21 Best CMS Systems For Building A More Powerful Website

Blogging For Beginners To Get Started (24 Tips & Hacks To Start Now)

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Are you a beginner blogger overwhelmed by the wide array of CMS systems? Comparing CMS systems to find the best fit for your blogging needs might seem like one. Thankfully, this blog will guide you through the best CMS systems available for blogging for beginners.

If you're looking to compare and select the best CMS systems available, Notion to Blog is the perfect tool for the job.

What Is A CMS System?

A content management system (CMS) is a versatile software that empowers you to create and modify a wide range of digital content, from text to audio, video, and infographics for a website, without coding knowledge. With their diverse selection of themes and templates, CMS platforms make content creation and uploading a breeze. The content management software handles all the technical processes, freeing up your time from web page creation, image and video storage, allowing you to focus on text content creation or other business growth activities.

The best content management systems allow multiple teams to collaborate on your website content. These may be in:

Content strategy

Content writing

Marketing and analytics teams

You can integrate it with your business's third-party software, such as digital asset management, content marketing, and analytics. That way, you can gain complete website management

5 Types Of CMS You Need To Know About

1. All-in-One Website Builders

All-in-one website builders are like complete solutions for aspiring website owners. They come equipped with all the tools necessary for creating and managing a website. These platforms include an easy-to-use content management system that allows users to manage their sites' SEO, blogs, files, and appearance. They are perfect for beginners or small business owners who do not require extensive customization options.

2. Open-source CMS Systems

Open-source CMS systems offer users more freedom and control over their websites' appearance and functionality. While these systems allow for greater customization, they are often more challenging to learn and use. They are more suited for web developers or larger businesses that require a custom solution and can afford the additional development costs.

3. Cloud-based CMS

Cloud-based CMS solutions are hosted by third-party providers and come in two variations: full cloud and partial cloud. Full cloud solutions are managed entirely by the provider, while partial cloud solutions allow for some customization on the user's end. These CMS types are ideal for businesses looking to offload their CMS infrastructure management to external parties.

4. Enterprise CMS

Enterprise CMS is designed for larger organizations and has advanced features and capabilities. These systems can handle large volumes of content and users and assist in managing unstructured data such as emails and reports. They help organizations deliver tailored content to their target audiences efficiently.

5. Headless CMS

Headless CMS allows users to create and publish content without a front-end user interface. This type of CMS enables seamless content management across various platforms, including websites, mobile devices, and IoT products. It is a versatile solution for organizations seeking to effectively distribute content across multiple channels.

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CMS vs Website Builder: What Are The Differences?

When it comes to deciding between a content management system (CMS) and a website builder, it's crucial to understand the key differences between the two platforms. Let's explore the distinctions to help you make an informed decision.

Hosting

CMS platforms are self-hosted, meaning users can select their hosting service independently. On the other hand, website builders often bundle hosting services with their products, making managing your website under one roof easier. Opting for CMS hosting can optimize your website's performance, especially if you plan to expand your platform.

User-friendliness

Website builders often come equipped with user-friendly editors to simplify content creation and site customization. In contrast, some CMS platforms may have a steeper learning curve due to their interface complexity, particularly for non-technical users. If you're looking for an intuitive platform that allows easy customization, a website builder might be the right choice.

Scalability

CMS platforms, especially open-source options, provide numerous extensions and plugins that pave the way for significant site growth. In contrast, website builders may have limitations regarding site expansion. Therefore, if you aim to create a content-rich website or plan to scale your online presence over time, a CMS platform might be the better option to accommodate your growth aspirations.

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21 Best CMS Systems For Building A More Powerful Website

1. Feather

Feather is an SEO-friendly blog that allows you to publish blog content through Notion, without needing any coding or design skills. It enables companies to write blog content on Notion and automatically publish it to their Feather blog. Feather is a great option for those who want to set up a Subfolder blog (domain.com/blog instead of blog.domain.com) for better SEO. It provides a HubSpot-like experience through Notion, allowing users to effectively manage their CRM and website blog.

