When it comes to building a website, choosing a content management system (CMS) is one of the biggest decisions any business or individual has to make.

With so many options available, it can be overwhelming to determine which one is best for your specific needs.

Factors that most web developers and digital marketers alike consider include performance, flexibility, ease of use, community support, search engine optimization (SEO), and integrations with other business platforms.

Here’s my list of the best content management systems that are gaining traction in 2023 and some details to help you figure out which one best suits your needs.

1. WordPress

WordPress is an open-source platform, which means it’s constantly being improved by a global community of developers.

The result of this is a platform that is incredibly flexible and customizable.

Whether you need to build a simple blog, a complex ecommerce site, or anything in between, WordPress has the tools and features to make it happen.

Additionally, with thousands of plugins and themes available, you can easily add new features or change the look and feel of your website without knowing how to code.

WordPress is best suited for individuals and businesses building a content-first website.

popularity

WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems in the world.

In fact, it powers over 40% of all websites on the internet. This means there is a large and active community of users sharing tips and tricks and supporting each other.

Additionally, because it’s widely used, there are tons of resources to help you get the most out of the WordPress platform, including tutorials, forums, and blogs (as evidenced by the tons of Google search results when searching for “WordPress Help”).

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

When it comes to SEO, WordPress has a number of built-in features that make it a great choice for businesses and individuals looking to improve their search engine rankings.

For example, it’s easy to optimize your website for search engines by adding meta descriptions, keywords, and other essential elements.

In addition, WordPress generates clean, semantic HTML code, which is important for search engines to understand and index your content.

Additionally, there are a number of plugins that can further improve your SEO, including Yoast SEO, All in One SEO Pack, and more.

2. Adobe Commerce (formerly Magento)

Adobe Commerce is a powerful and flexible open-source e-commerce platform that is widely recognized as the best CMS for online stores.

With its robust feature set and user-friendly interface, Adobe Commerce makes it easy to create, manage, and grow a successful e-commerce business.

Adobe Commerce is best suited for eCommerce businesses building a scalable website.

scalability

One of the main benefits of using Adobe Commerce for ecommerce is scalability.

Whether you’re just starting out with a small online store or you have an established business with thousands of products and customers, Adobe Commerce can meet your needs.

The modular architecture allows you to add and remove features as your business grows, ensuring you can always offer your customers a seamless shopping experience.

characteristics

Along with its seemingly limitless customization options, Adobe Commerce also offers a wide range of ecommerce features.

This includes everything from product and order management to shipping, tax calculations, payment, and security features.

With Adobe Commerce you have everything you need to run a successful online store – all on one platform.

B2C integrations

Another key benefit of using Adobe Commerce is the ability to integrate with a variety of third-party systems and tools aimed at B2C online business models.

This includes payment gateways, shipping providers, marketing automation tools, and more.

Adobe Commerce makes it easy to connect your online store to the systems and tools you already use to run your business, making it easier to manage your operations and increase sales.

3. HubSpot CMS

HubSpot offers an integrated CMS platform that seamlessly connects all of your marketing and sales efforts.

This integration provides a centralized platform for managing all of your marketing and sales activities, including email marketing, social media management, lead generation, and customer relationship management.

The result is a streamlined workflow that allows you to easily track and manage your marketing and sales efforts, ultimately saving you time and effort.

HubSpot is best suited for individuals and businesses building a website with a built-in marketing funnel.

home pages

HubSpot offers a variety of customizable landing pages that you can use to promote your products and services.

These landing pages can be easily customized to fit your brand and contain any information you want to share with your audience.

This is a great way to create a unique and engaging user experience for your customers and to effectively promote your products and services.

Lead generation and nurturing tools

HubSpot is packed with lead generation and nurturing tools to help you attract leads and convert them into customers.

These include lead magnets, lead forms, and lead nurturing workflows to help you engage with your leads and guide them through the sales process.

These tools are designed to help you generate more leads and close more sales, which ultimately will help you grow your business.

support and analytics

HubSpot offers extensive analytics and reporting capabilities to help you track and analyze your website and marketing performance.

From website traffic and conversions to email opens and click-through rates (CTRs), you can gain valuable insights into what’s working and what needs improvement.

Additionally, HubSpot offers a wealth of resources and support to help you get the most out of your CMS. From an extensive library of educational content to a thriving user community, you can get the help you need to succeed.

Additionally, HubSpot’s customer support team is available 24/7 to answer your questions or concerns.

4. Hygraph (formerly GraphCMS)

Hygraph is an enterprise-class content management system built for industry leaders and challengers.

Hygraph is the best headless CMS for businesses that want to enhance their digital experiences and reach new heights in content creation, management and distribution.

Hygraph is best suited for large teams with a much of content across multiple websites.

Performance

Hygraph is a “headless” content management system, meaning it’s inherently decoupled from your website’s front end.

This allows it to handle large amounts of data and traffic with ease, making it an ideal choice for high-traffic websites and applications.

Its powerful Graph database architecture enables fast querying and content retrieval, ensuring your site stays fast and responsive even as your content grows.

Additionally, Hygraph’s built-in caching and optimization features help further improve performance, making it an excellent choice for businesses looking to deliver a fast, seamless experience to their customers.

Want to learn more about headless content management systems? Read more here.

content federation

Hygraph offers a unique approach to content federation that enables you to manage and reuse content across multiple channels and platforms in a consistent and reusable way.

Hygraph allows you to create and manage your content in a single central repository, then easily distribute it to multiple websites, apps and other platforms.

This makes it easier for large teams to collaborate, streamlines content creation and management, and helps ensure a consistent experience for your customers no matter where they interact with your content.

It’s perfect for businesses with many chefs in the kitchen.

content types

Hygraph offers an intuitive and user-friendly interface that makes managing and publishing content easy.

The platform also supports a wide range of content types, including text, images, videos, and audio.

This makes it easier for companies to create and publish content in a variety of formats to reach their target audience.

Diploma

When choosing a content management system, it’s important to consider your organization’s specific needs and goals, as well as the technical capabilities and resources available.

Keep in mind that while there is no “best” CMS, there is likely one that will work best for your business and website.

More resources:

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