Embracing a significant slice of the online world, WordPress incredibly powers 40% of global websites, holds 64% of CMS market share, and breathes life into 70% of websites with its vast array of features and functionalities.
WordPress Top Features
Domain Registration, SSL and Essentials: Everything crucial for setting up a website is proffered at a monthly cost range of $15-$50.
Flexible Custom Design and Development: Design and development services can be outsourced, with costs varying globally. You can achieve an exceptional custom design for your site starting from $1,000-$10,000.
WooCommerce Plugin: For eCommerce, WordPress exclusively offers WooCommerce, a free, open-source, customizable plugin used on over 5 million live websites, amassing 30% of online stores.
1200+ eCommerce-focused Themes: Revamp your storefront with over 1,200 eCommerce-focused themes for customization along with plugins for virtual product booking, upselling, and pre-ordering.
Multiple Payment Gateways: WooCommerce supports various payment extensions including WooCommerce Payments, Stripe, PayPal, Afterpay, Authorize.Net, Square, Amazon Pay.
Auto-Updating and Restoration: With WordPress, you are treated to convenient automated updates, auto-restoration, and a staging site for product testing.
Feature
Avg. Monthly Cost
Hosting
$20
Plugins
Varies
Marketing
$250-$5000
WordPress Limitations
A major downside is that WordPress is not primarily an eCommerce CMS. Therefore, it might not be the best choice for extensive eCommerce operations.
Occasionally, users encounter plugin compatibility issues which might affect the overall site functionality and performance.
WordPress Pricing
While WordPress itself is free, certain features come at a price. Custom design starts at $1,000-$10,000, and additional development services commence from $25,000. Marketing services vary between $250-$5000 per month, while hosting costs range from $9/month to $119/month based on the chosen host. However, established WordPress plans are available, starting from $25,000 annually through WordPress VIP.
WordPress Use Cases
Use Case 1: Content Bloggers
For a personalized blogging experience replete with custom themes and plug-ins, WordPress serves as a perfect platform for content creators and bloggers.
Use Case 2: SME Websites
WordPress proves to be a viable solution for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) with limited budgets, offering a cost-effective platform to establish a professional web presence.
Use Case 3: eCommerce Startups
Startups stepping into eCommerce can leverage WordPress’ WooCommerce plugin to create a fully-functional online storefront.
Blogger
Welcome to the realm of Blogger, an ecommerce platform manifesting strategic game of delivering mesmerizing user experience. Adept at paving way for a 400% higher conversion rate, it thrives on the fusion of aesthetics and user-friendly navigation.
Blogger Top Features
Design Focused on User Experience: Tailored to drive customer retention, the design ensures an intuitive and seamless interaction.
Smart Search Feature: Propitiates quick product find, boosting user satisfaction.
Unified Aesthetics: Deploys brand identities for a perfect blend of messaging and design.
Mobile Design: Optimized for a ‘mobile-first’ experience, it bolsters engagement and ease of access.
Live Chat: Provides real-time assistance, contributing to customer satisfaction.
Product Photos: The need for high-quality images might require professional photography services, implying additional costs.
Advanced Web Design: Although interpretive scroll action animations are popular, the complexity of implementing such elements might overwhelm newcomers.
Blogger Pricing
As Blogger’s pricing structure is not mentioned in the company summary, it is suggested to check their official website for actual details. It’s essential to align the cost with your business’s requirements.
Blogger Use Cases
Use case 1: Ecommerce Businesses
Equipped with seamless site navigation and user-friendly mobile design, Blogger is a strategic weapon for ecommerce businesses striving for higher conversions and better customer retention.
Use case 2: Businesses seeking brand representation
With unified aesthetics and brand-focused design, Blogger is a handy tool for businesses aiming to achieve a consistent brand identity.
Use case 3: Large Inventory Stores
Large Inventory Stores looking to provide a streamlined, efficient search experience to their customers will find Blogger’s smart search feature and filters particularly useful.
Drupal
Founded in 2000, Drupal revolutionizes the way businesses grow online. This open-source eCommerce framework stands its ground by offering high adaptability and a design fit for business scalability. With millions of websites under its belt, Drupal flaunts a worldwide community backing its regular innovations.
