The sheer number makes it difficult to choose, but the search is worth it: The right CMS will simplify the creation and maintenance of your website, saving you time, money and aggravation.
In the article "Simply explained: What is a Content Management System?", we explained the different features, types, and uses, and found that there is no one optimal solution for everyone - depending on your needs, one system or another will work for you. In this article, we will take a closer look at which CMS is best suited for which needs, and provide answers based on typical questions asked in a first meeting.
First, we will clarify the basic direction: As part of the question about the concept and goals of your site, we consider whether you are a manufacturer, retailer, or service provider. This results in three different approaches:
Which CMS you need depends on your individual requirements for your website.
Only if you answer "yes" do you really need a CMS. Otherwise, you can hire an agency or programmer to create and manage your website.
If you have multiple sites or domains, you can manage them together with a multi-domain CMS. From the outside, the sites look independent, but you only need one software that you can keep up to date with updates and in which you can edit the content for all the sites at the same time, saving time. This user-friendly component is offered by several software solutions, but TYPO3 has proven to be particularly effective.
With a multilingual website, once it reaches a certain level of complexity, easy maintenance of the content becomes particularly important. Although there are many multilingual CMS, not all of them are easy to use. This is where TYPO3 comes in very handy.
In the area of blogs - whether hobby or business - WordPress is the clear winner over all other CMS. The software scores with a high degree of user friendliness, a large selection of existing themes and a search engine friendly structure.
The fewer people working on a site, the less you need to consider this when choosing a CMS. However, if you need a comprehensive permissions system with different user groups, we recommend Drupal or TYPO3.
If so, you need a CMS with an approval process that allows you to review and approve prepared content directly in the system. This eliminates the need for "request for approval" emails and saves you time. Paid CMS usually offer this feature out of the box, open source projects usually need to be customized.
Product data such as name, item number, brand, price, size, color, etc. is usually managed by companies in an ERP system, an Enterprise Resource Planning system. Additional information such as text and images are usually scattered in Word files and folders. A PIM system is more appropriate: These product information management systems allow centralized, media-neutral management of product-related information and its distribution through various channels.
If you want to present your products online, a content management system is not enough. For a clean structure, you need a PIM or at least an ERP system that provides the product information. In addition to paid software solutions, TYPO3 and Drupal are among the CMS that can be easily connected.
As soon as you want to integrate other software like a shop or a CRM system via API (Application Programming Interface), you should use a solid CMS. In the open source area, TYPO3 and Drupal are good choices.
A protected area on your website can be accessed by selected users, such as business partners or premium customers, with a password. Solid systems like TYPO3 are ideal for this, as the basic version already offers a login area with numerous functions and options.
Widely used CMS are also popular with hackers because they can cause a lot of damage with little effort. It makes sense, then, that the most widely used software solutions with the most extensibility pose the greatest security risk: WordPress and Joomla are among the most hacked systems, so we recommend them with caution.
The use of A/B testing helps with the continuous optimization of your website. Since these tests are usually developed in-house, they do not limit your choice of content management systems.
Web accessibility ensures that users with a wide range of disabilities and needs can use the web without restriction or assistance. In addition to a structured page layout, optimal color contrast, and scalable font size, this includes support for assistive technologies such as screen readers that convert screen content into speech.
Web site accessibility is mandatory for public institutions, but it can also make sense for businesses: In addition to social responsibility, there is also the issue of audience accessibility and improved search engine rankings. Comprehensive software solutions such as Drupal and TYPO3 are suitable as CMS, but the slim Contao also specializes in an accessible front and back end.
Many roads lead to Rome: This means that you can ultimately realize your project with (almost) any CMS - but as an entrepreneur, you have to ask yourself which software will meet your needs in the long run. When choosing a content management system, keep the following points in mind:
In our experience, the systems WordPress, Joomla and Contao are not suitable for medium-sized companies for various reasons. Especially the market leader WordPress scores with its ease of use and the ability to develop websites quickly. However, due to its origins as a pure blog software, the basic version does not come with the necessary features. These must be added via plugins, which slows down your website and reduces performance.
Our recommendation for corporate websites with a complex structure is usually TYPO3: The system impresses with extensive functions, high flexibility, durability and security.
The CMS doesn't have to please us, it has to please you: If you or your employees don't like to work in the system you are using, all the advantages are only half as important. If you are wavering between two or three different software solutions, this can be the deciding factor. With the help of our blog posts "The CMS Comparison Part 1: Typo3 vs. Wordpress" and "The CMS Comparison Part 2: Typo3 vs. Drupal" you can take a closer look at the different CMS systems. Or you can test the CMS in a demo version. Simply contact us by email and tell us which content management systems you are interested in. We will send you the access data and you can check which system is the best for you.
