Choosing the right CMS for your website
A platform, a CMS, a web system – whatever you call it, you’ll need one to build your business website. A web platform acts as a structural base, providing functionality and a range of features without the need to build them from the ground up. There are dozens of web platforms available, each with its benefits and limitations. Finding the right one is about matching your business requirements to the strengths of the system.
Two of the most popular platforms are WordPress and Shopify. Both have pros and cons, strengths and weaknesses – choosing between them depends on what you plan to do with your website. Shopify is a quick, easy path to developing an eCommerce store. It’s ideal if your focus is on online sales and marketing. WordPress, while less simple and user-friendly, is endlessly customisable, offering versatile options for almost any business.
WordPress: A powerful, versatile business tool
With an amazing 27 million websites running on its platform, WordPress is the most popular CMS on the market. That popularity is a result of its infinite versatility – among those millions of sites, you’ll see everything from simple, one-page personal blogs to huge eCommerce sites processing transactions worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
WordPress sites are simple and intuitive to build, which is why they’re popular with individuals and small businesses. You don’t need to be a web developer or tech expert to set up a simple site. That simplicity belies the wealth of custom options offered by WordPress – embedded images and video, responsive, mobile-friendly designs, built-in SEO and social media features. You get almost everything you need to build a successful business site, in a simple, user-friendly framework.
Unfortunately, some people see WordPress-powered single-page blog sites and think that’s all the platform can do. Some business owners think of WordPress sites as not ‘real’ corporate websites and turn to other options. This couldn’t be further from the truth – because it’s so versatile, huge corporations including Sony Music, Vogue, and BBC America use WordPress for their heavily-trafficked official websites.
If you want to establish a professional, functional website for your business that does more than just sell product, go with WordPress.
Shopify: eCommerce made easy
Although it has only around 1.4 million websites on the platform at this stage, Shopify is the most popular and well-known name in the eCommerce sphere. It’s in a rapid-growth phase thanks to its simple approach and pre-built templates. Shopify was designed specifically for eCommerce, and it shows.
The platform was created to help anyone selling online. Your site build is broken down into manageable chunks – you pay a monthly fee, pick a site template that meets your needs, upload text and images and you’re ready to go live. Complex back-end functionality is mostly managed behind the scenes, and essential eCommerce elements like shipping and tax are very simple to set up – particularly in comparison to WordPress.
Of course, a simple, template-based system is never going to be as flexible and expandable as other platforms. While Shopify offers several options, most have fairly similar functionality and features. If your business has unique requirements, you may have to go for a ‘close enough’ option if you can’t find exactly what you need. The growing popularity of the platform shows that for many smaller businesses, lack of customisation is a worthwhile trade-off for the simplicity and streamlined functionality Shopify offers.
Simple or versatile? It’s up to you.
As with anything in business, choosing a web platform is about balancing your needs, wants, costs and time investment. If you’re looking for a versatile custom solution, WordPress makes sense – especially if you’re not planning to sell product online. Be prepared to invest time and development costs into making it work for you. If you want an easy, affordable way to get online and start selling your products, Shopify is the go-to. However, it may not offer every single feature you’re after.
Ready to take your business online? The Unleashing Potential team can take you from platform to development to build. Get in touch now.
