As the internet has expanded over time, so too has the list of software tools available to help people and businesses achieve their online goals. For many people, they just don’t have capacity to understand the full list of available options and often end up choosing the ‘flavour of the month’ or the options they have seen advertised most recently.

Both of these approaches have obvious flaws, the first being that shiny new software platforms can have very little support and can run into issues as they scale or the business evolves to have new needs. Highly advertised platforms can also end up being more expensive (to compensate for their larger advertising budget) and it can be hard to move away from them as the business develops more unique requirements.

Rather than breaking down the advantages and disadvantages of every single CMS platform out there (and there are many!), we are going to focus on three options we recommend for clients, depending on their goals. These three approaches are battle-tested, cost-effective, powerful tools for meeting and exceeding the expectations for clients in our experience.

Lets go back a little though … 

What is a CMS? 

A CMS is a Content Management System. It is a tool for helping you display any content on your website – such as products, services, videos, images or any other information. It is designed to be user friendly (it doesnt require code) and helps you manage every area of your website. It also defines how your information is stored on a server (which delivers the content from the website) and how it is delivered to the end user (what the end user sees). 

In short, a CMS is a software platform that enables users to create, manage and modify digital content on a website.

 

Does the CMS matter? 

Choosing the right CMS is among the most important decisions you can make about a website. Changing a CMS down the line can be a painful, highly technical and time consuming process, so making the right decision early can pay huge dividends. 

 

The same … but different 

While all content management systems do broadly the same thing, there are differences in how they do it. Some are designed to be extremely easy to use, while others have built in complexity which offers more potential for those who have internal resources to manage it. Others options are designed to be extremely flexible and can be modified to the users needs, making them extremely lightweight and powerful at one thing (rather than good at many things) or use a specific technology to get ahead of the competition. 

In short, some are simple and user-friendly, some are very complex and others are completely adaptable to their goal. 

Just in the context of managing the website day-to-day, making the right decision can define exactly what needs the website will have. For example, choosing a complex platform without the right internal knowledge can cause giant headaches, while choosing a simple platform but paying for a subscription to a third-party bespoke tool can add up over time to squeeze your profits. 

In most cases we recommend one of three CMS options for our clients -> WordPress, Magento or Laravel.

WordPress: The All-Purpose CMS

Overview:
WordPress is the world’s most popular CMS, powering over 40% of all websites on the internet. It’s an open-source platform that caters to businesses of all sizes, providing a wide array of themes, plugins, and an easy-to-use interface.

Pros:

  1. User-Friendly: WordPress is known for its intuitive interface. Even non-technical users can easily manage content, add pages, and update the website without needing coding knowledge.
  2. Extensive Plugin Library: With over 50,000 plugins, WordPress offers immense flexibility. You can add functionalities such as SEO optimisation, social media integration, e-commerce, and more without extensive development.
  3. Affordable: WordPress is free to use, and many of its themes and plugins come at little to no cost. Custom themes and plugins can add to the cost but generally remain affordable compared to other platforms.
  4. SEO-Friendly: WordPress is inherently SEO-friendly, with plugins like Yoast SEO making it even easier to optimise for search engines.
  5. Huge Community and Support: Due to its popularity, WordPress has a massive community, with a plethora of tutorials, forums, and support resources.

Cons:

  1. Limited Scalability: While WordPress is ideal for small to medium businesses, very large, complex websites might outgrow its capabilities.
  2. Security Vulnerabilities: As WordPress is so widely used, it’s also a common target for hackers. Frequent updates and security plugins are necessary to keep the site safe.
  3. Performance Issues: Without proper optimisation, WordPress sites can become slow, especially if too many plugins are installed.

Best For:

Small to medium businesses, blogs, portfolios, and non-complex e-commerce websites looking for an easy-to-manage, affordable solution.

Learn more about Wordpress

Magento: The E-Commerce Powerhouse

Overview:
Magento is an open-source platform built primarily for e-commerce. Acquired by Adobe, it’s one of the most powerful e-commerce CMS solutions on the market, trusted by big-name brands such as Nike, Ford and Samsung.

