On a technical level, all websites and web-applications need a content management system (CMS), as do all enterprises. Sites and web apps are not merely an extension of your business, they are your business. Therefore, choosing the right CMS for your enterprise is critical.
Here at Codal, a web development agency in Chicago, we’d like to share with you our favorite CMSs for enterprises! Our list is short as to provide you with the best of the best: Drupal, Statmatic, BigCommerce, and Shopify Plus.
DRUPAL
Given our experience with the platform here at Codal, the first CMS for enterprises we’d like to recommend is Drupal! Drupal is popular amongst big businesses, in sectors like publishing, higher education, government, and the entertainment industry. The Economist, The White House, Harvard, Australian Government, Tesla Motors, and Warner Music Group, are just some of the enterprises who use this CMS.
Drupal is designed for businesses and is therefore designed to be scalable. Along with that scalability comes the ability to handle high levels of web traffic without inconveniencing end users. Drupal also allows enterprises to manage multiple content requirements across different brands, geographies, and campaigns, all from a single CMS.
Drupal is well-known for its ability to manage a variety of content. Videos, polls, blogs, copy, podcasts, statistics, and user management are all supported by this CMS. Furthermore, Drupal uses a WYSIWYG editor for content creation, meaning you can create and edit right into the interface, no HTML or coding required.
Drupal WYSIWYG editor on mobile.
With 70% of web traffic coming from mobile devices, enterprises need a CMS that can deliver responsive content accordingly. Drupal offers excellent mobile functionality.
Another reason to love Drupal is because its an open source platform! There is a large Drupal community composed of developers, designers, and administrators. Presumably, those in the community have already done whatever your enterprise might aim to do with this CMS. And as such, there is plenty of public documentation on how to achieve specific goals within Drupal.
STATAMIC
Codal’s CMS recommendation would be incomplete without Statamic (and we certainly love working with it!). Used by some of the biggest businesses, like Disney and Open Table, this up and coming CMS is one to consider for your enterprise. Here’s why!
Goodbye, database. Hello, flat files! Statamic stores your content and configurations within files, which allows users the ability to touch, edit, and send data with ease. As an enterprise, you want full control of your business and your website, and by ditching the database that’s exactly what you’ll get.
Example of Statamic’s aesthetically pleasing and intuitive front-end interface. To see more of this CMS go on the Statamic Tour!
Statamic is built on Laravel, a PHP framework known for accelerating the development process, as well as being highly customizable. Another benefit is the automation of testing, which identifies bugs, errors, and crashes that hinder a website or web-app.
Statamic’s Marketplace is where users can search for and find add-ons for this CMS. Relative to its competitors, Statamic doesn’t have a lot of add-ons. However, due to the great extent that one can customize from the back-end, this isn’t necessarily a problem.
BIGCOMMERCE
Priding itself on being designed and built for the largest of businesses, BigCommerce has only one core product (unlike Shopify): its eCommerce platform. And as such, it can focus solely on allocating its resources to being a flawless CMS and advancing your enterprise.
BigCommerce offers a high level of functionality, but learning how to use it isn’t always intuitive or easy. BigCommerce favors technical language and much of its customization features requires knowing exactly how to use the platform. To combat this potential setback, consider working with an eCommerce website design and development expert.
Additional functionality comes from the platform’s library of plugins, including apps for CRM, marketing, shipping, and fulfillment.
Getting traffic to your eCommerce site is necessary in order to have a successful enterprise. BigCommerce enables you to optimize the architecture of your web pages with proper HTML, so they’re well organized for search engines to bring traffic to your eCommerce site. This CMS also auto populates SEO-friendly URLs, as well as gives the option to create custom ones too. In essence, BigCommerce’s built-in SEO capabilities decrease your customer acquisition costs while simultaneously increasing traffic to your site.
Interface of the BigCommerce’s Web Page URL Settings.
SHOPIFY PLUS
Unlike similar eCommerce CMSs like Magento, Shopify Plus comes ready-to-use. It offers solid functionality packaged in a neat, user-friendly backend, so managing your content is simple—no technical experience required.
Not many CMSs are as scalable as Shopify Plus. Not only is Shopify Plus responsible for hosting your site, its capable of scaling as your enterprise grows. Keeping up with site traffic, identifying pain points followed by support where necessary, and keeping data safe and secure are just a handful of the ways Shopify Plus scales your business.
Speaking of security, not everyone can say they are Level 1 PCI DSS compliant, but Shopify Plus can! This is the same level of security required by banks. Needless to say, your customer’s data is safe and secure when you choose Shopify Plus for your CMS.
Additionally, Shopify Plus is a great CMS for eCommerce enterprises trying to bridge the gap between their online store and their brick and mortar. You can fully integrate the two stores into one platform with Shopify Plus, which means you have the ability to manage all data from one place. Furthermore, Shopify has its own POS and hardware that integrates flawlessly with this CMS!
Shopify’s POS and hardware. Lastly, Shopify Plus can enhance your enterprise via its enormous selection of apps.. According to Shopify, “every business is unique,” which means that your enterprise may require specific functionalities like email marketing, social media, or analytics. However, if you’re having trouble finding exactly what you’re looking for in Shopify’s App Market Place/app store, an app development agency can custom build something for your CMS.
SO HAVE YOU FOUND YOUR NEXT CMS?
Whether you’re absolutely convinced or still unsure of your next CMS, there are a few factors to keep in mind when making your decision: flexibility, scalability, customizability, security, back-end and front-end usability, and addons/plugins. While this list is not exhaustive, it is a decent starting point when considering CMSs.
If you’re interested in exploring these options further—or an entirely different platform for your enterprise all together— reaching out to a CMS software development agency is a great place to start.
