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A CMS, or content management system, is a software application that is used to store and organise digital information, such as text, images, audio, and video files. Content management systems, such as WordPress, or Joomla, can be used to create websites, blogs, ecommerce stores, and mobile applications. A CMS is also typically the best way to create a website that will be largely managed by the end user.
According to the website learning portal Colorlib, at the end of 2023, some 810 million websites use WordPress, which is 43% of all the websites on the internet. WordPress has a 64.2% share of the CMS (content management system) market, which is more than ten times greater than its closest competitor. One of those competitors is Joomla. After a period of popularity Joomla has started to fall out of favour with website developers and end users. It is now used on less than 30 million websites.
WordPress CMS versus Joomla CMS
There are some simple reasons why WordPress has won the CMS war:
- Easy to use: WordPress has a more user-friendly interface, especially for beginners. It’s easier to navigate, manage content, and customise. The dashboard is well-organised and intuitive, even for first-time users. Finding features and managing your site is more straightforward.
- Scalability: WordPress boasts a much larger and more diverse plugin ecosystem than Joomla. You can find plugins for virtually any functionality, from SEO optimisation to e-commerce and contact forms. WordPress offers a wider variety of themes compared to Joomla, both free and premium. It’s easier to find a theme that matches your desired design and functionality.
- Third-Party Support: WordPress has a large and active community of developers and users who provide support, share knowledge, and contribute to the ongoing development of the platform. Joomla has a smaller user base and developer community compared to WordPress, which can lead to limited third-party support, plugin, and templates availability.
- Optimisation: WordPress is designed to be SEO-friendly out of the box. It is easy for search engines to crawl and index your website. In addition, there are many SEO plugins available that can help you optimise your content and improve your search engine rankings. Joomla requires additional plugins and customisation to provide the same SEO benefits.
- Cost: Joomla requires a paid subscription, while the basic WordPress CMS is open source. Its popularity means WordPress often has lower development and hosting costs compared to Joomla.
Ultimately, the best CMS for you depends on your specific needs and skills. If you’re looking for a user-friendly platform with a large community and extensive resources, WordPress is a great choice.
The Ginormous Websites team have been building websites that sell for clients for two decades. We have the experience and the professional team to deliver a website that will delight you and your customers, without breaking the bank. Get in touch for that initial conversation and start the journey to your best ever website.