Pros:

  1. Built for E-Commerce: Unlike WordPress, which requires plugins to support e-commerce, Magento is purpose-built for selling products online. It includes advanced features such as product catalog management, multi-store setups, and seamless payment integration out of the box.
  2. Highly Customisable: Magento is extremely flexible, allowing businesses to tailor the site to their exact needs with custom-built modules and extensions.
  3. Scalability: Magento can handle thousands of products and large-scale websites with ease. Its enterprise-level solutions are designed for high-traffic and high-volume e-commerce stores.
  4. Advanced Features: Magento comes with powerful marketing, SEO, and catalog management tools specifically designed to optimise the sales process.

Cons:

  1. Complexity: Magento’s flexibility comes at a cost—it’s a much more complex platform than WordPress. You’ll need a developer or team experienced in Magento to build, manage, and maintain your website.
  2. High Cost: While Magento Open Source is free, the Enterprise version can be very expensive, especially for small businesses. Development, hosting, and ongoing maintenance costs are also higher due to its complexity.
  3. Resource Intensive: Magento requires strong hosting solutions to perform optimally. If you’re not prepared to invest in robust servers and ongoing maintenance, performance may suffer.

Best For:

Large e-commerce businesses, enterprises, and businesses with complex product catalogs that require advanced customisation, scalability, and robust e-commerce features.

Laravel: The Custom Solution for Complex Needs

Overview:
Laravel is not a traditional CMS but a PHP framework that allows for complete flexibility in building custom web applications. This makes it a top choice for businesses with unique requirements that can’t be fulfilled by off-the-shelf CMS platforms like WordPress or Magento.

Pros:

  1. Complete Customisation: Laravel offers developers full control over how a website is structured and functions. There are no limitations on design, layout, or functionality, making it ideal for businesses with highly specific needs.
  2. Scalable: Like Magento, Laravel is designed to be scalable, meaning it can grow with your business without any performance issues.
  3. High Performance: Laravel is known for its clean architecture and efficient code, leading to faster load times and smoother operations, especially when dealing with large-scale websites or applications.
  4. Security: Laravel offers built-in security features such as protection against SQL injection, cross-site scripting, and more. It’s a robust option for businesses that prioritize security.
  5. Community Support: Although not as large as WordPress, Laravel has a thriving developer community, with ample resources and third-party packages available.

Cons:

  1. Requires Technical Expertise: Unlike WordPress or Magento, Laravel is not user-friendly for non-developers. Building and maintaining a Laravel website requires a highly skilled development team.
  2. Costly: Laravel development is typically more expensive than WordPress or Magento due to the need for custom solutions, ongoing maintenance, and development hours.
  3. No Out-of-the-Box Features: Unlike WordPress and Magento, Laravel doesn’t come with pre-built themes or plugins. Everything needs to be developed from scratch, which increases development time and cost.

Best For:

Businesses with complex, bespoke needs that can’t be met by standard CMS platforms. Ideal for startups or enterprises requiring a highly customised, scalable solution.

Learn more about Laravel

Which CMS is Right for Your Business?

  • Choose WordPress if… you need a simple, cost-effective, and flexible CMS for content-driven websites with moderate e-commerce requirements. It’s best for smaller businesses, bloggers, or those looking to get online quickly and easily.
  • Choose Magento if… you’re an e-commerce business with a large product catalog and complex requirements. If you need advanced e-commerce features and scalability, Magento is the platform for you.
  • Choose Laravel if… you have specific, complex requirements that can’t be met by other CMS platforms. If you need complete customisation, control, and security, Laravel provides the flexibility to build exactly what you need.

Final Thoughts

Choosing the right CMS depends on your business size, budget, and the complexity of your website. For most small to medium-sized businesses, WordPress offers the best balance of ease of use and functionality. However, if you’re running a large e-commerce store, Magento might be the better option. And for businesses that require a highly customized web solution, Laravel is an excellent choice, offering unrivaled flexibility and scalability.

If you’re still unsure which CMS is right for you, get in touch with our team for personalized advice on selecting the platform that will best serve your business needs.