2. Joomla

Released in 2005, Joomla is a widely used open-source CMS that balances ease of use and flexibility. It is suitable for various websites, from simple blogs to complex corporate websites and ecommerce stores. With its extensive customization options, Joomla allows you to create unique and visually appealing websites that suit your specific needs.

While Joomla is free to use since it is an open-source platform, you must pay for a web hosting service and a custom domain name. Over 3.9 million websites are built with Joomla, including Linux, the open-source operating system that revolutionized computing.

3. WordPress

WordPress is the most popular CMS in the world, powering over 43% of websites. It began as a blogging platform but has since transformed into a full-fledged CMS. WordPress has become the go-to choice for individuals, small businesses, and large enterprises. It is free and open-source and provides thousands of WordPress plugins and themes.

WordPress.org vs. WordPress.com

Don’t mistake WordPress.org for WordPress.com. While they are mostly the same, there are some key differences. WordPress.com provides a managed web hosting service, while WordPress.org doesn’t. WordPress.com offers free and premium plans. With WordPress.org, you must pay for web hosting and other services as needed. WordPress.com provides built-in features, which eliminates the need for plugins. With WordPress.org, you must install, update, and manage the plugins yourself.

Managed vs. Self-Hosted Options

Over 63 million websites are built with WordPress, including Bloomberg, a global business and financial information platform that provides news, analysis, and data for business professionals and investors.

4. Drupal

Drupal is another open-source CMS solution. It’s the CMS behind major websites, including The Economist’s and several university sites. Drupal is a good option for developers or people who can hire a developer. It’s especially good if you’re aiming to build a highly customized site that needs to handle a lot of data.

You can host a Drupal site on SiteGround. They offer free installation and can even help you transfer an existing Drupal site.

5. Sitecore

Sitecore is a leading digital experience platform that combines content, commerce, marketing automation and personalization with design and editing tools. The platform enables merchants to design and build digital storefront experiences and deliver personalized commerce journeys. With the BigCommerce plugin for Sitefront, you can combine headless commerce capabilities with Sitecore’s powerful, built-in content experiences.

6. Magento

Magento is a popular open-source CMS for ecommerce solutions. Owned by Adobe, it has a great reputation and supports over 260,000 online stores worldwide. Magento offers rich functionality and a diverse extension marketplace, including integrations with solutions like:

Chatbots

Other enterprise-level software

While it caters to all types of merchants, it’s often favored by fast-scaling and larger businesses due to its extensive setup, pricing options and development requirements.

7. Shopify

Shopify is one of the world’s most well-known SaaS e-commerce platforms. Thanks to its simple interface and affordable pricing, it has become a popular ecommerce platform for startup merchants and small businesses. That’s not to say the CMS can’t be used by bigger brands. The number of features will depend on your plan type, so it’s best to study the features list before signing up. Shopify offers free 24/7 support, a range of free store templates and a separate POS system. The downside is that Shopify charges transaction fees for using payment providers outside of Shopify, and it doesn’t support AI email marketing for e-commerce. Fortunately, Mailsplash offers ecommerce stores with an easy-to-use solution for this with their AI email marketing tool for e-commerce.

8. Prestashop

Prestashop is another open-source platform that provides MySQL data management and extensive backend code customizability. It boasts a huge variety of add-ons and themes, enabling merchants to develop a web store from scratch with limited tech abilities. Watch out for the total cost, as some of the extensions are quite pricey.

The good news is that you don’t need to be a developer to build a website on Prestashop, making it a great option for startups and medium-sized stores. Businesses may overlook Prestashop due to its lack of free support

9. OpenCart

Another open-source content management system for e-commerce, OpenCart, is a free and multifunctional solution. It offers several templates for quick setup and also has a thriving plugin marketplace. OpenCart integrates with over 20 payment gateways and eight shipping methods. As an e-commerce CMS with no monthly fees, it’s a popular option among newcomers with a small budget.

