Pros of CMS

Here’s some benefits of using a CMS that aren’t available with other website options

1. No Programming Experience Required : Content management systems, like WordPress, were built for users with little to no programming experience. Once your website is fully developed by a web design professional, managing the actual content on your website is simple and easy to learn.
2. Easy Collaboration and Access : Content management systems allow multiple people to not only have access to your website, but also easily collaborate on different projects. Using individual accounts, multiple people can add, edit, or update content on the site right from their own computers or devices. CMS’ also store all of your online content for you in one place and is available to anyone with access to the website, meaning the need to send multiple different files to different individuals is no longer necessary.
3. Advanced site functionality : Most systems allow the implementation of functionalities (forms, polls, quizzes, event calendars, etc.) that would otherwise be extremely hard to achieve;
4. Provide built-in Page Builder : A main goal of using CMS is time saving. CMS provide built-in visual page creator to create, manage or modify the content of the site. User has no need to manage site content with in-line editing or also can create reusable dynamic blocks and the ability to save the block-section and page layout as template to reuse in multiple sites.
5. Advanced SEO Tools and Plugins : Content management systems offer a number of plugins and tools that can help your site rank better in major search engines. This doesn’t mean you should get rid of your online marketing team, but these tools can help implement a basic SEO strategy in an attempt to increase online traffic to your site. Other website options, like WYSIWYG editors, do not have tools and plugins available to specifically help optimize your web content for major search engines. WordPress plugins directly present options within the interface itself to include web page titles, meta descriptions, alt tags, and all the other elements needed to best optimize your website for Google and other major search engines. They will also alert you when these elements are not done correctly. What’s more, these plugins are regularly updated to adapt to any changes in major search engines that could affect your ranking. So, your website will remain optimized at all times, despite any updates or changes. Basically, CMSs, especially WordPress, are the only website options that allow you to easily optimize your website for search engines using user-friendly plugins and tools right within the editing interface itself.
6. Security :In today’s world, the last thing anybody wants is for their website to be hacked, especially ecommerce website owners. Websites can be especially vulnerable, and are often targeted by hackers, to steal personal information. However, content management systems are consistently tested by an army of developers and computer scientists in an effort to protect users against any and all potential security threats. Additionally, there are countless plugins and tools available that are also individually designed to increase your website’s security.
7. Cost Effective and Affordable :Website maintenance can be a major expense if you have a static website. Calling a web designer or developer to make frequent changes can add up. Not only is cost a factor, but you will most likely have to wait a few days to see the updates live on your site. Investing in a content management system can save you both time and money. With a content management system in place, you no longer have to rely on a web developer to make common site changes. You can instantly make these changes yourself exactly when you need them done.
8. Quick development and deployment time : Using a CMS can drastically speed up the process of developing a site;
9. Instant Site Maintenance : Without a CMS, making changes to your site can be both time consuming and expensive. However, maintaining your site has never been easier nor quicker with CMS’. Content management systems allow you to upload or alter content with a few simple clicks of a button, rather than individually digging through pages of code to make an adjustment. Furthermore, general updates and other support requirements that maintain the well-being of your site can be conducted almost instantly, with another few clicks of a button. This ease of maintenance is no exception for the design elements of a website too. Content management systems allow for the visual components of a website to be altered with minimal to no coding. The best part is, all this can happen instantly from any device with any internet connection.

