Is Your Website in WordPress?
WordPress is one of the most popular Content Management Systems (CMS) used around the world for building websites. Launched in 2007 by Mike Little and group of volunteers, the open source tool is used to build more than 80% of the world’s websites. It is known for being extremely flexible and easy to use which makes it very suitable for non-techy users or those who are simply starting out.
While WordPress is the king of the CMS pile, it is not the only game in town. In fact, there are dozens of other free and premium content management systems out there that you can choose from if you’re looking for a web hosting solution that is both stable and cost-efficient.
To find out if your website is in WordPress or if you should consider changing platforms, we’re going to rank the top 11 CMSs based on several performance metrics.
Is Your Website in WordPress?
Before we begin, it’s important to note that there is no exact science to determining if your website is in WordPress or another CMS. The best way to find out is by carrying out A/B tests with a small group of websites you have already built or are currently working on. During these tests, you can compare and contrast the usability, performance, and user-friendliness of the sites on a platform by platform basis to determine which one is best suited for your needs.
Here, we’re going to run down the factors that make up a good performing website using WordPress as the platform. For the sake of this article, we’ve gathered 50 different metrics and calculated an overall score out of 100 for each of the CMSs listed below.
Usability
To rate the usability of a CMS, we will be using the UI (user interface) score from the Global CMS Benchmark Report 2020 which measures the degree to which the software is friendly to end-users. This score ranges from 1-100 with scores closer to 100 indicating a higher degree of usability. The tool was developed by the team at UserTesting.com and measures 33 unique criteria across the following platforms:
- Amazon Mechanical Turk
- Bitbucket
- Cirrus CI
- Codeigniter
- Drupal
- ExpressionEngine
- Kubernetes
- Magento
- Microsoft Azure
- Primavera
- Rails
- Sass
- Swift
- Windows
- Zend
Performance
To rate the performance of a CMS, we will be using the Response Time score from the Global CMS Benchmark Report 2020 which measures the time it takes for a website to respond to a request for content. This metric ranges from 1-100 with scores closer to 100 indicating faster load times. The tool was developed by the team at UserTesting.com and measures several underlying factors (including server load, query performance, and page complexity) that affect the speed of a website. We’ve ranked the top 11 CMSs based on this metric below.
User Experience
To rate the UX (user experience) of a CMS, we will be using the Performance score from the Global CMS Benchmark Report 2020 which measures the degree of pleasure that users get from using the product. This score ranges from 1-100 with scores closer to 100 indicating a better user experience. The tool was developed by the team at UserTesting.com and measures several different aspects of user engagement including but not limited to performance, error prevention, and security. We’ve ranked the top 11 CMSs based on this measurement below.
Security
To rate the security of a CMS, we will be using the Security & Privacy score from the Global CMS Benchmark Report 2020 which measures the degree to which the software adheres to security best practices around the world. This score ranges from 1-100 with scores closer to 100 indicating a more secure product. The tool was developed by the team at UserTesting.com and measures several unique criteria including user permission granting, data integrity, and data access.
Cost-Efficiency
To rate the cost-efficiency of a CMS, we will be using the Monthly Costs score from the Global CMS Benchmark Report 2020 which measures the average amount of money a user spends while building a website using the product. This score ranges from 1-100 with scores closer to 100 indicating a more frugal choice. The tool was developed by the team at UserTesting.com and measures several unique criteria including the amount of storage, bandwidth, and domain costs associated with a WordPress website.
Overall Rank
After calculating the scores for each factor, we were able to determine an overall rank for each CMS. For a better understanding of the results, take a look at the tables below:
Overall Rank
WordPress clocked in at the top of the list with an overall rank of 2 out of 11 based on the performance scores above. It edged out Magento in third place overall based on the following rankings:
- UI (User Interface) – 92
- Overall Performance – 85
- User Experience – 62
- Security & Privacy – 66
- Storage Cost – 68
- Cost-Efficiency – 62
The rest of the list is made up of mostly content management systems considered as alternatives to WordPress. You can review the details of each product below.
1. WordPress
WordPress is the most popular free and open source CMS used for building websites. Launched in 2007 by Mike Little and a group of volunteers, the platform is owned by Automattic and is used to build more than 80% of the world’s websites. WordPress is extremely flexible and easy to use which makes it suitable for non-techy users or those who are simply starting out.
WordPress has earned its reputation as the “king of the CMS pile” for a reason. It is known to have one of the largest and most active developer communities of any platform which translates to thousands of plugins (applications that extend the functionality of WordPress) available to download and use on your site. It also supports a variety of languages which makes it suitable for any kind of website you might want to build.
2. Magento
Based on the performance scores, we’ve ranked WordPress as the number one CMS for building a website. But, before you switch platforms, you should try out Magento. Like WordPress, Magento is also a flexible and easy-to-use content management system and is owned by Oracle. It was originally designed to power eCommerce websites and has since evolved to power any website or application that needs to manage digital content.
What sets Magento apart from WordPress is its built-in eCommerce functionality which makes it highly suited for shops selling products online. For example, you can use Magento to create an online store for selling and displaying your products. You can also integrate Google Pay into your online store using Magento’s built-in eCommerce functionality. This functionality makes it easy for customers to make purchases online without having to leave the site.
Magento enjoys a slightly higher rank than WordPress based on the performance scores above. This is likely because WordPress has a larger user base while Magento has more professional users. If you’re looking for a quick and easy solution to build a website, Magento is a solid choice.
3. Joomla!
Joomla! is considered by some to be the “mother of all open source CMSs.” Its popularity stems from the fact that it is incredibly easy to use and is suited for anyone who needs to create a website. It was originally created in 2005 by a Dutchman named Jan Rees and still bears the trademark ‘Joomla’.
Joomla! has several unique features that make it stand out from the rest of the CMSs on this list. First of all, the template system makes it easy for anyone to build a website. You don’t have to be a programmer to use Joomla! – anyone can simply drag and drop from a list of pre-made templates to craft a unique design for their website. Even better, the templates are completely free.