A CMS, also called a Content Management System, is a platform that allows businesses to create and manage their websites’ content. It is an essential tool for any business with a web presence and makes creating and editing website pages simple and efficient so that you, as a business, can focus on your growth goals.
With so many CMS options on the market, you might be unsure about which platform would suit your business the best. We hope the below narrows it down for you.
Defining CMS and Its Benefits
A website CMS is a software application used to edit, publish and manage digital content without necessarily needing intensive technical skills to get the job done.
Using your chosen CMS comes with several general benefits, including:
Having an intuitive user interface and drag-and-drop functionality that allows users of your CMS platform to easily add, delete, or modify content as needed.
Consistent branding across all pages, where you can maintain a streamlined website design, layout, and style, ensuring your website is always professional and cohesive.
Time and cost saving, as you will reduce costs for website management or a web developer, as you will be able to easily update and maintain your website yourself.
Improved SEO, thanks to features such as metadata management, keyword optimisation, and URL customisation, which are big perks that can boost your website's visibility and increase your organic search traffic.
So, how do different CMS platforms stack up in terms of benefits and functionality? Let’s compare some of the options.
Rocketspark vs WordPress
Chances are that you are likely familiar with WordPress, which is often used by businesses for website building, thanks to its free startup (but which could need paid-for add-ons to optimise the full experience or require a paid-for theme template).
Rocketspark, which is a New Zealand-based business, is another popular website builder with several positive online reviews attesting to its usage and functionality.
Let’s do a quick comparison between this platform and WordPress:
Ease of Use:
An interesting factor that could make Rocketspark a more desirable platform to use is its user-friendly, drag-and-drop editor that makes it easy to create and customise any website. WordPress certainly is quite straightforward to use, but it can be more complex, with a steeper learning curve, and requires some technical expertise to set up and use.Customisation:
Rocketspark offers several templates that can be personalised, but it does fall slightly short of the more robust WordPress library of templates and themes. If you don’t have the technical skills to customise a WordPress theme, you would need to pay for a third-party to do this/design for you.Support & Maintenance:
WordPress requires constant updates to avoid hacking and problems arising within the website; you would also need to consider employing a third-party provider to offer you technical support when problems arise. Rocketspark, on the other hand, takes care of all the maintenance for you. Updates happen automatically and you get customer support easily in local time zones.Features:
If you need an all-inclusive platform, Rocketspark might be preferable as it has a range of built-in features, including eCommerce functionality, SEO tools, and marketing integrations, making it a good choice for small to medium-sized businesses. WordPress, on the other hand, has a vast library of plugins that allow you to add almost any feature or functionality to your website.Costs:
WordPress is free to use when starting out with the platform, but as a business, you will still need to pay for hosting, domain registration, and any premium plugins or themes you want to use.
Rocketspark Website Builder starts at $45 per month and their eCommerce solution starts at $65 per month.
Examples:Website created in Rocketspark: www.digidala.co.nz
Website created in Wordpress: www.unex.co.nz
Backend of Wordpress website. DigiDala can help you with your Wordpress Website CMS Maintenance and Updates.
Backend of Rocketspark CMS System. We are Rocketspark design partners.
ECWID vs Shopify
ECWID (an abbreviation for eCommerce widget) is a plugin that you can use to change a website easily into an eCommerce platform. This would likely be a first choice if you are already confident with the website that you have and simply want to update its functionality to allow for online sales. They also offer an Instant Site, which is a mobile-friendly, one-page eCommerce website suitable for those looking for a basic solution to sell online.
On the other hand, Shopify, which is a popular eCommerce store, is perhaps a better choice if you need to build a website from scratch that enables eCommerce.
Let’s compare these platforms:
Ease of Use:
ECWID is designed to be user-friendly and easy to set up, with a simple drag-and-drop interface that makes it easy to add products and manage your store, directly from your mobile phone. Shopify is also easy to use, but it may require more technical expertise to set up and customise, as well as fill in custom metadata and tags to ensure your backend content is properly optimised.Features:
ECWID offers a range of features, including product catalogue management, payment processing, shipping integrations, and marketing tools. However, some advanced features, such as multi-channel selling, are only available in the higher-priced plans. Shopify offers a comprehensive range of features, including product management, payment processing, shipping integrations, marketing tools, and advanced analytics, making it a good choice for businesses of all sizes.Customisation:
Although ECWID offers a range of customisable themes and design options, its options are somewhat limited compared with Shopify. The instant site still needs a fair amount of tweaking and custom CSS coding, ECWID offers surprisingly good live chat customer support to help you through this. Shopify has a big library of themes and templates, which can be personalised with built-in tools or third-party apps.Cost:
What certainly counts in ECWID’s favour is that it offers a free plan (for up to 10 products only), That being said, opting for the free plan could mean missing out on advanced features that are only available in the paid-for plans. ECWID offers pricing plans, starting at $23.04 per month for the Venture plan, $47.56 for the Business plan, and $135.02 for the Unlimited plan.
Shopify offers a range of pricing plans, starting at $29 per month for the Basic Plan, $79 for the Shopify plan, and $299 for Advance Shopify (which is recommended for businesses that require substantial reporting, these prices exclude additional credit card fees).
Examples:
Website created in ECWID, instant site: www.blush-bella.com
Website created in Shopify: www.digidalastore.com
Verdict
From the above comparisons, it is easy to see that some features offered trump others, while there is certainly overlap as well. Every website is different; therefore, we believe it’s important to start on the right foot by choosing the CMS that will best fit the needs of your website and your business, now and in the future.
In our personal experience, one of the best platforms to consider as a New Zealand small- to medium-sized business is Rocketspark if you are looking for a CMS that is tailored to the local market.
Rocketspark not only provides customer support easily in local time zones, but also covers SSL certificates, automatic software updates, hosting, emails and technical support. WordPress, ECWID and Shopify are very powerful systems, but remember: You would need to consider employing a third-party provider to offer you technical support when problems arise.
What counts in its favour, is that Rocketspark provides integrated eCommerce functionality, SEO tools, and marketing integrations, making it a comprehensive solution for businesses looking to establish a strong online presence in the New Zealand market.
Overall, Rocketspark is an excellent choice for New Zealand businesses looking for an affordable and easy-to-use CMS platform that meets their specific needs.
Have more questions about our website design services? Contact us today!
