Among a variety of web building options that you can encounter in the contemporary web design niche, using CMS will remain the very destination that can cater to the needs of different categories of users. Content management systems are powerful programs that provide an extensive range of web design tools needed to launch and manage any type of project effectively. These systems vary in purpose and functionality, and are not all easy to master from the start.
Knowledge of web design basics is desirable here, while the result is always worth an investment of time and effort. Websites built with CMS generally stand out from the crowd with their attractive, unique, contemporary design, advanced performance, and ability to multitask. So what does it take to launch a CMS website and what are the essential steps? It’s high time you found out now.
Reading: How to create a cms website
How to create a CMS website
If you’re right about choosing a CMS for your web design project, follow the steps below You ll need to commit to making it a success.
- Choose a platform. Before launching a website, choose the CMS that suits your needs the web development better meets final expectations. There are several systems you might be interested in, but weigh all the pros and cons of each one to make the choice you won’t regret later.
- Think about it Think about the domain name.
- Think about the domain name.
- Choose hosting. Before installing the system, also take care of choosing hosting. Keep in mind that not all CMS come with integrated hosting solutions. Some of them leave you free to choose as the choice of hosting providers is really impressive. However, one of the best options is Bluehost. It offers strong uptime rates, fast webpage loading speed, reliable security tools, diverse integration options as well as affordable prices. As a result, the system’s basic plan, which also includes an option to choose a domain name, costs you just $2.95/month – it’s almost impossible to find a deal this cheap anywhere else.
- Install the CMS. The next step is to install your chosen platform. In general, the installation process is simple, fast, intuitive and takes only a few minutes. Just follow the steps offered by the system and copy the files to your host.
- Select and install the plugins. As far as almost all reputable CMS require installing plugins, it makes sense to do that right from the start. Plugins add functionality to your project. However, unless you plan to start a complicated full-featured project, you can do without it. Remember that plugins are free and paid – the latter are more secure and reliable, which is worth the investment.
- Customize the theme. Once you’re done with the plugin installation When you’re done, it’s high time to choose a suitable theme and customize your website’s design. Almost all CMS have built-in templates, but you may come across several variants on the web as well. Just like plugins, templates can be free and paid, which can also directly affect their quality and security. Each CMS has its own theme customization tools that allow creating and editing web pages, adding logos and menus, designing the website layout, etc.
- Upload content. When you’re done customizing the web design, you can start uploading the content. Most templates come with pre-built content that fits the niche they belong to. You can replace the content with your own information (images, text, media files, etc.) for a unique personalized project.
- Go online. The last step involves the Publication of the site. However, don’t forget to fill out the SEO settings and connect the analytics system to track your website’s performance afterwards.
b> Your website domain should be memorable, simple, and easy to use. It shouldn’t be too long – main requirement is to make it branded, niche relevant and SEO friendly. Take your time to choose yours.
Best CMS website builders
If When choosing the best CMS website builders, you should be aware that there are many. However, only a few services are really worth paying attention to if you want to get a worthy result that suits your needs, requirements and budget. These are WordPress, Joomla, Drupal and Concrete5. It’s high time to see them all now.
1. WordPress
WordPress – is the CMS that does not require any presentation, even if you decide to start a website with this type of service for the first time. This is by far the most popular and widely used content management system, having already powered millions of websites worldwide. The platform stands out from the crowd with its extensive integration possibilities, its wide user community and its Wealth of templates and theme customization tools.The system is flexible and quite easy to master even if you are not a web design professional. However, get ready to explore the basics of web design when you work with it, as WordPress really requires coding experience and skills.
WordPress was originally launched to launch and manage blogs. Thus, it remains the best blogging CMS ever and offers several top-notch blogging tools and features. What you can do to start a blog here is add, edit, schedule and update posts, set up RSS and email subscription feeds, enable user commenting, integrate media files, choosing and customizing the blog theme, etc.
WordPress offers creative freedom and multiple theme customization options. Just browse the panel to see a variety of tools you can apply to create a unique website design. Plugin integration is one of the highlights of the service, which makes it possible to achieve unique website appeal by using the features that the system currently lacks. At the same time, plugin integration requires maximum attention and understanding of the matter. This is required to avoid malware that might be associated with third-party plugins.
Besides plugin integration, the CMS is also known for its social media embedding feature. You don’t have to register separately for popular social networks, as they are already integrated into the system by default.
The CMS comes with an amazing variety of templates that can be found on the Internet. Your own collection isn’t very rich, so it definitely makes sense to select and integrate third-party templates that cater to your unique web design needs. WordPress themes are available in free and paid variants. Paid themes have better quality and are not as risky when it comes to malware and spam threats.
