Any sort of a freelancing job, from photography to plumbing needs to have a reliable content management system (CMS) that is before all custom-tailored to meet the needs of that particular business. Unlike corporations and start-ups that usually provide CMSs to their employees, freelancers are on their own when it comes to choosing and acquiring the right CMS. Facebook, Instagram or Flickr are all nice but they lack so many features that your business might need, such as paying online for goods and services. On the other side, other platforms out there are too complex to handle as they have too many features and require the knowledge of at least a junior developer possesses to operate. That is why it is essential that the CMS you opt for in the end is ideal for your business: neither too rudimentary nor too complex.
There are numerous CMSs in the market today, so googling them hardly ever helps. However, you need to get to know several of them and the way they operate before reaching the final decision. In order to make this choice easier for you, we have compiled a list of top 6 CMSs that are hot right now. This is what your fellow freelancers will be using in 2019, so don’t miss out on the opportunity to jump on the bandwagon.
Wix
You have probably seen their ad on several social media platforms, most notably on YouTube. The main thing going in favor of Wix.com is the fact that they make site-building a child’s play. Basically, you are provided with preset templates that you can choose from and simply “drag and drop” them anywhere you see fit. You are being creative and saving time on design both at the same time because Wix uses the most popular theme that you would opt for anyway. There is no coding experience required to operate it, so a simple user interface is its biggest advantage over the competition. It is not particularly expensive but you will be tempted to buy the option not to have the ads displayed.
Koken
Favorite among professional photographers, Koken is a free downloadable CMS. It functions as a commercial CMS but you have to buy some options and link. One such feature is a plugin for a cart checkout through which visitor will pay for content before downloading it. Don’t worry; linking to social media profiles is still free of charge. Koken’s biggest advantage is the ability to upload a lot of photos and manipulate them as it has an Adobe Lightroom plugin. Writing articles on this CMS is also easy, alongside the aforementioned option to upload photos and videos.
Weebly
One industry in particular that uses a lot of photos is online retailing. If your enterprise is oriented at buying and selling online, then Weebly would the ideal CMS. It was designed with entrepreneurs in mind, so the design has been beautified to showcase your products to customers as if they were looking at a shop window. Weebly doesn’t stop at design, as it is a complete platform able to track orders, assist with the inventory, and it can even be helpful with taxes. The customer gets the ideal online shopping experience as he or she is sure at all times what is going on with their order. Shipping and tracking are done in real time and visitors can even shuffle between different currencies. To top it all Weebly comes with built-in marketing tools that engage customers and increases the visibility of your products on Google.
WordPress
Ah, the classic when it comes to building a website. You have probably worked with WordPress before and are now wondering how on Earth is this CMS still topical in 2019. Well, the key to its longevity are constant updates and upgrade, so the latest WordPress 5.0 “Bebo” version offers all the features other new CMSs have. The front page is now enriched with blocks that are easy to position and manipulate using “drag and drop” technique. It features the option to edit the website live and to change the size of blocks and select the font of the text inside them. Also, the option to introduce audio recordings has never been simpler, so parts of your website could be dedicated to a playlist.
The final advantage of WordPress is a developed support network. In essence, WordPress support is widely available, saving you the time and effort to manage the content on your own, so you would have more time to focus on running the business.
SmugMug
Another CMS with a catchy name comes with a promise to help you “show off” everything from your portfolio to your wedding pictures. It comes with a free trial and features tailored both for people who just want to have a place to showcase their travels photos online and for businesspeople who rest the future of their franchise in the hand of a good CMS. Whether you are organizing an event and want to promote or you are out to create a trademark, SmugMug will try to turn it into (a web) reality. Although depositing photos seems to be the founders’ main marketing strategy, SmugMug is really for everyone, from enthusiasts, all the way to professionals.
Zenfolio
A company from Menlo Park in California created a CMS called Zenfolio with the aim of helping photographers create a perfect portfolio for them. However, it’s affordable price make it alluring to all freelancers in need of a website. Online payment, group buying, discount’s, and coupons are just some of the options Zenfolio has to offer; apart from providing its users with a “beautiful homepage.” In fact, because it is a photography CMS, you can upload unlimited photos and videos, which makes it ideal for creating a family or travel photo album. It has all the features other CMSs offer, such as numerous templates, printing orders, and accessibility from all devices at any time. It comes in three packages: starter, pro, and advanced, neither of which is free.
Like we have stated at the beginning, which CMS you opt for from the 6 listed will largely depend on what you want to use it for. The type of the business you run will determine the necessary features, so choose the CMS accordingly. Whichever one you choose, make sure to use it to the fullest by inserting as many images and social media links as possible.
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