The Best UK CMS? Here’s What a Digital Agency Thinks

There’s certainly no shortage of content management systems (CMS) to choose from when building a new website. From an industry stalwart like WordPress to a website builder like Squarespace or a marketing automation powerhouse like HubSpot, businesses can take their pick.

In fact, there are so many choices that clients can find it confusing. Hopefully, this article can shine some light on the subject.

As a leading Essex web design agency, we’ve used almost every CMS available. We know which works best for which use case, and what you need to think about when choosing between them. And in this article, we’re going to share what we know. Below we review seven of the leading CMS platforms and highlight the things you need to think about when choosing a CMS for your next website

Ready? Then let’s start with our favourite CMS of them all…

ExpressionEngine is an open-source CMS and the platform we use more than any other at Strive. It’s a flexible and secure CMS that is used by some of the world’s biggest brands, including Nike, Disney, and Garmin.

ExpressionEngine comes with all of the features you need from a CMS, including an easy-to-use front-end editor, the ability to add your own code to the platform, advanced security and built-in privacy controls. It’s also highly optimised for SEO out of the box.

The platform also has a wide range of add-ons that let you add additional functionality to your website, such as forms and eCommerce. Finally, and unlike a lot of other CMS platforms on this list, ExpressionEngine also has fantastic customer support.

HubSpot isn’t just a CRM. It also has a pretty good content management system that makes it easy for beginners and advanced marketers to build and manage a website. It’s a particularly good solution if you already use HubSpot’s automation tools to create marketing automation workflows. It’s much easier to integrate the platform’s lead generation tools into a website powered by HubSpot’s CMS than WordPress.

Because HubSpot is a fully-managed platform, you don’t have to worry about updating your website or sourcing a hosting provider. Everything is provided for a single price. Be warned, however, HubSpot can get expensive fast.

Shopify is a hosted eCommerce platform and one of the most popular ways to create a store in 2023. It’s incredibly simple to use. But that doesn’t mean it’s limited. In fact, Shopify is incredibly customisable, and you can use the platform to create just about any design you can imagine.

There are also thousands of apps in the Shopify App Store that let you add functionality to your website, like multi-language support, pricing tables, and warehouse integrations. Payment functionality is also built into the platform, making it easy to accept debit and credit cards.

WordPress is the most popular CMS by some way. At the time of writing, the platform powers over 61 million websites.

Users love the platform’s flexibility and scalability. With thousands of plugins and an active community, you can find a way to do just about anything with a WordPress website.

But just because it’s the most popular doesn’t mean it’s the best. What makes WordPress so good, can also mean it isn’t right for everyone. It’s far from the most user-friendly CMS, for instance, and it can be overwhelming for new users. Adding dozens of plug-ins — not all of which are well-coded — can also seriously slow down your site, too.

Laravel is a PHP framework that provides developers with a base architecture that they can use to create almost anything. This isn’t an out-of-the-box CMS, but you can work with a web development company to create a completely bespoke CMS solution using Laravel’s framework.

Squarespace isn’t so much a CMS as it is an integrated website builder. This means it’s very easy to sign up and launch a Squarespace website from scratch, but it’s much harder to customise your site and tailor it to your business’s specific needs. It also means you get things like security and hosting included in the price.

It’s a great solution if you want to create a CMS website without a web developer, but it’s not a sensible solution for any business that wants to have more than a basic brochure website.

The other issue with Squarespace is that you can’t transfer your site away from the platform. If you choose Squarespace, you’re stuck with it.

You can think of Drupal as the enterprise version of WordPress. It’s a flexible, open-source platform, but it has advanced features like security built-in to the system. This makes it ideal for large enterprises looking for an open-source platform they can tailor to their needs.

Like WordPress, there is a library of modules (aka plugins) that allow you to customise your site and add functionality. It also has a massive online community, strict code review processes and coding standards. You can even use the CMS to customise your site’s content to different audience segments.

4 Factors to Consider When Choosing a CMS

Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for businesses to be set on one CMS only to realise a year or two later that it isn’t fit for purpose. If you’re picking between one of the options above for your new CMS, there are a couple of things we recommend thinking about.

Scalability

The scalability of your CMS is incredibly important to consider. It’s rare that your business (and therefore your website) is going to be the same size in a couple of years. As such, you need a content management system that’s able to handle more traffic and much more content.

You might have more people using your CMS, too. As a result, you’ll want to choose a platform that lets you create multiple accounts and restrict access based on the account type.

Finally, think about how the rest of your tech stack will change in the future and whether your CMS will be able to integrate with new systems.

Ease of Use

If your marketing team is going to use your CMS every day, it better be easy to use. Plenty of platforms look good at first, but it’s a different kettle of fish when you’ve spent 2 hours trying to add a table to a blog post or re-size a header image.

This is one of the reasons we recommend businesses don’t choose WordPress. The user interface can be completely overwhelming if you’re not familiar with it. Prioritise a CMS that is easy to use out of the box and has a wealth of training material that employees can access if they get lost.

Security

You may not think that your small business is a target for malicious actors, but you’d be surprised just how many business websites are hacked each year. Over one-third (39%) of UK businesses reported a cyber attack in 2022.

With that in mind, you’ll want to choose a CMS that isn’t just secure out of the box, but also makes it easy to manage security going forward. Look for a platform with built-in security features like SSL encryption and firewalls, and an easy process for patching and updating.

Price

Price can be a tricky factor when weighing up CMS options. On the one hand, you have completely free options like WordPress. But these require you to purchase hosting separately, and pay for a number of add-on features that aren’t included in the basic functionality.

On the other, you have a platform like HubSpot where the price can quickly spiral. This isn’t to say that one option is better than the other. We have plenty of clients using a premium service like HubSpot that get a huge return on their investment.

But it is important to be aware of the total cost of your website. Just because your CMS is free, doesn’t mean it will be cheap to create and run your entire website.

Do You Really Need a CMS?

This is the final question to ask yourself before speaking to a web design agency or choosing a CMS provider. Because while a CMS can be an excellent business tool, it isn’t always necessary. Here are some ways to decide whether or not you need a CRM.

1. You want to add more content to your website in the future

If you think that there is even a slight chance you’ll want to add new pages to your website in the future, then a CMS is essential. There’s simply no easier way to grow your website. On the other hand, if you’re just looking for a website that won’t change significantly for the next five years, a static brochure website may be a cheaper alternative.

2. You don’t plan on selling products

If you want to add an eCommerce element to your website, it may be better to choose a platform like Shopify than a CMS like ExpressionEngine. While it’s possible to add a Shopify subdomain to your existing site, you may prefer the user experience offered by a native eCommerce solution.

3. You collaborate with other employees or departments

If you have a team of people working on your website, a CMS can make it easier to collaborate. With features like user permissions, version control, and workflow management, a CMS can help ensure that everyone is on the same page.

Let’s Build the Perfect CMS Website Together

As seasoned web developers, Strive has the knowledge and skills necessary to bring your vision to life, regardless of the platform you choose.

We understand that your website is more than just a digital presence; it's an extension of your brand and a vital tool for engaging customers and driving growth. Our team is dedicated to creating a tailor-made website that perfectly encapsulates your brand, captivates your audience, and optimises your online operations — and one that is built on your CMS of choice.

Of course, if you’re still confused or want an expert opinion, we’ll be happy to advise on the best route for your business. That’s the benefit of working with an experienced web development agency, after all.

So get in touch today to find out how we can help you create the perfect CMS website.