In general, WordPress is a free CMS for all categories of users. You can download, install and use the basic functions of the service for free. However, if you decide that you want to increase the performance of your website and add features to it, you will not leave without buying additional templates and plugins on the internet. Also, you need to get a hosting and domain name to go online and make your project accessible to the audience.
2. Joomla
Joomla – is another popular platform that ranks second in the list of modern content management systems after WordPress. This is the open source software that allows to start and manage projects varying in complexity and mastering level. If you have never worked with platforms of this type, you should know that Joomla is a bit more complicated than WordPress and therefore requires more effort, time and skills to master and use. While WordPress is First a blog-focused service, Joomla can be used to launch various types of websites, including business projects and landing pages. It’s a good choice for freelancers, small to large businesses, and web design professionals.
Just like WordPress, Joomla is unthinkable without plugin integration. There are many free and paid plugins designed specifically for Joomla. It’s up to you to choose from several free and paid variants, but again, pay attention to the security aspect. However, the right plugin choice will take your website to a brand new level in the long run.
Integration with useful and functional third-party apps and services is also possible here. Joomla allows you to add the following applications: LiceChat, Zendesk, Campaign Monitor, Active Campaign, Constant Contact, Bitium, LiveAgent, ZohoSalesIQ, Post-Affiliate Pro, Bookeo Appointments, Kayako and Vision Helpdesk to name a few.
The CMS covers a wide range of web building needs. To allow you to express your creative freedom, the system puts you in charge of the web design process. What you can do here is control your project’s content management options, as well as banner features and user performance. The language manager of the service will be a great advantage for those users who intend to create multilingual websites. The built-in tool allows you to adjust the necessary language settings to launch any language versions of your website.
The platform’s built-in template collection is not very rich, although the quality of the designs is quite high. Luckily, there are many professional Joomla templates on the Internet that you can use if you don’t manage to find the one in the system’s set. Joomla themes are developed by third-party web designers and community members and are free and paid. Their quality also varies.The fact that free templates are not entirely safe for large projects is quite compelling for users who intend to get high-quality, full-featured projects.
As an open-source CMS, Joomla completely free for everyone. You can download, install and work with it for free. Therefore, the time you can spend exploring the feature set of the service is unlimited. Note that the prevailing set of built-in tools and features of the system have limited functionality. In order to launch a full-featured professional website with Joomla, getting paid templates, plugins and third-party apps is a must. The same goes for domain names and hosting.
3. Drupal
Drupal – is the open source content management system that offers extensive theme customization options. The system is excellent for developing small, medium and large business projects. However, it is also possible to build other types of websites using the platform. Drupal is widely used by professional web design studios and freelancers who focus on building custom websites for clients.
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Like other popular CMS, Drupal ensures deep and flexible plugin integration options. By default, the system cannot offer a sufficient selection of plugins and apps. Instead, users can find many variants online. The service also allows you to select and add modules and themes that best suit your website specialization. In terms of integrating the CMS with third-party systems and apps, Drupal offers a wide range of services that you can choose to boost your website’s performance. These include Zendesk, Bitium, Google Analytics, LinkedIn, Zapier, HubSpot, MailChimp, ShoutEm, iPaper, Magento, Salesforce, Twitter and some other well-known systems.
Drupal offers convenient and practical user management options that make it safe and fast Upload content and contribute to its further processing. The system’s advanced menu makes it easy to add different types of content (images, videos, media files, blog posts, polls, etc.). Apart from that, Drupal delivers excellent content and graphics management.
As a content management system, Drupal cannot offer such an extensive selection of built-in templates as, for example, modern website builders. Built-in themes are good for personal project development or system exploration. That’s it. If you’re targeting a large audience, you definitely need to look for third-party templates on the web. Luckily, there are many high-quality themes designed specifically for Drupal by professional developers, web studios, and community users. Drupal themes are both free and paid. The latter are safer and more professional. Therefore, they are worth the investment if you expect a full-featured website that suits your business needs and goals.
Drupal is free CMS software that comes with open-source code . The system is free to download and install, but there’s still a lot you need to get the most out of its functionality. First, you need to get the domain name and choose a hosting provider, as well as one of the plans they offer. The cost of the plans differ in terms of the terms and services included. Second, you need to invest in quality templates, plugins, and third-party applications that will help your website’s performance.
