What Are the Best CMS Systems Around?

In the days when launching a website was viewed as a monumental achievement, companies would upload whatever content they could assemble and then leave their new baby to its own devices. The idea of constantly updating websites was rarely considered outwith news or ecommerce platforms, and many sites were effectively untouched for years.

Here in 2017, we’re all considerably wiser. Websites with regular updates perform better in search engine results pages (or SERPS), while uploading new material encourages repeat visits – also having a positive effect on SERPS. However, unless you’re a dab hand with HTML, editing existing web pages will involve a content management system. The best CMS systems are typically accessed through a secure web portal, enabling quick revisions or additions to existing text and captions alongside the creation of extra pages or even entire websites.

These are some of the best CMS systems around at the moment:

1.     WordPress. Where else could we start in a feature on the best CMS systems? Powering a quarter of the internet and almost 60 per cent of CMS sites, WordPress’s open source software has been bolstered with tens of thousands of plugins, each performing a specific function. Its CMS interface is simple yet powerful – a winning combination.
2.     Magento. Another open source CMS platform, Magento’s USP is its appeal among ecommerce clients of all sizes. Like WordPress, it has a community of users developing bolt-on software extensions. Its CMS combines ready-made themes with the ability to customise these templates, while page loading times often surpass WordPress sites.
3.     Drupal. The favoured choice among platforms where hundreds of pages are required, Drupal has plenty of SEO tools on offer. Its security is legendary, though its relative complexity can baffle rookies. However, Drupal’s flexibility (and 26,000 plugins) makes it suitable for companies of all sizes – even enterprise level websites.
4.     Joomla. Powering almost three times as many sites as Drupal, Joomla is the world’s second most popular CMS behind the all-conquering WordPress. Less rigid than its market-leading rival, Joomla is also a dependable ecommerce and social networking platform. It’s highly recommended for managing large volumes of content.
5.     Kentico. This fast-growing Czech brand markets itself as offering a combined platform for CMS, ecommerce and online marketing. A straightforward interface provides extensive tutorials and online how-to guides, while the software’s comprehensive roster of features reduces the reliance on bloatware or multiple plugins.
6.     Wix. Over the last ten years, Wix has become a popular choice for entrepreneurs and small businesses. Its code-free WYSIWYG editor includes Yoast SEO, which can recommend content changes to optimise appeal among the search engines. There can be costs incurred in removing Wix branding, however.

Even the best CMS systems won’t achieve great results without optimised content, so uploaded text should contain key search terms and long tail keywords for exact search string matches. Don’t forget to include meta tags and image captions, which can also help to elevate those all-important results rankings.

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