If you're thinking about starting a website, there are several routes you can take. First of all, you have to decide if you want to work with a web developer or go the do-it-yourself route. Doing it yourself has many advantages. For one, it's much cheaper. Plus, you'll have full access to edit your content as you please without having to contact your developer to make changes.
Luckily, building your website on your own isn't difficult when you use a content management system (CMS) like WordPress, Drupal, or Joomla. These programs take a simple, user-friendly approach to web design for people who don't have in-depth technical skills to build a site from scratch. Plus, they're all free.
Choosing the right one for your situation can be tough if you're not already familiar with these content management systems. Here, we took inspiration from this article which outlines the differences between WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla so you can make the best choice for your site.
WordPressWordPress is a popular choice among new bloggers and site owners, powering over 26 percent of the web. It has a slight learning curve over drag-and-drop website builders, but it's also more powerful and the easiest CMS to learn on this list. It's also good for SEO since search engines tend to like the simplicity of WordPress sites. WordPress is a good choice for small businesses, e-commerce stores, and blogs, though larger sites like Forbes, Best Buy, and Mashable also use WordPress. It's built for blogging, so if you want to start a blog, you'll find all the tools you need to thrive with WordPress.
WordPress is simple to install. Thanks to its popularity, most web hosts offer one-click installs so you can get your site up and running within about five minutes. With the huge community using WordPress, there are countless blog posts, videos, and tutorials on the web that will help you familiarize yourself with the dashboard and customization options. You can always visit the official WordPress support forum to ask questions and receive free answers within minutes.
It also has thousands of themes and tens of thousands of plugins—or bits of software that expand your site's function—to choose from, giving it the most options compared to other CMS's. That means there are countless ways to customize your site and make it one-of-a-kind. Though many of these themes and plugins come at a price, there are tens of thousands available free.
Among the drawbacks, WordPress's ease of use makes it difficult to tweak the visuals of your site without having to touch code. That means that in many cases, you either have to be tech-savvy or hire a developer. That said, there are several premium themes available with built-in drop-and-drag functions and highly customizable features. Take the Divi Theme for example; this theme does wonders for expanding your customization options without having to touch code.
The other WordPress concern is security. Since WordPress is a high-profile CMS, it's a common target for hackers. Third-party themes and plugins may open security holes in your site that make it easier for security breaches to occur. That said, taking proper precautions, such as by only installing trustworthy plugins, using strong passwords, and updating the software regularly, should help mitigate these security risks.
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Like WordPress, Drupal is a community-driven project and open source software that uses themes and plugins to manage the appearance and functions of a website. It's also similar in that it's free and easy to install, with most hosts offering one-click installs. Plus, it has a fairly large community all willing to support and help one another.
Drupal is different from WordPress in that there's a larger learning curve. While it's simple to add new content, it can be difficult for beginners to learn how to navigate the system to change the appearance of their site and add non-content elements. If you do need help, it's more difficult to find an affordable Drupal expert than it is to hire someone to help on your WordPress site.
Drupal also differs in the amount of themes and plugins offered. Though it has more options than Joomla, it has far fewer than WordPress, and the installation process is a bit more involved.
While Drupal is the most complicated CMS on this list, it's also the most powerful. Drupal sites are typically faster than WordPress sites, and it's considered more secure than WordPress. It also features pre-packaged bundles that have modules and configurations to help you build a specific type of site.
Since this CMS is more developer-focused, it's capable of creating highly advanced sites, such as community sites with multiple users. Because of that, you'll need some basic knowledge in PHP, CSS, and HTML. If you're familiar with these programming languages or not afraid to learn, Drupal is an appropriate CMS for building any kind of website at any size. Plus, it scales well, meaning that you won't have a problem expanding your site as your traffic grows.
When it comes down to which CMS you should choose, Drupal is not the choice for beginners. It's best for people who already have experience in website development. If you aren't very tech-savvy but want to use Drupal for its powerful features, then consider adding someone with development experience to your team or hiring a Drupal expert.
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Joomla falls somewhere between WordPress and Drupal for ease of use, and like both, it's a free open source software that's easy to install on your site. It requires basic technical skills, though it doesn't have as much of a learning curve as Drupal does, and you don't have to be a developer to use it. Compared to both WordPress and Drupal, it has the fewest theme and plugin options, which means it can be difficult to find the perfect template and extensions for your site. Like Drupal, the installation process for these extensions is also a bit more involved than WordPress.
Joomla is also similar in security to WordPress, and it has a strong community behind it if you need help. However, like Drupal, finding an affordable developer who can help you if needed can be difficult because it's not as popular as WordPress.
Among its benefits, Joomla is more powerful than WordPress and easier to use than Drupal, which makes it the second most popular CMS for website owners. That said, it can still be a bit overwhelming for beginners. It will serve you well for managing your content, and it even has an incredible content editor that's similar to Word, allowing you plenty of customization options when it comes to your content and formatting. However, it can take a bit more technical knowledge to create a custom design, but if you're willing to learn, you don't have to be too tech-savvy to take advantage of Joomla's power.
Joomla is particularly a good choice for people who want to set up eCommerce sites. Though you can do that with Drupal and WordPress, it's a bit easier on Joomla. You just need a couple of simple extensions rather than more complicated specializations. It is also the ideal platform if you're looking to set up a social networking site.
Again, Joomla falls between the other two for technical support. Through Joomla's community portal, you can ask questions and learn more about the system. The community isn't as large as WordPress, so feedback can be slower, but it's typically faster and cheaper than Drupal's support.
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There's not one choice that's better than the others. It all depends on your site needs and your technical skills. If you're just starting out and don't know anything about CSS, HTML, or PHP, WordPress is the best option.
If you'd like more power and aren't afraid to get your hands dirty, go with Drupal.
If you need a happy medium—something that's more powerful than WordPress but less complicated than Drupal—then Joomla is a good choice.
When all is said and done, WordPress is the best CMS for most people. It's user-friendly, requires no coding skills, and has a huge support community, which means it's easy to find help. Plus, with tons of premium and free WordPress themes, it's easy to find templates suited for your brand.
Which one of these content management systems do you think you'll use to build your site?
Source: WordPress vs Drupal vs Joomla : Finding the Best CMS for your website
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