Drupal Top Features
User-driven Sites: Offers customization options and liberty for building user-oriented websites.
Dedicated Support: Provides professional support via Centarro and enjoys the backing of 45,000+ developers globally.
International Compatibility: Fosters international growth with multilingual sites and global taxation, currency, and language support.
Responsive Design: Drupal websites are mobile-ready and adapt seamlessly across different platforms.
Frameworks
Customization
Drupal Commerce and Ubercart for robust eCommerce building.
Customizable modules allow tailormade shopping carts and accounting integrations.
Drupal Limitations
The cost of website development can feel steep, depending on the size and complexity of the project.
As powerful and adaptable as it may be, the Drupal framework has a learning curve that can seem daunting to beginners.
Drupal Pricing
Drupal’s cost varies depending on region and website complexity. A basic website might cost between $1,000 to $10,000, while large-scale business sites could start from $8,000, scaling up to $42,000. Customizing Drupal Commerce websites could range between $20K-$100K.
Drupal Use Cases
Use Case 1: eCommerce Websites
With Drupal Commerce, businesses can swiftly respond to market trends, offering solid merchandise creation and comprehensive backend management. Customizable shopping carts, accounting integrations, and compatibility with global platforms like Amazon are standout features.
Use Case 2: Multilingual Businesses
Drupal’s builtin multilingual modules render it suitable for firms accommodating a global clientele. The ease of currency management and language selection makes it a top choice.
Use Case 3: Community Websites
Drupal’s robust user-driven site building caters perfectly to community websites that desire audience participation. Developers can leverage its APIs and technologies for customized module development, responsive designs, and themed development.
Joomla
As a popular and powerful Content Management System, Joomla has been the choice of professionals in web design services since 2009. Its open-source system is ideal for building dynamic websites and a vast array of applications. Joomla has been used for various projects involving installation, configuration, design, development, and marketing.
Joomla Top Features
Flexible Website Creation: Enables creation and management of different types of websites, from blogs to robust e-commerce stores.
Intuitive Interface: Facilitates ease in utilization of its features.
Scalable: Perfect for businesses or individuals in web content publishing.
Joomla 4: Enhances website features, increases speed, and bolsters security, along with SEO improvements.
E-commerce-ready: Can expand into a full-fledged e-commerce platform with add-ons like “Hikashop”.
Additional Features
Benefit
W3C Accessibility compliance
Ensures page accessibility for all users.
EuroDNS integration
Eases the setup process for e-commerce site creation.
Over 6,000 extensions
Presents limitless options for site customization and security.
Joomla Downsides
Its complexity might not be suitable for tech novices.
DotNet, and other evolved platforms compete on its tuning for speed.
Joomla Pricing
As an open-source CMS, Joomla is free. Customizability is facilitated via various plugins and extensions, many offered for free or at nominal costs.
Joomla Use Cases
Use case 1 – Business Marketing and Online Presence
Joomla’s capabilities make it a prime platform for building a solid business marketing platform and reputable online presence.
Use case 2 – E-commerce Store
With options like Hikashop, setting up an e-commerce store is a breeze on Joomla, making it widely useful for retail businesses.
Use case 3 – Content Publishing
Joomla’s scalability and feature-rich architecture make it an ideal choice for professionals and businesses focussed on web content publishing.
Squarespace
An unassailable platform for website creation, Squarespace orchestrates magnificently designed templates, robust tools for e-commerce, and automated online store creation.
Squarespace Top Features
Free website trials: Step into the world of Squarespace without financial commitments.
Expertly curated website templates: Ensures stunning aesthetics for your website.
Squarespace Blueprint: Provides customizable template designs for a personalized touch.
Ecommerce Tools: Manage unlimited products, both physical and digital.
Limited Apps: Squarespace Extensions offer a limited number of apps, possibly limiting functionality.
Third-Party Requirements: Shipping is connected via third-party carriers, which might be a hurdle for some businesses.
Squarespace Pricing
The pricing specifics aren’t mentioned explicitly; however, Squarespace boasts a slew of features, suggesting it’s a paid platform.