Cons of CMS

1. Contains Hundreds of Files : A site that contains many files leaves itself open to errors. For example a client updating the site may create errors (i.e. inserting images that are too large, inserting flash, javascript, video files) that result in substantially altering the design of the template.
2. Hidden cost of plugins and widgets : Many plugins and widgets are expensive and can cost hundreds of dollars
3. Often Misses the Point : Without the typical rigorous requirements collection phase, you sometimes fail to get all crucial information related to the purpose and goals of the software application. This can lead your development down the wrong path for the first prototype, wasting time, resources, and money. Removing the discovery phase may seem to put you on the fast track at first, but in the long run, can cause a chain reaction of setbacks, putting you further from your deployment goal.
4. Limited flexibility in Design : CMS sites primarily use templates for design. They are easy to recognize because they have a standard format i.e. 2 or 3 column design with boxes placed in various positions to accommodate the content. The designer must stay within the confines of this type of template therefore he is limited in the flexibility and uniqueness of design that can reflect his business.
5. Limited SEO of Web Pages : The web pages of a CMS site are generated dynamically. This often means the URLS of the web pages contain long strings that are a combination of words, numbers and/or symbols. Search engines have a difficult time spiderier these types of pages. Not all web designers will care to edit the code to make the CMS site search engine compatible.
6. SEO Maintenance : Since CMS sites often contain hundreds of pages it may be difficult to optimize them. For example it will take a long time to change the keywords in the copy and meta tags for that many pages. Keywords for web pages need to be refined and altered to keep pace with the changing demographics of peoples’ searches.
7. Server resources : Some CMSs (e.g. Joomla) can put a load on your server resources
8. Creates Scalability Problems : The bigger the system under development, the more at risk you put it for scalability issues. The prototypes may work for the current business need, but the future ones could be an entirely different ball game. If you plan on upgrading the software application often and using it for a growing team and/or business, go with a structured consulting process that includes business analysis and a heavier planning stage.
9. Slow Loading : Because a CMS site is database driven you need to wait for the pages to be processed by the server. Since there are hundreds of pages they may be slow to load. This will cause you to lose visitors as most internet users have a short attention span. A site should only take a few seconds to load. A CMS site on a slow server or on a server that includes many other sites will make also take a long time to load.
10. Maintenance : In the wrong hands, an unmaintained and outdated CMS can do a lot of harm to a website and lead to serious security vulnerabilities
11. Expensive Design : CMS sites cost a lot more to design than static sites because a designer has to install and configure the database, design the template, then customize it to include all the extensions i.e. menus, polls, banners, forms etc.
12. Security Risk : A CMS poses a larger Security Risk unless maintained and regularly updated. Though most CMSs release updates/fixes/patches regularly widely used content management systems generally invite more hackers than websites that don’t use a content management system or hard coded websites. Your hosting company may shut your website down if your website is not maintained as a security hole on your website can lead to other sites on the server being compromised. This is now a standard practice for hosting companies.

WordPress

Pros

• User-Friendly CMS : Without any technical knowledge like website management and coding skills, the website owners or bloggers can edit & maintain their sites using easy-to-use features like drag and drop.
• Flexible and Adaptable for Changing Needs : WordPress is used to run complex sites for large multinational corporations, manage small businesses, and create personal blogs. WordPress sites can contain full-service eCommerce stores, showcase a portfolio, or host a social network, group, or podcast. Whatever a company’s requirements, the core WordPress package plus a variety of basic and premium plugins that are suitable for your site.
• Built-In Blog : Since WordPress is a content management system software, it has multiple features that make publishing content easy. One of these is a “built-in” blog feature that can be accessed from any device, at any time, so that users who want to add a blog to their website don’t have to create one separately. That makes it possible even for sites unrelated to blogging to use the blog feature for adding updates or announcements.
• Plugins : One of the major advantages of WordPress is that it has over 45,000 plugins for almost every functionality. No matter whether you want to enhance the SEO or run an analysis of your site, you can find specific plugins for everything. This means you don’t have to write lines of code for every functionality you want on your site. You just need to install the plugin and enjoy that functionality in your site.
• SEO-Friendly : The plugins on WordPress are designed for SEO purposes and simplicity. Some people have a hard time with Meta descriptions and tags. WordPress helps in making these tags easy to use and understand.Not just this, when it comes to optimization, WordPress is also an excellent teacher. WordPress helps you to identify the most used phrases & words in your blog that can be used as keywords to make your page/blog more SEO-friendly. This way, more people will be able to find your content, while benefiting from it.
• eCommerce sites : WordPress eCommerce plugins like WooCommerce have played a big role in this. If your content is optimized efficiently, then you can direct more people to your brand. It’s going to make it easier for you to make a sale. WordPress is also good at teaching the user which words will lead to more sales, versus the ones which will not.
• Responsive Websites : With increasing usage of mobile devices for internet surfing, having a mobile-friendly site is crucial to the UX as well as SEO. When it comes to being responsive, most of WordPress’s themes and designs are responsive. By using WordPress as your website’s CMS, you’ll be able to benefit from a responsive site for your business without having to create a separate website altogether.
• Open-Source Community : One of the prime benefits is that WordPress is an open-source platform. It means the developer can use, change, and study the code without having to create it from scratch. Being open-source software, WordPress programmers can share the code online with other developers too. This helps in saving a lot of time and cost of writing & implementing a new codebase for minor or major changes.ou can easily modify and use the code without having to pay any license or subscription fees.
• Low Cost. : WordPress is completely free to install on your server. There are lots of free themes you can use. It comes with a 1-click installed with most hosting plans.