4. Concrete5
Concrete5 – is a powerful and innovative open source CMS that allows to launch and manage websites comprehensively and conveniently. In fact, this is one of the systems that offers advanced features for free without compromising on the result. Websites built with Concrete5 look modern and functional. However, the CMS is more complicated than many of its competitors and therefore implies a deep learning curve. Once you get used to the features, you can create different types of projects.
The CMS offers worthy theme customization features to meet various preferences and needs. There are many plugins and core-supported add-ons that you can find online and integrate into your project to extend its functionality. Many of these add-ons are automatically updated on a regular basis. The CMS also has an integrated form builder that allows you to easily create, edit and update the online forms available on your website.
Additionally, the system ensures quick installation, extensive plugin integration options with a Click update, user rights, integrated reporting system, etc. The CMS ensures intuitive website editing, while projects created with it are well optimized for search engines.
The platform has its own collection of built-in templates that are of good quality and customizable. However, the number of themes available may not be enough to meet the web design needs of all system users. In this case, the service enables the integration of third-party themes available on the web. They are designed by web developers specifically for Concrete5 and come in two possible flavors – free and paid. Free templates are also of good quality but not as secure compared to paid themes due to the potential malware threat.
Just like the main competitors mentioned above, Concrete5 is absolutely free.
strong> You don’t have to pay anything to download, install and use the service. At the same time, it is impossible to call the system for free at all. To get the most out of its feature set, you have to pay for the domain name, hosting provider, additional plugins, templates, add-ons, and applications. The ultimate cost of a project will depend on the number of additional features you wish to add to your website, as well as the hosting plan and theme (if any) you will eventually choose.
Best SaaS CMS Website Builders
Besides using CMS platforms for professional website development, you can also choose any of the available SaaS website builders. These systems have distinctive tools and features tailored to the different needs and requirements of the users. They allow running all kinds of web projects for commercial and non-commercial use. If you are currently considering the possibility of using one of these systems, take a look at the quick reports provided below.
1. Wix
Wix – is a versatile SaaS website builder that takes first place in the rating of the best contemporary web design platforms. The system has a lot to offer to all categories of users, including beginners and web design professionals. Wix is great for all types of projects, including those for personal and business use. You don’t need to be a coding pro to start projects with the system as it doesn’t require any programming knowledge.
The Wix website builder has powerful built-in blogging and e-commerce engines. You can use it to create and customize high-quality, feature-rich blogs as well as high-end web stores to sell digital and physical products. The system grants access to the extensive list of widgets and extensions available in its App Market. The apps are free and paid and are suitable for different types of web projects. In addition, you can leverage multiple SEO and marketing tools that contribute to more effective business performance. For example, the Wix Ascend platform offers over 20 marketing tools that will improve the performance of your website and its advertising across the web.
When it comes to the theme customization aspect, Wix offers one of the most impressive and versatile Collections of templates. It currently includes 550+ themes that are fully customizable, free, and mobile-ready by default. To make it easier for the user to choose, the designs are divided into categories in relation to the niches they appeal to. The website builder is also known for its theme editing options. You can choose from a standard editor and Wix ADI tool. The latter is powered by artificial intelligence, allowing users to create websites in automated mode in no time.
Wix also stands out from the crowd with its versatile pricing policy. The website builder offers two types of subscriptions of standard and business/ecommerce projects. Each subscription, in turn, contains more detailed plans that differ in terms and costs. Their price starts at $13/month. The system also offers a money-back guarantee to refund the invested budget if you decide to cancel the subscription within 14 days from the moment of registration.
2. Webflow
Webflow – is a trustworthy DIY website builder aimed primarily at professional web developers. The system is known for its advanced web design approach and complexity, which implies some programming background. The built-in functionality of the software is somewhat similar to standard CMS. It takes time to master the system and explore its functionality.
The website builder has a powerful set of built-in features for creating and customizing websites. It allows the choice of two working modes – designer and editor – to meet the specific needs and abilities of the users. The software also offers versatile style and class management options, as well as the ability to create personalized dynamic content.
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Due to the powerful built-in e-commerce engine, it is possible to power small and medium-sized online stores with the system to list physical and digital items for sale.Webflow also offers high-end integrations that allow using Lightbox Gallery, Lottie, and After Effects to get high-quality results.
To start working on your Webflow website, you need to You select one of the templates available in this collection. The designs are free and paid. They are also optimized for mobile browsing and are divided into niche categories by default. The website builder allows creating a unique website design using advanced HTML/CSS editing options.
