When it comes to the website creation, choosing the right content management system is a very important task for the user. There are so many CMSs all over the world and each of them has its different features. Due to this fact it can be difficult to decide what is the best solution for a particular web project. If you are going to build a complex website, then a fully featured CMS is probably a better choice for you. However, in case you have the intention to create a simple site, then lots of bells and whistles can be overkill and a little bit confusing for the person maintaining the website.
One of the most important criteria of choosing the right CMS is the ability of its customization. The content management system should allow flexibility in the way content is presented. For instance, when you run a site for some period of time, you may feel the necessity of the new content creation: it is good if you can display events in a calendar or retrieve the news in reverse chronological order, etc. Sometimes, all you want to do is to customize the template/theme a little bit. In other words, flexibility plays an important role in site managing and makes a CMS stand out.
Speaking about CMSs, WordPress, Joomla and Drupal are three leading names today. All of them come with their own strengths and weaknesses and that is why it necessary to compare their ability of the customization to decide which of them will fully satisfy your needs and will be the best solution for your web project.
WordPress CMS: Peculiarities of Customisation
When speaking of WordPress, it is necessary to mention that this CMS allows customization of themes. To put it another way, with WP you can have a unique design and there is no need to create the necessary theme from scratch. So, WordPress CMS is extremely manageable, because its plugins are available for just about everything you can think of and are not difficult to use.
With WordPress:
- It is possible to integrate the WP blog into your existing website;
- If you are a skilled developer in PHP, .NET, CSS, HTML, JAVA, etc, then it will be easy enough for you to build a new and unique theme.
Joomla: What’s inside?
Joomla is another content management system that powers many websites. The name “Joomla” means “for all together”: when WordPress is ideal for newbies and Drupal for developers, Joomla CMS is great for designers and developers alike. Joomla isn’t WordPress, but it is relatively easy to use, however this CMS demands a slight learning curve. This content management system is flexible and customizable due to the fact that it comes with lots of extensions.
With Joomla:
- It is possible to customize a template;
- In order to improve the flexibility of the website or to create new types of content that contain specific fields, it is necessary and possible to install and upgrade appropriate extensions and upgrade them.
Drupal Customization: Things You Should Know About
Now, it is time to speak about Drupal CMS. This system is flexible and powerful and it is a great choice for more complex websites. It should be mentioned that Drupal is not only CMS but also CMF (Content Management Framework). It means that it enables its users to develop applications on its basis. So, if you have enough skills and desire to learn all Drupal’s shades and hints, then it is possible to do almost everything with this platform. It is also a customizable CMF. Due to its modular architecture, you can build a website using a combination of available modules. Drupal provides its users with more opportunities of customization compared to other CMSs.
Customization with Drupal:
- It is possible to adjust existing Drupal themes or develop absolutely new one in order to give your site the unique look;
- You can add some extra functionality to your site if you install the necessary modules. If you are an experienced user, then you have the opportunity to create your own modules;
- Drupal also provides you with Content Construction Kit (CCK) which allows you to add custom fields to nodes using a web browser;
- It is also possible to integrate your Drupal website with other applications, sites, accounting programs, email marketing systems and SQL and XML databases.
Wrapping Up
In the end it still the same, Drupal, Joomla or WordPress pursues the same aim: to be a platform for your site, they vary heavily in features and capabilities. But the characteristics described above will help you to make your own decision and choose CMS which will fully suit your needs. In case you have already a website on one of these platforms and now you want to change it to another, then there is a way out for you. With aisite service you can easily migrate all your content to WordPress, Joomla or Drupal. Using this tool the switch will be fully automated, accurate and flawless.