Cons

• Customization : Unlike other drag and drop web builder tools out there, WordPress is quite a flexible tool. However, if you’re not an expert of WordPress or if you don’t have a skilled WordPress developer for it, you might face some serious issues. Problems such as updating core WordPress can be troublesome as updating can break some of the functionality. Also, if you are not well-versed with the practices used for designing the site, it can become a problem too.
• Modification requires knowledge of PHP : Operations like removing a date field requires some understanding of PHP language. It is the case for most of such modifications.
• Graphics modification requires knowledge of CSS and HTML : Although there are plenty templates available on the homepage, most of them are very alike. To create a unique look, you need to know CSS and HTML.
• Vulnerability & Data Security : One of the major disadvantages of this CMS is that it can be vulnerable in multiple cases. Since WordPress is an open-source platform, it opens the room to potential hackers. In order to mitigate this risk, choosing the right themes and plugins for your WordPress websites is crucial. Also, it is always good to assess the quality of a WordPress plugin before installing it.
• Slow Page Speed : WordPress is still a slow platform due to the all the added plugins, oversaturated databases, and codebase. However, those are not the only things that can slow down your website. Large images, a lot of wording on a page, and unreliable hosting can impact your website speed.
• Frequent Updates : Installing WordPress is not enough. In order to make sure that it works properly, you have to install several plugins and themes. The more plugins you use, the more you’re going to encounter compatibility challenges. Besides, updating your site frequently might also hinder its functionality like plugins might stop working. Before updating your website, make sure you have a backup of your data.
• Website Can Go Down Without Notice : Websites can go down for many reasons without notice. If you aren’t paying attention to your site, you may not realize it is down. It could be down for a couple of hours or even days, therefore, negatively impacting your business. Then you have to hire an agency to help you get it back up, which again is another expense that you don’t want to have.

Joomla

Pros

• Free : Joomla! is an open-source platform, allowing you to freely use code without worrying about licensing fees. Joomla also provides hundreds of free extensions templates.
• E-Commerce Supporting : Joomla users are able to manager their content and their online store in the same place instead of using multiple platforms. Joomla supports some eCommerce components that are great for creating shopping stores such as: VirtueMart, JoomShopping, K2Store...
• Usability : Joomla CMS can be used for making any kind of websites, right from the small, simple and personal blog to the large corporate website or any e-commerce website. The plenty of options and features available in Joomla CMS enables the user to make a website with all necessary modules. One can also make the organizational websites and government applications using the Joomla CMS. Even the online communities or online magazines could be created easily by using Joomla CMS.
• Easy to Install : Joomla installation takes only a few minutes to complete. You can easily download and install your Joomla webpage.
• Trouble-free Migration : If you have your website in Joomla you can migrate to any other server with ease.
• PHP Scripts : Joomla uses complete PHP scripting - the most common web development language. The compatibility issues should be limited when using the framework of Joomla.
• Extensions Availability : A Joomla’s plugin or component can provide a various of functionalities that you do not need to install to much plugins/components in building your website.
• Adaptability and Flexibility : You can use Joomla for your small business and expand it when needed. With some HTML knowledge, you are able to maintain your Joomla site. You don’t have to be a developer to use it.
• Active Community : Joomla has a large user community where you can get advice, tips, tricks tutorials to assist you in building your website.
• SEO Capabilities : It’s no longer necessary to search for third party plugins and achieving decent ranking on search engines such as Google will no longer be an issue.

