Techblog
SMEs go online: Comparing Content Management Systems
In the previous article in this series, we introduced you to Content Management Systems (CMS), and how they can help you to kick-start your online presence. Now, we will showcase a few types of CMS that you can choose from.
Information-driven websites
If your website is primarily used for to provide information, or a running journal of events, then you might want to take a look at the following CMS examples:
WordPress
WordPress is most commonly used for fairly simple web sites, such as everyday blogging and news sites; and anyone looking for easy manageability. This platform is ideal for bloggers as it is easy to install and use, and easy to customize. WordPress also provides great support through tutorials, making it great for non-technical users to quickly deploy their websites without extensive programming knowledge. WordPress plug-ins are also available and easily installed to make websites more dynamic, such as the built-in platform for post commenting.
Singtel Web Builder
The Singtel Web Builder is a web CMS that allows business owners to create and manage their website with greater ease. With its intuitive and in-context editing tool, users can now have better control over their site content. With over 30 professional styles that are customizable, every webpage can have a unique layout to cater to your content orientation. Users can also easily embed YouTube links and stream videos from website, and multi-lingual support includes English, Chinese, Malay, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Japanese and more.
A NEW version of Web Builder has been launched! Click here to find out more about the new features.
Community-driven websites
If you want to produce a website that revolves around a creating and nurturing an online community, then the following CMS might be up for consideration:
Drupal
Drupal requires the more technical expertise than the examples cited above. However, it also is capable of producing the most advanced sites, and with each release, it is becoming easier to use. Time and effort in learning the software needs to be committed, or else you need to hire someone knowledgeable in this platform. Known for its powerful taxonomy and ability to tag, categorize and organize complex content, Drupal is ideal for websites that require complex data organization; for community platform sites with multiple users, or online stores.
Joomla
Less complex than Drupal, but more complex than WordPress, Joomla is designed to perform as a community platform, with strong social networking features. Joomla allows you to build a site with more content and structure flexibility than WordPress offers, but still with fairly easy, intuitive usage. It supports eCommerce, social networking and more. With relatively uncomplicated installation and setup, and a small investment of effort into understanding Joomla's structure and terminology, you have the ability to create fairly complex sites.
eCommerce CMS
If you are looking to provide your customers with an eCommerce website, then you might want to take a look at the following CMS options:
Magento
Magento caters to businesses that are planning to build eCommerce websites. It's modular architecture and flexibility means that your business is no longer constrained by eCommerce platforms. A new professional open-source eCommerce solution, Magneto is designed with the notion that each eCommerce implementation has to be unique - since no two businesses are alike. Magento's modular architecture puts the control back in the hands of the online merchant and places no constraints on business processes and flow.
Singtel eShop Builder
The Singtel eShop Builder is a feature-rich eCommerce platform, built-in with web CMS capabilities that provide businesses with intuitive and in-context editing tools. This CMS provides online merchants with complete control over the look, content and functionality of their eCommerce store.
A NEW version of Web Builder has been launched! Click here to find out more about the new features.
Consideration of features is an important part of the process of selecting a CMS, but it is not everything. You also need to think through issues such as licensing, support, accessibility, security, and training. So it is advisable to try out the CMS (if possible) and make sure that it suits your business needs before committing to it.
Which CMS did you use to build your website? Let us know of your experiences in the comment box below.
You are reading one of the articles in our series on how SMEs can make use of Content Management Systems to simplify management of their business websites. Here's a list of the other articles in the series.
- SMEs go online: Introduction to website building
- SMEs go online: Comparing Content Management Systems
- SMEs go online: Key CMS features to look out for
- SMEs go online: The real cost of free Content Management Systems
- SMEs go online: Top mistakes to avoid when choosing a CMS
- SMEs go online: 9 great websites running on popular CMS platforms
Now that you know a little more about building and managing a website to reach out to customers online, perhaps you want to also find out more about bringing your presence onto the mobile platform. Read more about mobile marketing and creating a mobile presence for your business here.