is the control it gives you. You’re not limited by templates and basic features and all your site content and media is hosted on your own domain.

You have the ability to create a design that’s right for your business. As well as being able to control the design element, you can also organise your site how you want it. The global templates can be locked, whilst allowing content and media edits to be made without the risk of changing the design or functionality of the site.

Another significant benefit is that your website can be managed by multiple users – it’s up to you who you give admin access to.

The best CMS platforms

WordPress is one of the best-known platforms. It started out as a blogging site but has since become a widely used CMS platform.

It’s ideal for small and large businesses as it can be used as a personal website - or run by a team of people. It’s still the first choice for companies with a focus on editorial content due to its article and blog publishing features.

WordPress interface and website themes are straightforward but can also be customised and allow a host of plugins – there are also plenty of personalisation features.

Joomla is another popular platform known for its built-in functionality. It has more features than many other open-source CMS platforms.

Joomla has the capacity to manage hundreds of users and the versatility to create pages in multiple languages. It can be configured to adapt to your site settings, allowing you to update menus, content, and SEO settings.

For retailers, Shopify is the go-to ecommerce platform as it makes running an ecommerce store easy.

Shopify is simple to set up – and it’s perfect for online retailers as it offers features such as different payment options, customer reviews, traffic and product analysis.

Would you like advice on the best CMS platform for you?

Our team of web developers have expertise in all of the CMS platforms above. Contact the Make It Seen team today! We create websites that are affordable, look great, are SEO friendly and are easy to manage.

Call 01902 239 010 or click to Get a Quote.