This article will tell you everything you need to know about CMS development. CMS Development is the practice of building and creating websites on an online content management system. We will also discuss CMS development services, CMS development tools, and CMS development platforms.
Table of Contents
CMS Development Services
What is a CMS?
CMS is an acronym that stands for content management system. A content management system is a software application that allows users to build and manage a website without coding it themselves. Content management systems allow you to add, edit and manage content on your website. There are hundreds of content management systems available online.
Though some complex websites require a custom designed and developed website, the majority of websites can be built on a CMS.
What Are CMS Development Services?
A CMS development service is a web agency that specializes in the development of websites using content management systems like WordPress, Magento, Drupal, Joomla, and Umbraco.
In theory, any person could build a website themselves using a CMS like WordPress. However, if you want a highly-functioning and well-regarded website, your best bet is to hire a CMS development service to help you utilize a service like WordPress or Magento to build your site.
For example, the experts at SEO Design Chicago are proficient in using any of the content management systems we discuss in this article. One of our experienced web developers can help you use Drupal to help you build a site that appears custom-made, but at a fraction of the cost of a custom built site. That’s one of the many benefits of using a CMS development service.
What Are the Benefits of Using a CMS Development Tool or Platform?
Once you decide to start a new website, you have two options. You can write your own website from scratch, or use a CMS development tool, also called a CMS development platform, to help you. Deciding to build a website from scratch is not an option unless you are an experienced web developer.
If you are not an experienced web developer, you will need to choose a CMS tool or platform to help you build your website. There are several benefits to using a CMS platform or tool to help you build your site, instead of building one from scratch.
As we already discussed, one of the benefits of using a CMS platform to build your website is the cost. It is considerably more expensive to hire a web developer to build a website from scratch. You can still hire a web developer to help you build a website, but if you use a CMS to help them do so, it will be much cheaper. That’s because a CMS lets you, or a website developer, build a website in a lot less time.
CMS platforms offer several customizable templates to help you build an original website that will work for you, regardless of what your content and goals may be. Whether you want a simple, basic website, or an extremely customized and original one, you can use a CMS to help you.
Another benefit to utilizing a CMS platform is the support they offer. Any good CMS platform has a support system to help you when something goes wrong with your website. If you choose to build your own website and not use a web developer to help you, the support a CMS offers is extremely beneficial.
Which CMS Development Platform Is Right For Me?
There are several options available to you when you are choosing which content management system platform to use to build your website. Everyone has heard of WordPress, which is easily the most popular option. However, there are actually hundreds more CMS platforms available online.
One of the many benefits of a CMS platform is it helps you get a website up and running much quicker than designing and developing a custom website. It is also much easier to hire a web development company to help you build a website with a CMS platform than building one from scratch. But which CMS platform is right for you?
Next, we’ll discuss several different CMS development platforms. We’ll also tell you the benefits and drawbacks of each one to help you determine which might be right for you and your website.
WordPress
WordPress is the most popular CMS development platform. It is also widely considered the easiest CMS to use, and the most powerful blogging and content management system out there. WordPress owns more than a 60 percent share in the CMS market. (Fun fact: the website you are reading this article on, SEODesignChicago.com, is a WordPress website.)
We recommend WordPress if you are building a blog or showcasing products. WordPress can give you a high quality website, good security and good support. If you choose to utilize a CMS to build your website without the help of a CMS development service, WordPress is the easiest for a newcomer to manage and use.
Magento
Magento is an open source e-commerce platform, which means it is a platform built with the purpose of helping you buy and sell products. It offers a flexible shopping cart system, and powerful marketing, SEO, and catalog-management tools. Magento is the second most popular e-commerce platform on the internet. It is specifically built for e-commerce stores, so if that’s what you’re looking to build, Magento could be the right option for you.
Squarespace
Soundspace is a great option for an all-in-one content management system. It also has an ecommerce option. Squarespace offers a drag-and-drop option to make it extremely easy to design a website, and also has several templates to help you get started.
Drupal
Drupal is the third most popular CMS on the market. It supports not only content management but newsletters, collaborative authoring, podcasts, image galleries, file uploads and downloads, peer-to-peer networking, and more. Drupal is a ready to use platform that is written in the PHP programming language.
Joomla
Joomla is another great option for those with little to no website development experience. It’s easy to install and set up, even if you’re a beginner. Joomla is a free and open source platform, and is the second most widely used CMS platform in the world. It is also very secure and offers an impressive interface.
Umbraco
Umbraco is one of the safest and customizable content management systems on the market. It also does not require frequent updates, unlike WordPress and Drupal. One of the benefits of using Umbraco is it offers users a lot of freedom to customize and create their own content.
Thunder
If you are an experienced web developer, Thunder is a great option for you. Thunder is a free and open source content management system that provides great security.
Ghost
Ghost is a modern web content management system. It has powerful publishing technology and allows you to create a stunning blog or online publication. Ghost is a great alternative to WordPress. It offers some advanced features like built-in SEO, RSS feed management, email subscriptions, and more.
Subrion
Subrion is another free and open source content management system. It is based on PHP/MySQL framework and can be used for anything from a basic blog to a corporate website. Subrion offers many themes and plugins and is easy to use.
Textpattern
If you’re looking for a simple CMS, Textpattern is the option for you. It is a lean and clean content management system, but is still capable of handling big projects. It also has a simple and elegant user interface for beginners.
Jekyll
If you only want a static web content creation tool, Jekyll is the option for you. It is not a full open source content management system. If all you want is to publish some text, Jekyll is what you’re looking for.
Grav
Grab is another excellent option for a full service content management system. It offers an intuitive user interface, is easy to use, and has a modern and responsive design.
CMS Made Simple
CMS Made Simple is exactly what it sounds like. It is easy to use for any level of web developer, from beginner to advanced. It makes using a content management system easy. It also offers lots of add-ons so you can build a pretty powerful website.
If you still need help deciding which CMS platform is the right option for you and your website, call SEO Design Chicago. From choosing a platform to designing your website, we can help you. Even if you do choose to use a CMS to build your website, a web development service like SEO Design Chicago handles all the hard work for you so you can focus on running your business. We also are the professionals and can make a WordPress site look just as good as one that was custom designed – for a fraction of the cost.
Contact SEO Design Chicago today
For any help with CMS development services, contact SEO Design Chicago today. We are experts in CMS development and can help you build and manage your website, no matter which CMS platform you choose to use for your site.
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