Cons

• Slightly Complex : Joomla is quite complex that makes it difficult to incorporate your own custom design without developer experience. However, using it for content management doesn’t take an extensive amount of time to learn.
• Compatibility : Joomla has compatibility problems when you simultaneously installed several modules, extensions and plugins.
• Security and Vulnerability Risks : The fact that this CMS also uses extensions also makes it vulnerable to certain types of malware disguising as legitimate plugins. While updates and measures are in place to keep Joomla-abased websites as secure as possible, risks are still inevitable if users fail to observe proper security and risk management measures.
• Limited Adjustment Options : Even though Joomla! has many modules and templates, it is always missing something for the more advanced users. It's still better than in case of WordPress.
• Limited Customization : Advanced developers may face a problem while designing in the Joomla Script. It is unable to offer you the premium customization effects.As an intermediate CMS system, it is obvious that Joomla cannot deliver you with the extremely technical customizations.
• Server Resources and Efficiency : Modularity and expendability often means bigger demands on server parameters. This certainly is the case. Still, if the website is not too large and there will not be thousands of visitors, there should be no problems, at least not in the beginning.
• Website Media : In the case of Joomla, media management is an aspect that needs much improvement. There are only a few capabilities in the media manager which you may use. You might not be able to edit pictures, resize, and crop or move the images in case of Joomla Media Manager. You should be aware that the other leading CMS websites help you with extensive website media management.
• Paid Plugins : Some of plugins and modules for Joomla! are paid, unlike for e.g. WordPress or Drupal. It pays to spend some time to make sure you won't have to buy an addition that is free in some other script.

Drupal

Pros

• Includes a lot of functionality: Drupal includes lot of functionalities like: advanced menu management, polls management, graphics modification tool, users management and much more. These functions make it possible to create simple or advanced websites, blogs, discussion boards, social networking pages, etc.
• Variety of Content Types: Drupal is famous for allowing to create and manage many content types, like: videos, polls, user management, text, blogs, podcasts, statistics, and others.
• Scalability: Drupal can be easily scaled to meet your website's size as well as fluctuations in your traffic.
• Advanced Users Management: An administrator can create new user accounts and establish their permission rights. Users can be divided into groups and can be given assignments. They can be given permissions to manage parts of your website.
• Security: Drupal websites are less prone to hacking, one reason why Drupal is popular with large, security-conscious organizations and government institutions.
• Graphics Management: The script includes capabilities of design elements editing. Available templates and themes make for a good start. Predefined page functions configurations make it easy to create both a simple as well as more complicated page configurations.
• Page Content Management: Drupal allows you to categorize your content through URL addresses, paths, making your own lists. This structure makes for easy management, search and reuse of the content.
• Plugins: The script has several thousands of plugins available on its website. Since Drupal is an Open Source, you can use as well as create your own plugins.
• Support: On the Drupal homepage, there's a documentation, well developed discussion board, chat, mailing list, etc. You can find there plenty of information and help concerning management and modification of the script.

Cons

• Installation and Modification: The script is not very user-friendly and requires advanced knowledge to install and modify. Quick.Cms, WordPress and even Joomla are simpler to use, even though they do not offer functionalities as rich as Drupal does.
• Compatibility: Drupal have plenty of new solutions. If you're used to older systems, getting used to this script will take some time.
• Speed: Unless you take the time to improve configurations, third-party modules, if not optimized, will slow down Drupal both for you and your users.
• Efficiency: When considering scalability and efficiency, Drupal is far behind other scripts like Quick.Cms or WordPress. If your website is very large, the script will generate a big server load. It is caused by the big range of possibilities provided by Drupal. There are however plugins that load a website to the server's cache, what decreases the server load.