We’ve already had a look at the steps involved in choosing the right CMS platform, so this time we are going behind the scenes and talking to our team of developers about the amazing features of the various CMS platforms Spindogs works with.
At their essence, pretty much all the platforms we work with – from WordPress to Umbraco and Kentico – have the same core features. What changes is the technology stack – .NET vs PHP. That being said, knowing the unique functionalities each one is capable of will help you find the CMS best suited for your website and marketing requirements.
Let’s dive into the nitty-gritty of each platform:
WordPress
Built on PHP, WordPress tends to be more rapid to build and deploy, so it’s good for getting products to market quicker. Originally a blogging platform, over time WordPress has been adopted as a fully-fledged CMS, and is now the most popular CMS platform globally (in fact, it powers approximately 31% of all websites on the Internet in 2018, according to W3Techs).
WordPress is widely known as being really user-friendly for content editors. We build on this using a flexible content approach. While the traditional way of developing involves templates with different areas, we build flexible blocks crafted by our designers; it’s then up to the client to rearrange those blocks and use them as they wish, without undermining the expertise of our designers.
The ease-of-use also means WordPress has a low entry – in other words, someone with low coding knowledge could use plugins to create a low-quality site. Spindogs, on the other hand, are experts at delivering commercial grade WordPress websites for over 5 years. We build as natively as possible, writing code to fit perfectly with the WordPress CMS, as well as additional functionalities for bespoke client requirements.
Spindogs Examples: WordPress solutions we’ve built vary from large CMS (websites with a lot of pages) such as Exeter College, websites with big bespoke elements that we build on top of core CMS, like Visit Swansea Bay which has a whole listings directory (like yellow pages), and online shops like DVS, featuring an integration with SAGE 200.
Umbraco
With 443,450 active installs, Umbraco is one of the most popular .NET CMS platforms currently, and steadily gaining a reputation as the preferred option for newly built websites. A selling point for many people is that Umbraco is the leading open source Microsoft ASP.NET CMS, meaning specific Microsoft integrations from the Microsoft stack work quicker and with less issues, providing you with more value for money.
Umbraco is a more robust platform for established products, and an easy to use flexible CMS. We can completely customise what the user is seeing, including labels, icons, brand colours etc. It has a good scalable content tree, which makes it perfect for websites with lots of different pages (or nodes). Any bespoke requirements can be fulfilled by our skilled team of .NET developers, who can deliver these tailored to your needs.
With Umbraco you can start simple and build complex solutions, instead of dealing with unwanted out of the box systems. We can build features based on client needs, resulting in a neat end-product.
Spindogs Examples: Big sites like MBS and Healthcare infections society showcase that Umbraco is not just for brochure sites – it’s quite a robust system capable of big projects. It can be customised to meet the needs of varied industries – from exam board website WJEC which we’ve integrated with Microsoft dynamics to Northumbria Police’s website equipped with enquiry forms, as well as recruitment websites like Acorn where job listings need to be pulled through.
Kentico
Another extremely popular .Net solution, Kentico bills itself as the All-in-One CMS, and with good reason! Their flagship EMS product license comes with varied built-in core functionality, including Web Content Management, Online Marketing, eCommerce and Intranet/Collaboration.
Flexible with its fields, document types and the separation between content and design, Kentico is on par with the rest of the CMS platforms we offer when it comes to customisation. The CMS works on a dashboard principle when it comes to content editing, allowing users to manage the modules and structure of their site, as well as play around with advanced linking, formatting and media insertion using the built-in WYSIWYG editor.
The Kentico eCommerce module is another nifty out of the box functionality we love. Chiefly dedicated to internet sales, it allows you to create an online shop with integrated authorisation features such as PayPal. A marketer’s favourite, the CMS also comes with a fully integrated online marketing solution packed full of tools designed to help source leads, optimise content and analyse campaigns.
Spindogs Examples: Part of our Kentico portfolio is Activate Learning, which we have just launched and includes a nice integration with their course management system REMS and Dynamics 365. The Kentico website we built for The Concrete Centre, on the other hand, makes use of the eCommerce module and allows visitors to purchase publications as well as book onto events.
Our skilled team of software engineers can deliver visually stunning websites on a flexible CMS platform tailored to your business needs. Take a look at our web development offering or get in touch to discuss your requirements.