Do you know what the next thing you do after you’ve decided that you need a website? No, it’s not deciding on the menu items or the design, but choosing the right CMS (content management system). Some may argue that going with your very own customized CMS is the right way to go, but unless you plan to have a huge website with a lot of frontend and backend menus, a proprietary CMS will only make things worse with all its clutter and bugs. Instead, you can choose from one of the two most used CMSs worldwide: Joomla and WordPress. Let’s take a look at both of them so that you can decide which one suits your company best.
Joomla vs. WordPress
The Common Ground
WordPress and Joomla have some shared features and these are the most important of them:
- They are both free – you can install them on your own server or on a paid one.
- You can use plug-ins to customize your website’s appearance and functionality.
- They both have free (and paid!) themes and templates that you can use. Also, you can always have a team of skilled web developers and designers build you your very own theme.
- Both WordPress and Joomla have active communities that contribute to their development on a daily basis. These communities can also help you troubleshoot your issues.
Is WordPress the Perfect Match for You?
WordPress was launched in 2003 as a blogging platform, but it has evolved to the number one CMS that beginners (and not only!) use for their website. It is sleek, user-friendly, free, easy to customize and very elegant. Here are some more of its strongest features:
- 140+ million downloads
- 2500+ free themes you can choose from
- Ideal for: websites that place a lot of focus on content. Since WordPress started out as a blogging platform, it is only logical that their text editor is versatile and very user-friendly. Small and medium-sized business will find this CMS ideal.
- Easy to use SEO module
Is Joomla the Perfect Match for You?
Joomla was launched 2 years later than WordPress, in 2005. This CMS is not targeted towards beginners, but towards the savvy webmasters who also have some experience in programming. These are the people who can leverage Joomla’s advance customization options and interface to the maximum. If you lack such skills, you are better off with another CMS (see above), as Joomla might prove quite frustrating. Other significant features include:
- 30+ million downloads
- 1000+ free themes you can choose from
- Ideal for: e-commerce websites, social networks, booking, photo galleries
- SEO module geared towards experienced web masters and programmers
Joomla has the advantage of module customization. With this option, the CMS can support almost any type of website and any functionality.
Conclusion
If you are a tech savvy person or are willing to employ one on a full-time basis, then you can choose Joomla as the CMS for your company’s website. If not, don’t be fooled by the fact that you can easily learn how to deal with this platform; even if you can master its basics in a month or two, there is very little chance that you will ever be able to use it to its full potential.
If you want to simply install a CMS and be ready to go, WordPress is always the safest choice. Almost anyone from your company can easily add new menu items and articles – the CMS is extremely user-friendly and intuitive and requires no technical training.
