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Are you looking to start an online business but just don’t know where to start? How about our online business tips and tricks? Let’s get cracking with CMS!
What is a CMS?
CMS stands for content management system, which is just a fancy way of referring to a system that allows you to create, edit and publish content on your website.
Having a CMS is one of the keys to unlocking a streamlined content management process that every online business owner dreams of. Not only do most of them allow you to collaborate with team members, but they also make life easier for those of us who have no clue what programming languages like HTML and CSS mean.
Choosing the perfect CMS for your business requires careful consideration. Let’s look at what you need to keep in mind when looking around for your match.
Choosing a CMS
Before you settle on a CMS, think about the following factors to help you figure out whether it’s the one for you:
- Does this fit within my budget or is it going to leave me broke?
- Does this CMS support my business operations well or does it fall short on some of my business needs?
- Does this integrate with the CRM or web analytics programme I intend to use/am currently using?
- Am I going to have to spend lots of time fiddling about trying to create and edit content or is it simple to use?
- Is this CMS SEO-friendly so that Google knows about my business well enough to give it a high ranking?
Now that we’ve got the technical stuff out the way, let’s do some window shopping and check out the 5 most popular CMS contenders for your e-commerce site.
5 CMS Systems for Online Business
1. WordPress
Introducing the king of the jungle! There’s a reason why WordPress is used by millions across the world - and it all boils down to its flexible and versatile nature. WordPress gives you options for pretty much everything, so you can customise your website to exactly how you like it.
WordPress has fully-hosted and self-hosted options. With the fully-hosted option (WordPress.com), your hosting is managed by WordPress while the self-hosted option gives you full control over every corner of your website.
This complete control over your website’s design and functionality means that your options are limitless. With WordPress, you get access to thousands of plug-ins and theme options to choose from. While you can build a WordPress website for free, there are a couple of different pricing plans that give you access to some pretty cool tools.
One of the standout features of WordPress is the WooCommerce plugin, which was developed especially for WordPress site owners to accept online payments without the fuss. This plugin transforms WordPress websites into e-commerce stores that you can customise to your liking. Okay WordPress, you have us convinced!
2. Wix
Not too far behind WordPress is Wix, a CMS that some reviewers call “the best all-round website builder on the market”. Let’s see if it lives up to its prestigious title…
Wix focuses on creative professionals and has designed its built-in tools to help grow businesses online. From more than 500 customisable website templates to choose from, online scheduling software, a logo maker and integrated SEO tools - Wix is definitely a top CMS contender, especially for business websites.
To top it off, Wix also has a built-in professional business suite that gives you all the tools you need to promote and manage your business. Now, this is what we call a one-stop-shop!
3. Squarespace
Squarespace is a favourable option for creative professionals seeing as it was designed specifically for creatives. This CMS has developed into quite an all-rounder and offers users plenty of useful additions.
This CMS comes equipped with sophisticated templates that’ll blow your socks off. They clearly keep an eye on the details and strive for perfection. Seeing as it was mainly used as a blogging platform when it was first launched years ago, it’s no surprise that Squarespace’s blogging feature allows you to do all the things from scheduling posts and even hosting your own podcast!
4. Weebly
If you’re a beginner who just wants to dip your toes in the water, Weebly is the perfect starting point for you. Weebly offers a step-by-step approach to managing your content, especially in terms of SEO.
Just like all our contenders, Weebly is free to use but if you want the good stuff, you’d need to check out the pricing plans on offer for access to additional tools.
The one thing that sets Weebly apart from the others is that it offers users helpful SEO guides with everything you need to know about coding, keyword optimisation, and how to boost your website’s ranking.
5. Magnolia
Magnolia is designed for businesses that need an all-in-one system that accommodates e-commerce, analytics, marketing automation and social media, among others. One of the best features of Magnolia is that you can decide whether you need to make use of these functions and add them on whenever you wish. So you won’t have to be swamped with the lot right at the beginning when you’re still figuring things out.
Magnolia’s stand-out feature is its focus on security. With Magnolia, you can rest assured that your website and the content you upload will remain safe from any online attacks, thanks to its use of an architecture that separates the public and private elements of your website.
Ready to get your CMS on?
Well done on reaching this major milestone in your journey as a business owner! We’ve got our fingers crossed that you find the perfect CMS to make your online business operations a breeze.
Still searching for a knockout business idea? Here's a list of online business you can start right away.