10. Wix

Wix is a leading drag-and-drop website-building platform for online businesses. Although it’s not technically an e-commerce CMS, website owners can add the commerce module if necessary. With a variety of templates, built-in features, and a no-code approach, Wix is an appealing option for complete beginners and non-coders.

It could work if you have a limited range of products and want to get your business off the ground quickly. Remember that once you choose a template for your store, you won’t be able to change it in the future.

11. Contentful

Contentful is a well-established CMS that helps organizations globally to create, manage, and deliver content while providing fast, seamless, and adaptable digital experiences across all channels. A product that’s built for developers, their cloud-based platform leverages a headless CMS infrastructure with structured content, enabling the same content to be published across all digital channels via flexible APIs. The solution comes in three tiers—the most advanced is the Enterprise tier, which has additional features such as:

Granular governance

Built-in security

Full customer support

Streamlined Content Creation, Preview, and Publishing

Using the Contentful platform, editors can input and update content using open-source field editors—which developers can customize—all from a centralized dashboard.

The platform then enables previews and testing before sharing content, and updates go live across all digital channels in seconds.

Content can also be published in multiple languages and across different time zones, with scheduled publishing and locale settings available.

To secure the platform, admins can leverage role-based access and permissions, implement single sign-on (SSO) across all accounts, and integrate the platform with their identity and access management providers.

Headless CMS for Flexibility, Scalability, and Omnichannel Experiences

The contentful platform is a popular choice for organizations seeking an advanced headless CMS infrastructure with flexible APIs that can provide engaging omnichannel digital experiences for users.

The platform also integrates with in-house and third-party applications and tools and multiple backends and systems, enabling endless extensions.

Users note a steep learning curve when learning to use the product, but praise it for its flexibility, scalability, intuitive interface, customizable content modeling, and great user experience for both developers and editors.

We recommend the Contentful platform for mid-sized organizations across all industries that have a strong team of developers supporting the product and are looking for powerful omnichannel content delivery.

12. Contentstack

Contentstack is relatively new to the CMS market but has been making waves in the industry since its founding in 2018. The platform is built to enable editors and developers to work harmoniously to create engaging web content and deliver powerful digital experiences for website visitors globally.

As a headless

Framework-agnostic CMS

Contentstack retrieves content via APIs, enabling multisite

Omnichannel delivery for visitors

The platform has three pricing tiers: Start, Grow, and Scale. Scale is the most feature-packed tier, and it includes workflow management, third-party widgets, and website analytics in addition to the features included in other tiers.

User-Friendly Content Creation with Collaboration and Security

Contentstack is designed to enable editors to create, edit, and publish content without needing help from developers.

In the content editor, page elements are broken down into blocks—so that editors can add and rearrange sections and content types as necessary.

Content teams can easily collaborate using in-line comments and annotations, while tasks can be assigned to individuals via workflows.

Editors can also easily preview pages before they go live, and publish content across all channels with one click.

The platform is rich in security features, with role-based access and granular permissions, audit logs, SSO, two-factor authentication, a 256-bit content store, and more.

A Feature-Rich Headless CMS for Developers and Mid-Large Businesses

The platform integrates seamlessly with many third-party applications, meaning developers can use any tool. Users rate Contentstack highly for its:

Flexibility

Intuitive interface

Responsive customer service

Advanced security features

Some non-technical users might initially find the platform difficult to master. We recommend the platform for mid-size to large organizations—particularly in e-commerce, hospitality, and finance—looking for a cloud-based, headless CMS that’s highly customizable for developers in terms of design and empowers editors to publish the same content across all channels easily.

13. Magnolia

Magnolia is an open-source CMS designed to provide users with tools that support demanding digital experiences. The platform uses Java, which makes it enterprise-grade software with excellent reliability and stability.

This CMS is great for tech products and large-scale businesses that can invest more time to create various platforms. An example of a website using Magnolia is Procore, a project management software company. The website provides an online product, along with its demo.