Squarespace Use Cases
Use case 1: Ecommerce Businesses
Perfect for businesses with multifarious products. Squarespace’s integrated shopping cart and multiple payment gateways ensure a smooth digital retail experience.
Use case 2: Content Creators
Optimal for content creators seeking a visually compelling platform. Tailored website templates and Squarespace Blueprint boost aesthetic appeal.
Use case 3: Appointment-Based Services
Excellent for businesses that schedule appointments or classes. Squarespace offers easy scheduling and notification capabilities.
React
Engineered by Facebook, ReactJS is an open-source JavaScript Library for superior UI/UX design and dynamic, interactive web and mobile apps. Deeply embedded in JavaScript and HTML, it ameliorates fluid and high-performance applications.
React Top Features
JSX: JS syntax extension aiding developers to pen HTML structures within JavaScript code.
Virtual DOM: Aims at heightening app performance.
One-way data binding: Ensures unidirectional data flow for improved control.
Server-side rendering: Accelerates app load times and enhances SEO scores.
Reusable UI components: Streamline development and debugging processes.
React Native
Unveiled in 2015 for efficient mobile app development.
React 18
March 2022 release accentuating performance boosts and rendering engine advancements. Presented APIs are createRoot, hydrateRoot, renderToPipeableStream, and renderToReadableStream.
New hooks in React 18
Include useId, useTransition, useDeferredValue, useSyncExternalStore, and useInsertionEffect.
React Limitations
Lack of robust documentation can create impediments for beginners.
Fast-paced updates may result in compatibility issues.
React Pricing
ReactJS is an open-source library, free for all enthused developers to leverage its potential for superlative web and mobile applications.
React Use Cases
Use case 1
Web Development: With its high efficiency and flexibility, ReactJS powers interactive and robust web applications.
Use case 2
Mobile App Development: Embodied in React Native, it catalyzes performance-efficient and intuitive mobile applications.
Use case 3
SEO-friendly applications: React’s server-side rendering renders apps more amicable to search engines, promoting better organic search performance.
Shopify
In the world of eCommerce, Shopify stands tall as a resourceful option for store design. It offers a cornucopia of pre-made, cost-effective templates and thrives in the arena of search-engine driven sales, spearheading a remarkable 43% of eCommerce transactions.
Shopify Top Features
Ready-to-use, affordable eCommerce templates.
Allows custom-designed themes for brand consistency.
SEO optimization driving significant eCommerce sales.
Offers an array of user retention features like promotion tools, carousel slides, and wishlists creation.
Supports both native and headless builds.
Feature
Utility
Carousel Slides
Enhances user engagement via visual titillation.
Wishlists Creation
Enables personal cataloging for user retention.
SEO Optimization
Boosts sales through improved search engine visibility.
Shopify Downsides
Lack of unique aesthetics in preset templates, requiring custom website design.
Does not provide custom design services, necessitating third-party intervention.
Cost escalation with custom designs, functionalities, and system integration.
Need for separate page designs for various content types.
Shopify Pricing
While Shopify’s monthly subscription ranges from $29.99 to $299.99, additional costs are involved for custom design and added functionality. Basic graphics or template creation can cost between $500 and $1,000, while a full Shopify store design can range from $5,000 to $20,000. In the case of extensive projects, this figure may even top the $100,000 mark.
Shopify Use Cases
Use case 1
For merchants seeking quick-launch solutions, Shopify, with lightspeed solutions like the Accelerator Programme by Eastside Co, provides an effective answer. This allows merchants to get their store up and running in less than four weeks.
Use case 2
For businesses aiming to craft a unique online presence but lacking in-house design expertise, Shopify’s compatibility with third-party design agencies and an abundance of available templates make it an apt choice. They can choose from agencies like Metizsoft Solutions, Eastside Co, and others for tailored design solutions.
Use case 3
Businesses looking to optimize their website’s SEO performance will find Shopify’s robust SEO capabilities invaluable. This can ramp up visibility and drive higher sales via search engine tractions.
Grant Sullivan
Content writer @ Aircada and self proclaimed board game strategist by day, AI developer by night.
