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How To Choose The Right CMS (Part 1)

A person choosing the right CMS

The difference between WordPress & Drupal


WordPress and Drupal are currently the largest Content Management System (CMS) providers that many people turn to today. Each has its pros and cons; however, one may serve your business better than the other.

Deciding which CMS to use for your business should be at the heart of your vision, your goal to convert your end-users, and stand out among your competitors. In this article, I decided to focus on Drupal and WordPress since they are the most widely used options today. Both come with a lot of customizable features, similarities, and differences.

Read on to learn more about these two platforms, use them, and benefit from each.

Top 4 Advantages of WordPress

WordPress is the leading CMS in the world, powering about one-third of the entire internet, including 14.7% of the world's top 100 websites. It's worth noting that though WordPress powers so much of the web, it has thousands of customization features and plugins to allow your website to look unique from everyone else in ways that fit the needs of your business.

A significant advantage of WordPress is that almost anyone can use it without a lot of technical knowledge.

1.    The ability to host a wide range of websites

Regardless of what type of website you want to create, you can do it on WordPress. You can use host all kinds of content, including portfolios, videos, podcasts, social networking groups, and e-commerce stores.

2.    Ease of use

A significant benefit of using the WordPress platform is that anyone can quickly learn to use it in a few minutes. Its interface is very user-friendly with clearly labeled buttons, tags, and customization features.

You can copy/paste your content, drag and drop images, create unique borders and headers, and easily optimize your pages for SEO. With WordPress, startups and new business owners who have little or no technical know-how can quickly upload their content without hiring a professional web designer.

3.    Responsive, Mobile-Friendly Websites

Almost all of the themes in WordPress are mobile-friendly, so you don't have to worry about turning off some of your viewers or getting penalized by Google for not having a mobile-friendly site.

4.    Open Source Website Themes

It's also open-source, which means the source code is made available to other users. This makes it easy to develop new pages without having to start from scratch quickly.

The 2 top Cons of WordPress

Although WordPress can be a natural choice when looking to create a website, it comes with its downsides. One should consider these when choosing a CMS.

1.    Determining the Overall Cost of Your Website

While the basic WordPress platform is free, creating your site can come with varying costs depending on your customization preferences, such as plugins and themes. So, you must keep your budget in mind when choosing a CMS platform.

2.    Constant Updates

WordPress comes with plenty of updates both to improve the platform and your website. However, installing new updates comes with the necessity to evaluate your site once you have installed these updates.

A simple update could change your site's layout or usability. Some plugins and updates can also slow down your website. So after installing updates, you should regularly check your website to make sure it's operating as it should be.

Top 5 Benefits of Drupal

Drupal can be used to host and develop all kinds of content, including simple blogs, videos, social groups, and online polls. While Drupal has its share of devoted users in the market, it currently hosts only 2.3% of all websites which is lesser compare to WordPress.

1.    Endless Customizable Features

Like WordPress, Drupal has a lot of customizable features to help you create the perfect user experience. It's also open-source like WordPress and you can also rest assured your website will be mobile-friendly. Drupal provides a rich technical support incase your team encounter any difficulty.

2.    Website Security

Drupal is known to be one of the most secure CMS platforms today. Thus, it's an excellent pick for publications and organizations that need to keep their content safe and online 24/7.

3.    Website Cost

Unlike WordPress, with varying costs, Drupal makes it easier to ascertain your website's total price. The actual platform does not cost as much as WordPress; however, you'll undoubtedly need to pay for a professional developer when using Drupal, which might raise your total project cost.

4.    Assigning Individual Permissions to members of your team

With Drupal, you can assign individual user permissions to different members of your team. Each individual will only be able to access that portion of the site.

5.    Ease of Migrating to other CMS

Migrating from Drupal to a different CMS is also very easy with Drupal. You can download and use such plugins as CMS2CMS or FG Drupal to WordPress.

Top 2 Cons of Drupal

Drupal, like WordPress or any other CMS, has its drawbacks. Some users complain that it is not exactly user-friendly and that it can impact your website's overall performance if not properly optimized.

1.    Use of Drupal requires a Website Developer

Unlike WordPress that is great for beginners, Drupal requires some technical know-how. You'll need to get a professional website developer who has experience working with Drupal if you plan on using this CMS. And this could affect your budget.

2.    Resource Intensive

For those without the technical expertise, Drupal may come with a steep learning curve. Users also complain about the number of resources that Drupal takes to run. If you choose to settle with Drupal, you will need to become a master of caching and optimizations.

Finally: WordPress vs. Drupal: Which Is the Right CMS for You?

We recommend that you check out our next article on CHOOSING THE RIGHT CMS (PART 2) to learn about the 5 Tips to Keep in Mind When Choosing a CMS for your web hosting and development.

But for an overview, choosing between the two comes down to how much money you're willing to spend, the overall complexity of your website, and your team's technical experience.
Using your CMS should be straightforward and enjoyable. Consider your team's experience level and find a platform that helps you bring your content to life.
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