Building a website is hard. You have to plan the layout, develop content, design the visuals, and make sure everything works perfectly. Like with most things, it can be really frustrating and time-consuming to create something without the right tools.
A good content management system (CMS) is a big deal for businesses in 2024. It enhances your website’s functionality and UX while simplifying the process to make your life easier.
But what exactly is a CMS, why is it important, and what are the best options? We’ll answer all that, plus show you how the right partner can help you choose and implement the perfect CMS for your business.
What Is a Content Management System?
A CMS is an application that helps you create, manage, and modify content on a website—without touching any code. The interface is typically very user-friendly, meaning you can easily update text, images, and other elements without needing specialized technical know-how. Because it’s so intuitive, it frees you up to focus on creating great content and growing your business instead of getting bogged down by the ins and outs of web development.
Why Is a Content Management System Important?
Managing a website involves a lot of moving parts—text, images, videos, and tons of other stuff. The main benefit of using a CMS is that it streamlines web design. Broken down, its advantages include:
It’s Easy to Use
A CMS is designed to be intuitive so that anyone on your team—regardless of tech skill—can easily create and manage content. This means you can quickly make updates and keep your website fresh.
It Saves Time & Resources
A content management system keeps things efficient by automating many aspects of website management. You can schedule posts, track changes, and manage multiple pages from a single dashboard.
It’s Scalable & Tailored
As your business grows, a good CMS will handle increased traffic, more content, and additional features without compromising performance. Its range of themes and plugins also means that you can customize your website based on your specific needs and preferences, letting you adapt to changing trends and requirements.
It’s Better for SEO
A content management system can help improve your search engine rankings with tools and plugins that simplify the implementation of SEO best practices. This includes optimizing meta tags, generating sitemaps, and readable slugs.
It’s Responsive
Content management systems support responsive design so you know your site looks great on all devices. The result is a seamless and enjoyable user experience that can help you build trust and credibility with your audience.
A CMS can boost your brand’s impact—just like our Cultivator Program. Learn more.
The Best Content Management Systems in 2024
When it comes to modern CMS platforms, there are a lot of options. Some systems have better functionality than others, and some are more beneficial to specific business sizes.
Our team works with a variety of popular content management systems every single day. Here’s our two cents on the best options on the market right now:
1. Silverstripe CMS
Silverstripe is a flexible, powerful CMS that’s great for businesses needing a customizable solution.
Pros
- Versatile & customizable: Silverstripe lets you tailor your website to fit your needs. It’s perfect if you have unique or complex requirements.
- User-friendly: Despite its power, Silverstripe is easy to use. Its intuitive design helps you create and edit content without fuss.
- Powerful content management: Silverstripe makes it simple to organize, update, and publish content. It can handle complex content structures and workflows.
- Developer-friendly: Developers love Silverstripe for its clean code and useful tools. It’s built with PHP, a common programming language, making it easier to find skilled professionals.
- Ease of updating: Updating your content and the software is straightforward, saving you time and effort.
- Affordable: Silverstripe is free to use, making it a budget-friendly option for businesses needing a strong CMS without breaking the bank.
Cons
- Learning curve: While it’s user-friendly, there’s still a bit of a learning curve. It might take some time to get used to all the features, especially if you’re not very tech-savvy.
- Limited ecosystem: Silverstripe doesn’t have as many plugins and themes as some other CMS platforms, which means fewer options for adding extra features.
- Integration challenges: Integrating Silverstripe with other systems can be tricky. You might need extra development work to make sure it works well with other tools you use.
2. Craft CMS
Craft CMS is an open-source, super flexible platform with a clean, simple interface. It’s great for developers and content creators who need a powerful and customizable CMS.
Pros
- Open-source: Craft CMS is open-source, meaning you can tweak the code to fit your needs perfectly.
- Clean interface: The interface of Craft CMS is sleek and easy to use, making it simple to create and manage content.
- Performance optimization features: Craft CMS is built to be fast and efficient, ensuring your website runs smoothly and offers a great user experience.
- Supports modern APIs: Craft CMS works well with modern APIs, making it easy to connect with other tools and services to extend your website’s functionality.
- Prioritizes security: Security is a big deal with Craft CMS. It comes with strong security features and regular updates to keep your website safe from threats.
Cons
- Smaller ecosystem: Compared to some other CMS platforms, Craft CMS has fewer plugins and themes available, meaning you might need custom development to add certain features.
- Specific hosting requirements: Craft CMS needs specific hosting conditions to perform its best. This can be tricky if you’re not familiar with web hosting.
- Requires proficiency: While Craft CMS is highly customizable, you need some web development skills to use it to its full potential. This might be a challenge if you don’t have a technical background.
- Potential costs: Craft CMS is free, but big projects might need premium plugins, themes, and specific hosting, which can add up.
3. WordPress
WordPress is a popular CMS and has been for a long time. It's well-known for its flexibility and ease of use, making it a favourite for many businesses and individuals.
Pros
- Flexible themes and plugins: WordPress offers a huge variety of themes and plugins, allowing you to customize your site to fit your exact needs. Whether you want a blog, an online store, or a portfolio, there’s likely a theme or plugin for it.
