Introduction
You might have read the following question in online forums, come across on internet searches, or on Reddit or Quora “Which is the best content management system?” Below, I have posted an extract from a message I had written in a facebook group. A user had asked the above question recently. Before setting to answer their question, I reflected upon the question, and began to pen down my thoughts. Since 2018, I have tested and tried over 60 different Content Management Systems or CMS. The list includes the well known CMS – WordPress and Drupal, to the relatively unknown ones such as Datenstrom Yellow and Textpattern. Majority of the CMS are PHP based, while a few use node.js or Python. Some are open source, other are proprietary. Most require databases, while many are “flat file systems” that is, they do not require a database. With so many options to consider, which Content Management System should you choose?Click below to watch the video
Chasing the Myth of Best Content Management System
“Best” is a relative term, and I would like to answer the question weighing in the below factors, not necessarily in order: a.What is the purpose of your website – Are you planning to write a blog ? – Do you want to create a personal or business portfolio site? -Are yuou looking to create an e-commerce site -A product showcase -Community site or a Forum – A How To or wiki, etc… As you can see, a website can take many forms. Not all CMS’es are suitable for every type of website. For example, Mediawiki (on which Wikipedia runs) is great for a Wiki site but may not be the bext option for a Portfolio site.Choice of a CMS or a content management system requires some level of planningb. What is the budget? That will determine whether a shared hosting, a VPS, cloud hosting, or managed service would be in the shortlist) c. What is your experience with web development ? This includes HTML, CSS and javascript (or node.js or other languages) Tip: Wikipedia has an extensive list of CMS d. Are you looking at a static site? A static site is one that will not be updated frequently or a site that will be updated regularly? e. What is the estimated level of traffic? e.g. in case of a small community site of 100 odd visitors a day, the requirements may be different from a site that get 10,000 visitors a day. f. Who will design/ manage/ update the website? That will determine a ‘Do It Yourself’ option versus a CMS that requires some degree of customization and investment in time and learning. g. How frequently is the CMS updated? Other questions to consider include: What is its level of complexity? Does it require a MySQL or any other database? Does it have any major security or other concerns? h. Ease of installation for e.g. wordpress is supposed to be one of the easiest CMSes to install, while a CMS like Ghost might require some level of expertise.
Myth of Best Content Management System
Factors to Consider When Choosing a CMS
- Purpose of Your Website
- Budget and Hosting Options
- Your Technical Proficiency
- Frequency of Updates
- Estimated Traffic Levels
- Management and Design
- Updates and Complexity
- Installation Ease
Final Thoughts on Myth of Best Content Management System
None of the points will individually help answer the question, but as you start answering them, the second of the third or the fourth question may help you filter out your choices. And remember, what is best for “me” might not be your cup of tea. Grav is supposed to be one of the easiest CMS’es to work with, I never had much success with it. I have shared my experience with grav cms in a separate blog post. The ‘best’ CMS is a myth, but a well-informed decision is not. By unraveling the factors that influence CMS selection, you’re equipped to discover the perfect fit for your digital journey.
The Myth of Best Content Management System was originally published in 2020-06-09 under the category Content Management Systems. This post was updated on 29 August 2023.