14. Squarespace

Squarespace is a popular CMS platform that started around the same time as WordPress. The main difference is that it isn’t open-source, so you can’t download and install the software on your own server.

Squarespace is an:

Integrated website builder

Blogging platform

Hosting service.

It's easier to use than WordPress, arguably with more modern and stylish templates and an excellent drag-and-drop editor. Squarespace can't match WordPress for configurability or the power and sheer range of features available through WordPress plugins, making it less suitable for complex and demanding sites.

However, there is still plenty of advanced functionality here, especially with Squarespace's ecommerce platform.

Gorgeous store templates give you a great-looking site from the start

You can sell unlimited physical and digital products

Take payments via Stripe and PayPal

Use third-party extensions to help you with shipping, marketing, inventory management, customer support and more.

15. Weebly

Like WordPress, Weebly may be a name you’re familiar with. It’s an easy-to-use content management system that lets you set up a simple website within a matter of minutes. The platform uses a drag-and-drop format, so you can easily add features and media to your website. And by the same token, you can swiftly remove anything whenever you want.

There are many pricing options to choose from, all based on different business and personal needs. After the basic, free option, the cheapest paid plan provides unlimited storage, a domain name, and Google Ads credit. There is a small business option, and for that, you get all the usual features and handy tools like password protection and tax calculators.

16. Volusion

Volusion is a cloud-based e-commerce platform that specializes in building no-code web stores. With useful built-in inventory management, payment collection, and marketing features, Volusion is a good option for mid-sized and larger businesses. If you’re considering Volusion for your business, note that the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July 2020. While the platform is still open and operates as usual, it might not be the best option for a long-term plan.

17. Sitefinity

Sitefinity is a great CMS platform for digital marketing. This platform is unique because businesses can easily engage and retain visitors. In addition, the platform helps to create a personalized visitor’ journey.

Sitefinity’s multi-channel experience is great for large websites with high traffic that operate in a fast-paced environment. For example, the World Health Organization migrated to Sitefinity in 2020 to deliver access to critical health information.

18. Optimizely

Optimizely, formerly called Episerver, is a digital experience platform (DXP) that includes a CMS as one of its core components. It offers a range of features for content management, personalization, and digital marketing tools. We’ll focus on its CMS capabilities.

Over 1 million websites are built with Optimizely, including Alaska Airlines.

19. PrestaShop

Similar to Joomla, PrestaShop is designed to be the middle ground in the e-commerce CMS marketplace, combining the power of Magento with the simplicity of Shopify. Getting started on PrestaShop is more difficult than getting started on Shopify for two primary reasons.

Free, Open-Source Ecommerce Platform (But Requires Hosting Setup)

PrestaShop is an open-source platform. That’s good because it means you can use the core software for free and modify its code as you like. But that also means you have to find a hosting provider before you can get started setting up your shop. You’ll also have to create a database using an FTP client before uploading the software to your server.

Feature-Rich for Building a Large Ecommerce Store

PrestaShop offers more out-of-the-box features to build a large ecommerce store. You can customize messages for out-of-stock items, make your e-shop available in 65 languages, and configure coupons in your dashboard.

With so much built-in functionality, the dashboard might look complex and the process for setting up a PrestaShop site is longer and more complicated than using a platform like Shopify. But you can create a more complex site right out of the box.

20. Kontent by Kentico

Kentico is a well-established content management vendor that enables organizations globally to deliver optimized and engaging content across all digital channels from one central hub. Kontent by Kentico is a cloud-based, headless CMS designed to make creating, modifying, and publishing content simple for editors and to provide high levels of flexibility for developers while delivering an engaging, omnichannel digital experience for website visitors.

The platform comes in three pricing tiers:

Business

Premium

Enterprise—with the more advanced tiers enabling higher levels of access across key features and including built-in security.

Kontent is a feature-packed platform designed to facilitate content creation and delivery from end to end.

Editors can easily build powerful pages using modular content, meaning the same content can be delivered seamlessly across all channels via API.

