Praise be to internet gods. SEO Sydney have never has it been easy to sign up to a platform and then immediately start producing content for the world to see. But the tradeoff for that slice of convenience is the sheer overwhelming amount of options to choose from. Choosing the right Content Management System (CMS) can be tough. I mean there’s a lot to consider, you’ve got all the different features, eCommerce integrations if you plan on opening a storefront, the level of ease to immediately start producing content as well as the all important development costs needed to fund this venture. So let’s take a step back and look at things from a different angle. Ever consider which platform offer the best search engine optimisations (SEO) and integrations? Of all the content management platform which can deliver an experience that allows seamless optimisations for search rankings. It may have been something you’ve considered in the past but you came up short on answers. Well, today we’re going to be comparing notes and explore some of the most popular CMS platforms on the internet. We’ll discover how each platform operates and what they can offer for your business in terms of search engine optimisations. At the end of this, we’ll see which platform comes out on top as the best content management system on the internet.
WORDPRESS
In one corner we have the ‘king’ of content management systems. Holding the crown, this colossal platform is home to 26% of web pages that occupy the internet. 26%. Yeah, let that number sink in. It’s hard not to see why entry level content creators, as well as large-scale enterprises all, tend to gravitate towards this popular platform. Equipped with the necessary features to produce any form of content, it allows even the most inexperienced creators to produce content effortlessly. Those who may have no background in coding or design are more than welcomed and can easily start orchestrating their vision for content. Special mention needs to be said for the fantastic community that surrounds the Wordpress platform. Without them, we wouldn’t have the luxury of the ever useful plugins, themes, and extensions for all to use. These exceptional tools help users add and extend functionality to the platform than the original version of Wordpress. For example, take the powerful SEO plugin Yoast as an example. Renowned for its incredible SEO integrations, it allows even unskilled users to implemented simple SEO methods that allow for further search engine optimisations. While this plugin alone won’t get us the number one ranking on Google, it does provide an easy backend for even the experienced to seamlessly edit and modify all the necessary assets and elements for optimisations. Another special mention goes towards the theming community that supports the Wordpress platform. If design and coding are just not your thing, then the thousands upon thousands of readily available themes can spruce up any boring Wordpress website into something more attractive and appealing. It can even do wonders on how users tend to engage and interact with your content. It’s these wonderful features and online resources that make the Wordpress platform a powerful tool for content creators which may be the reason as to why this powerhouse has become so popular amongst content creators.
JOOMLA
On the opposite end, we have Joomla. Often being compared to Wordpress it’s hard not to see the similarities between the two. Joomla started its journey in 2005, only 2 years after Wordpress’ entrance. Since then, it’s become a well-received amongst content creators and can just as well perform in the same league as its competitors. It garnered the attention from creators from both ends of the spectrum (entry level content creators to large scale enterprises) thus being able to handle different needs from both audiences. Much like Wordpress, it comes bundled with a very similar content builder that offers almost identical functions and features. The differences come into play when you start looking a little deeper, past the initial builder into subsequent editing options. When it comes to Wordpress you would normally need a plugin to access and modify meta tags and such, whereas Joomla has that functionality from the beginning. Other advanced features offered in the base version include things like enabling guest editors to give access for collaborating content as well as having a robust page management system that easily allows the organising and categorising of multiple web pages. Another similarity shared by Wordpress is the handy plugins or in this instance now called ‘extensions’. In the same fashion, extensions operate in an almost identical manner. Simply search for a function that is not present in the current version of Joomla. Download it and enable it through the dashboard. All that’s left is to configure the extension to work as intended and you’re done. That simple. Do note that while you won’t be finding a sheer amount of extensions like Wordpress, it’s performance in terms of functionality and usage is still on par with what you would expect with Wordpress’ plugins. One of our big recommendations for upping your SEO efforts through Joomla is to look into EFSEO and JSitemap extensions to get you started towards optimising your website to become more search engine friendly.
MAGENTO
In the other corner, being the newest to enter the ring we have Magento. In 2008 Magento quickly became the have for being known as an eCommerce platform. While other platforms can implement certain eCommerce elements towards their website, Magento has the necessary tools and capabilities from the get go. While this platform is seemingly more focused towards having an eCommerce storefront it still is a worthy alternative as a platform for delivering content towards an audience. Underneath the excellent tools provided for operating an online storefront, it does make it easy for content creators to optimise their content towards becoming more search engine friendly. The platform allows the easy access to backend features that directly modify and edit metadata as well as assets for search engine optimisations. To take it another step further, Magento incorporates a lot of other SEO features you wouldn’t normally see on other platforms. For example, we’ve spoken at time how on having a site structure that is logical and in hierarchical order is important for search engines. Due to the nature of how search engines constantly search for fresh and organic content, having a clean site structure helps this process immensely. Out of the box, Magento generates and constantly updates a site structure for your website. Eliminating the need for constant maintenance or the need for installing another plugin. Another great feature built within the platform is the ability to identify which keywords should become the core focus for that specific individual page. This automated process is ideal for content creators who may be unfamiliar with keyword research. While we alway recommend doing some basic keyword research for optimising your content, this feature is may be a saving grace to those who just don’t have the time to become familiar with the intricate search engine theories and practices. It’s the simplest of features such as these that help the uninitiated to become familiar with some of the most basic SEO practices.
DRUPAL
Rounding out today’s competitors is by far the most intimidating platform. If you have a few days to spare and are looking to challenge yourself, look no further than the Drupal platform. As touted as having a steep learning curve it’s still a viable option as a platform for creating content. It’s the biggest advantage over its other competitors is its superior module system (similar to plugins and extensions). Like the other discussed platforms, adding more functionality through plugins and extensions is optional and is often recommended. But in Drupal’s case, it strives upon collecting and building a series of modules that work together in harmony. Say you wanted to install a newsletter sign up box on your homepage. You would ideally search through Drupal’s Module page and find any modules that would fit your criteria. This is where the steep learning curve comes into play. Having to filter and understanding how each module works and functions takes time and effort and will deter even the bravest content creators. If all this still is intimidating and not worthy of your time, I direct your attention towards the official NASA website for some inspiration and motivation. Its breathtaking website shows just how much potential the platform has to offer. It also is proof of how scalable the platform is, being host to 250,000+ pages, 1.4 million assets, and 3 TBs of data. Being the most difficult to learn might be the biggest factor that can deter users from using this platform. However, after witnessing the NASA website it’s hard not to be inspired and give this platform a chance.
So by now you’ve got a general sense of the most popular Content Management Systems on the internet. We’ve covered some of the most basic features offered by each platform. However, the showcase doesn’t end here. In the near future, we’ll be releasing more heavily detailed articles focusing on one of the previously discussed CMS platforms. Each iteration we’ll explore in depth some of their renowned features, methodologies for setup as well as some of their unique functionality they have over the competition. As well, we’ll discuss all the important SEO integrations and considerations involved in each platform.
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