Building a successful website for your business is directly tied to choosing the right content management system (CMS). A CMS is the most versatile way to design and manage your site especially when you are building your website from scratch.
But how can you tell if Drupal or WordPress will be the best CMS for your business and position you for better opportunities? This comparative review will answer this and many more questions.
Exploring Drupal vs WordPress CMS Platforms
Drupal Content Management System
Drupal is a unique content management system that is used in the development of various websites and applications. This CMS is unique because of its standard features such as content authoring, performance, and security reliability.
Drupal is flexible, making it ideal for the development of integrated digital frameworks with dynamic features. The CMS comes with various themes that can be used to customize content layout and presentation. Drupal bundles, otherwise known as distributions, can be used as starter kits to enhance the platform’s core abilities.
Interestingly, Drupal is an open-source software that can be downloaded by just anyone to work using several customizable themes and shared with other parties. However, building a full website using Drupal requires the professional expertise of a Drupal Developer or Drupal Development Company.
WordPress Content Management System
WordPress is an open-source content management system used to publish blogs and other web content such as multimedia, online stores, and mailing lists. WordPress was released in 2003 by founders Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little. It’s owned by the WordPress Foundation.
Technically, the software code is written with a combination of PHP hypertext processor and MySQL database. WordPress can be downloaded easily and customized with various themes available on the platform. Its functionality, however, relies on its installation on web servers such as internet hosting services or a computer that runs the WordPress package.
Since its release two decades ago, WordPress has grown to become the center of all content management systems. Its massive adoption is closely linked to its flexibility and ease of setup.
Drupal vs WordPress: At a Glance
| Comparable Details | Drupal | WordPress |
| Year founded | 2001 | 2003 |
| Market size | 2.2% | 65.2% |
| Ease of use | Installing Drupal can be done easily with a user-friendly hosting service. You can choose a specific program instead of downloading the entire Drupal distribution. As you progress to customize your website, the learning gets steep and will require some level of programming language experience such as PHP, HTML, and JavaScript. Updating the website also requires technical knowledge. This makes it mandatory for you to source Drupal development services to build a custom website for your business. | Installing WordPress on a hosting site or WordPress-managed host can be done in minutes. This can sometimes be done in a single click. WordPress has an intuitive dashboard where you can install themes, and plugins, and update your site. You can also customize your website using a drag-and-drop method. Overall, creating content and adding multimedia is easy too. Businesses can handle these themselves. To avoid throwing caution to the wind, hiring WordPress development services won’t hurt. |
| Flexibility | Customization using themes and plugins can be done through extensions and modules. This means businesses can heavily personalize their web pages. Implementation is challenging and requires professional programming skills. | WordPress has an array of themes and plugins to choose from. Some of these themes are free and others are premium. Professional programming skills are not required for an aesthetically pleasing website. Some professional touch may go a long way. |
| SEO optimization | The Drupal CMS is built-in with the best SEO practices. This is in addition to coaching support and several extensions that can enhance your SEO game. | Being well-optimized for SEO, WordPress takes the lead. WordPress supports a vast number of SEO plugins that you can choose from to further optimize your website content. Yoast SEO is an example. |
| Performance and speed | Drupal seems to be a lightspeed CMS, giving great speed. However, effectively setting up the website for optimal performance is challenging. | WordPress sites can be loaded within seconds or even longer. Its speed and performance are tied to the developer, the host, and how well it has been optimized. |
| Security | Drupal is secure with less potential of getting hacked. This is attributed to its small market share and its little plugins and themes ecosystem. | WordPress sites can be secure depending on how often you update them. It is also essential to vet the themes and plugins before adding them to your dashboard. |
WordPress vs Drupal: Set up Requirements
Setting up a WordPress or Drupal CMS can be done by anyone. However, Drupal may need the services of a professional programmer with a specialty in PHP, HTML, and other languages to fully customize and implement the website.
Both Drupal and WordPress require a webmaster, a user-friendly hosting service, and an array of themes and plugins to function effectively.
Drupal vs WordPress: Maximizing Your Business’ Potentials With the Best CMS Platform
As a business, you may seem indecisive when building your website. It’s even difficult to choose which content management system will work well for your website because Drupal and WordPress are unique in various ways.
Certain factors must be considered when choosing a CMS platform. We’ll explore them below.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a CMS for Your Business
As stated earlier, Drupal and WordPress are both unique platforms. But as a business, you must consider these factors when choosing your desired CMS.
- Security: Security is important for any business to survive and ensuring a safe website is a part of it. A secure website is linked to how often the website is updated and how secure the themes and plugins are. Businesses will need to consider if they will need technical experts to secure their sites.
- Maintenance: Websites, whether Drupal or WordPress need regular maintenance for optimal speed and performance. This may cost businesses a lot of money. Luckily, there are WordPress Retainers or Drupal Retainers that businesses can leverage to maintain their sites at a lower cost.
- Multi-language support: Language diversity is essential to foster communication. The more languages a CMS supports, the better.
- Themes and plugins: Themes and plugins are needed for website customization. Businesses keen on outlook and aesthetics may spend more on their desired plugin.
- Cost: This is an important factor to consider, especially when building a website that requires professional expertise.
Should Businesses Choose Drupal or WordPress?
Choosing the right CMS for your website is a step in the right direction. It prevents businesses from going on a rollercoaster when the desired result is not gotten.
Generally, both Drupal and WordPress are unique CMS platforms, equipped with features for flexibility, security, and optimal performance. When compared, Drupal has a smaller theme and plugin ecosystem. It also has a steep learning curve that requires professional programming for setup and implementation.
For more flexibility, you may consider WordPress because of its ease of use and vast themes and plugins. However, you may need professional help, especially if you aren’t technically savvy and need to focus on other areas of your business.
Overall, choosing the best CMS depends on preference and collective goals for your website.
WordPress vs Drupal: How cmsMinds can Setup the Best CMS Platform for Your Business
Setting up and implementing your WordPress or Drupal CMS requires professional expertise. Luckily, cmsMinds, a WordPress Development Company, and Drupal Development Company has a dedicated team of tech professionals, well-equipped to build custom websites for businesses.
CmsMinds is flexible with its service offerings and budgetary requirements to meet your business needs. With years of experience in the industry, the company has built an extensive portfolio, building websites from scratch and offering regular maintenance packages through the retainer program.
Your business can be next. Let cmsMinds build a custom website that suits your goals today using your desired CMS.
Visit cmsminds.com to book an appointment today.