What’s great about Kontent is that, although it’s based on a headless infrastructure, WYSIWYG editing and live previews are still possible via their optional, paid plugin—Web Spotlight.

The platform also comes with built-in content scheduling, editorial calendars, asset management, personalization capabilities, and a range of security features, including role-based access and granular permissions, SSO, MFA, and more.

Kontent by Kentico is an advanced CMS delivered as-a-service that can deliver the same content across all digital channels via RESTful API. This means that developers can use the software of their choice when creating websites and apps, and content will still be seamlessly delivered to them. Users find the platform intuitive and easy to master, and they report that it comes with a great level of customer support, but some note that it can be limited in the number of tools available to integrate with the platform. Kontent by Kentico is a great option for larger organizations across all industries looking for an advanced, headless CMS that can easily facilitate omnichannel content delivery.

21. Ghost

Ghost is a lightweight CMS platform focused on simplicity and content creation. Unlike other CMSs focusing on general website content management, Ghost is primarily designed for bloggers and content creators who need to write and publish content.

Over 138 thousand websites are built with Ghost, including the Buffer blog. Buffer is a popular social media management platform that helps individuals and businesses streamline their social media presence.

How To Choose The Best CMS Platform For Your Website

When it comes to choosing the best CMS system for your website, there are a few key factors to consider. Whether you are a seasoned blogger or just starting out, finding the right content management system (CMS) can be the difference between a successful and mediocre website. Here are some important things to consider when choosing a CMS:

Ease of Use

You should look for a CMS that makes it easy to create and edit content. A drag-and-drop interface is often a good feature to have, as it allows you to add different elements to your pages quickly and easily. It should also be straightforward to make changes to the content on your site after publishing it.

Design Options

Your CMS should provide you with plenty of website design templates to choose from. It should also allow you to customize those designs without technical knowledge or writing code. The ability to personalize the appearance of your site is crucial in creating a unique brand identity.

Data Portability

A great CMS platform should have tools that allow you to easily export and move your data elsewhere. Data portability makes it easier for you to move your website to a different platform or hosting provider in the future if needed.

Cost

Some CMS platforms are free, while others charge a monthly fee. Even with free platforms, you may have to pay for third-party extensions, designs, or web hosting services. To avoid any unexpected expenses, it is important to research the cost of a CMS system thoroughly before committing to it.

Integration

A good CMS should allow you to integrate your website with other tools seamlessly. For example, you can integrate custom forms with email marketing tools or connect your CMS with customer relationship management software to personalize your content. This flexibility allows you to create a cohesive online presence across different platforms.

Blogging and Scheduling Functionality

Your CMS should have built-in blogging tools that allow you to publish posts easily. These tools help you drive traffic to your website, establish your authority, and generate leads. With the ability to schedule blog posts and other content, you can plan your content strategy effectively and maintain a consistent publishing schedule.

SEO Features and Extensions

Look for a CMS system with built-in features and add-ons for optimization of search engine. These tools make it easy for you to optimize your site for search engines, such as:

Customizing page titles

Meta descriptions

URL structures

Optimizing load times

A good CMS should help you improve your site's ranking on search engines like Google.

Security Features and Extensions

The best CMS systems offer features and add-ons to secure your website. These features may include:

Web application firewalls

SSL certificates

Single sign-on memberships

Dedicated security team

Security should be a top priority when choosing a CMS to protect your website and users' data.

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Go From Notion to Blog With Ease Today with Feather

Feather is an SEO-friendly blog that allows you to publish blog content through Notion with no coding or design skills required. It allows companies to write blog content on Notion and automatically publish it to their Feather blog. Feather enables companies to set up a Subfolder blog (domain.com/blog instead of blog.domain.com) - which is better for SEO. It also allows companies to get the HubSpot experience through Notion, managing all CRM and website blog management through Notion.

Benefits of Using Feather

Feather offers options to customize the design with custom CSS, collect emails, and much more.

You can write on Notion and automatically get it published to an SEO-friendly blog.

Collaborate easily with the entire team during the publishing process.

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