Website Development – Should you pick Joomla or WordPress?

There are numerous content management systems available, that you can use to power your website.

The only problem is, which one?

This article will provide some useful advice and insight, as to which website cms you should choose.

The article focuses on Joomla and WordPress, but even if you don’t like either of those platforms, there is some good generic cms advice as well.

If you require a Joomla or WordPress Developer, please contact Neogain.

Joomla was an offshoot of the Mambo project. Mambo back in its day had the focus and attention Joomla and WordPress receive today.

Though Mambo is still very much active, in my humble opinion Joomla has long since taken over its position in the CMS wars.

WordPress as well was an offshoot of another content management system.

For years WordPress was viewed primarily as a blogging cms and platform, but recently that perception has shifted and it is used to power websites, that don’t even need a blogging component.

However Joomla unlike WordPress doesn’t have a blogging component by default. So Joomla and WordPress approach content system management from different angles, which leads to some major differences.

Both Joomla and WordPress have huge communities, and established forums where you can receive help, discuss features and learn new techniques.

Out of the box WordPress is easier for novices to use. Joomla on the other hand takes a while for novices to get used to, which can deter many from using the platform.

Usually both Joomla and WordPress need to be enhanced with add-ons, called components and modules on Joomla and plugins on WordPress. Without these add-ons, functionality is extremely limited.

Both platforms have issues with add-ons, which can be broken via updates in the core content management system.

You are then reliant on the add-on developer or community to fix the compatibility issues. Which means for older less popular and rarely updated add-ons, you could end up seeking an alternative. Therefore it is wise to use popular regularly updated addons.

Joomla over the last couple of years has gone through some major changes, resulting in its users needing to migrate their website to new branches of the cms, rather than a simply update.

This has caused many problems for some users who had problems with the migrations.

Whereas over the same time period WordPress’s updates do appear to have been smoother, but in reality there are too many variables with regard to servers, addons, custom code to make major updates for any CMS always a smooth process.

I’m unsure, but it is likely that Joomla is currently more popular with those looking to use a shopping cart addon, whereas WordPress’s shopping cart plugins are still maturing.

It would be fair to say that WordPress isn’t as configurable out of the box as a Joomla website, but also fair to say that Joomla is too complex by default.

If you want a website developed by a third-party such as Neogain, then in reality it comes down to features you require.

However if blogging is your primary feature of your website, then WordPress is the one to choose.

If you want a powerful website, that someone else will manage with a shopping cart, then perhaps currently Joomla is for you.

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Hire a Joomla and WordPress Developer. Contact Neogain