- Easy content management: Managing content on WordPress is straightforward. You can easily create, edit, and publish posts and pages without needing any technical skills.
- User and developer support: WordPress has a large, well-established community. This means lots of tutorials, forums, and plugins are available to help you out.
Cons
- Customization may require tech know-how: While you can do a lot with themes and plugins, some customizations might require coding knowledge. This can be a hurdle if you’re not familiar with web development.
- Time-consuming updates and security: WordPress requires regular updates for its core, themes, and plugins. Keeping everything updated and secure can take time and effort.
4. Webflow
Webflow is a CMS that combines powerful design tools with the ability to build and manage content without needing to write code. It’s great for those who want high levels of design control.
Pros
- High level of no-code customization: Webflow lets you create stunning, professional designs without needing to know how to code. You can drag and drop elements to build your site exactly how you want it.
- Selection of templates: There are plenty of templates to choose from, making it easier to get started and find a design that fits your brand.
- Suitable for e-commerce and dynamic content: Webflow works well for online stores and websites with dynamic content, offering features that make it easy to manage products and complex site structures.
- Free plan option: Webflow offers a free plan, which is great if you want to try it out before committing to a paid plan.
Cons
- Harder to use: While Webflow is powerful, it has a steeper learning curve than some other website builders like Wix or GoDaddy. It might take some time to get the hang of all its features.
5. Shopify
Shopify is a CMS specifically designed for e-commerce. It's perfect for businesses that want to set up and manage an online store easily and efficiently.
Pros
- Ideal for e-commerce: Shopify comes packed with features that make running an online store simple. It handles everything from product listings to payment processing and shipping.
- User-friendly: Shopify is designed to be easy to use and quick to setup, even for those with no technical experience.
- Dedicated customer support: Shopify offers excellent customer support to help you with any issues. This includes 24/7 support via phone, email, and live chat.
Cons
- Focused on e-commerce: While Shopify is fantastic for online stores, it’s not as versatile for other types of websites. If you need a blog or a portfolio site, there might be better options.
- Transaction fees and apps: While Shopify’s base plans are affordable, costs can add up with transaction fees and the need for additional apps to extend functionality.
6. Strapi
Strapi is an open-source headless CMS that’s known for its ease of use and customization options. It’s a great choice for developers looking for a flexible and secure CMS.
Pros
- Ease of use: Strapi has a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to create and manage content. No expertise is needed.
- Customization: Strapi is highly customizable, allowing you to tailor it to fit your needs. You can easily add custom plugins and features.
- Cost-effective: Being open-source, Strapi is free to use. This makes it a cost-effective option, especially for businesses on a budget.
- Flexibility: As a headless CMS, Strapi separates the backend from the frontend, giving you the flexibility to deliver content across different platforms and devices.
- Security: Strapi prioritizes security, offering features that help protect your content and keep your site safe from threats.
- Integration with ReactJS: Strapi works with ReactJS, a powerful JavaScript library, to provide CMS functionality, making it easy to build dynamic applications with a robust CMS backend.
Cons
- Learning curve: While Strapi is user-friendly, there is still a learning curve, especially for those new to headless CMS platforms.
- Smaller community: Compared to some other CMS platforms, Strapi has a smaller community. This means fewer resources and plugins available, which can limit your options.
- Requires development expertise: To fully leverage Strapi’s capabilities, some development expertise is needed.
- Migration challenges: Migrating content to or from Strapi can be complex and may require additional development work.
- Lack of e-commerce functionality: Strapi doesn’t have built-in e-commerce features, so you’ll need additional tools or custom development if you want to run an online store.
Can a new online experience really help your brand? Here are 7 ways that say yes.
What’s Next?
Just because you can choose and run your own content management system doesn’t mean you should. To truly make the most of your CMS, it’s best to consider a partner who knows the ins and outs of these platforms and can tailor them to your unique needs.
That’s where Swank comes in.
We’re Experts in Multiple CMS Platforms
Many agencies specialize in one, maybe two content management systems. At Swank, we’re well-versed in a lot of platforms, including all of the ones we identified as the greatest 2024 options. Our broad expertise means we can recommend and implement the best CMS for your business, no matter your requirements.
We Tailor the Solution to Your Business
Every business is different, and a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work for content management. Our team takes the time to understand your specific goals, challenges, and needs. We then use our in-depth knowledge of multiple CMS platforms to create a solution that’s perfectly custom to you.
Learn why Swank’s collaborative 5C model is good for business.
The Right CMS is Waiting for You
Businesses that prioritize good content management systems will win online in 2024. They’ll be able to manage their websites easier, improve their user experiences, and achieve their online goals quicker.
Better yet, with Swank by your side, finding the perfect CMS doesn’t have to be a chore.
We’ve given you the best content management system options out there, but that doesn’t mean you should spend your valuable time setting up a CMS on your own. Take advantage of our expert guidance and let us help you build a website that looks great and performs flawlessly.
Contact us today to get started on making your digital presence the best it can be!