The website builder also offers extensive pricing options to suit all requirements, web design needs and budgets. There is a free, never-expiring plan and two large packages with more detailed subscriptions. Each group of plans accordingly includes several more subscriptions for variety of user choices.
3. Shopify
Shopify – is the world-renowned e-commerce software created with the single goal – creating, customizing and promoting all types of online stores. The platform is used to run different types of digital businesses regardless of their complexity, size, budget and niche specialization. If you intend to set up a feature-rich web store, Shopify is the best solution for you.
The software offers an amazing array of ecommerce features. It is rich in extensive product management options, SEO and advertising tools. The system grants access to numerous extensions and widgets that can be downloaded and integrated in its app store. Its eCommerce functionality is well above average. It comes with hundreds of gateways, multilingual support, integrated shopping cart, shipping and tax calculations, AR feature, etc.
Shopify also allows selling across multiple channels (including Amazon and popular social networks) to increase sales volume and profit. The platform includes high-end point-of-sale software that allows you to sell products both in local stores and online.
The platform offers a wide range of e-commerce templates -Niche. They relate to different categories based on the webshop specialization you want to set up. The themes are free, responsive and fully customizable. All of them have a professional, contemporary look, but most of the templates share a similar structure. However, experienced users can use their CSS/PHP skills to create a unique web store theme that suits their specific needs.
Shopify’s prices are moderate. The software doesn’t have any free subscriptions, but it does offer three premium plans to choose from. The cost of the plan depends on the included terms and tools. The cheapest subscription will cost you $29/month. If necessary, you can switch between the topics.
4. uCoz
uCoz – is a modern SaaS website builder that is among the most popular web design platforms worldwide. The system has high and disintegrated functionality that allows setting up community, personal and business projects. The website builder can hardly be called a simple service, but it can be mastered by all categories of users. It’s just that beginners might need more time to get used to it.
One of the highlights of uCoz is its module-based structure. The website builder grants access to several content modules, the right combination of which allows the launch of different types of projects. It is up to a user to select and customize the modules in view of their web design needs and website specialization. uCoz modules are free and paid, each fulfilling a specific function. Among the most widely used are online store, site catalog, forum, blog, guest book, polls, FAQ, social media publisher, page editor, etc.
uCoz templates are numerous, versatile and professional. All of them are customizable and mobile ready. You can browse multiple categories to choose a theme that best suits your project. Whichever design you choose, it will have an updated and stylish look to suit your project needs. To add a touch of personalization to the selected theme, you can edit the HTML code if you have web design skills.
Speaking of pricing policy, uCoz is a budget website builder. The system offers a free plan that allows you to test the functionality of the platform. Once you’re ready to go live with your project, you’ll be offered an upgrade to one of 4 premium plans. uCoz subscription costs start at $3/month.
How to choose the right content management system
Choosing the right content management system is often a challenge . In particular, this concerns users who have never worked with these platforms and therefore do not know their parameters and main characteristics.
Actually, the final decision should depend on a large number of factors.These include your web design skills, the type of project you need, the goal you are pursuing, the budget you are willing to invest in its development, and the characteristics of the platform itself. At the same time, it is possible to general To define characteristics and requirements that are similar for all types of CMS that you come across in your search:
Convenience and ease of management of the site;Intuitive nature;Integration options;Cost (including hosting and domain name)Security ;Upgrade options;Theme customization features included;SEO friendliness;Scalability;Content management features.
These are the must-have aspects to look out for when choosing the best CMS. The rest of the essential points depend on individual parameters of each system you are interested in. Anyway, if you managed to find the CMS that meets the requirements listed above, it’s definitely worth your attention.
Conclusion
Availability and rich selection of software types can make the final choice of a suitable web design platform a real challenge, especially for beginners. What to keep in mind when exploring the most popular services is the range of features, integration options, and specialized tools that are provided. But it’s not.
Most CMS require hosting and domain selection, which is another aspect to consider when comparing platforms. WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, and Concrete5 are currently the most popular, feature-rich, and trusted CMS. They make it possible to launch and effectively manage different types of projects by granting access to additional apps, plugins, templates and tools.
SaaS website builders prove to be a sensible solution to create a Starting CMS website from scratch So. Most of these systems are aimed at non-programmers, but they also have a lot to offer web design professionals. The platforms are used to launch all kinds of projects. If needed, you can choose from all-in-one and specialized website builders depending on your website/business niche. Wix, Webflow, Shopify and uCoz are the most popular SaaS website builders used for running commercial and non-commercial web projects. They vary in specialization, built-in functionality, theme customization options, and pricing. These are just some of the factors that will influence your choice.
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