Ghost vs. WordPress: What's The Best CMS For Small Business?
If you’re looking to create a new blog or website, you’ll want to choose a suitable CMS for small business. WordPress and Ghost are both popular content management systems (CMS) that can be used to build a beautiful site. However, they have their own unique set of pros and cons.
What to look for in a CMS for small business?
There are various factors you should look into before considering a CMS for small business.
Here, we simplified things for you and took into crucial aspects you need to know to help you choose the best tool for your business.
Cost
A CMS may cost as little as $8 to $10 per month for CMS for small business, but thousands of dollars for a corporation. Several well-known content management systems are available for free. While free CMS choices may appeal to small businesses on a shoestring budget, it’s critical to consider costs of utilizing CMS.
For example, free CMS systems frequently lack essential features like customer support and security updates. There are free choices that display advertising on your website, which may annoy your consumers. When selecting a CMS for small business, it’s critical to consider all the costs and benefits to ensure you’re receiving the best service for your money.
Ease of use
There are a variety of tools available that can make the whole process simpler. However, remember that not all CMS platforms are created equal. Some are more user-friendly than others. When choosing a CMS platform, it is vital to consider the needs of your specific business.
A CMS platform that is too complicated to use can waste valuable time and resources. A platform that is easy to use can save your time and money in the long run.
SEO-Friendly
Any business owner understands the importance of online presence in today’s digital world. With so many alternatives available, it can be tough to know where to begin. Finding a Content Management System that will give your team plenty of flexibility in generating your online content is one of the critical elements to consider. You may fine-tune your content and design while working with a customized CMS to produce a more cohesive and SEO-friendly website.
Design Flexibility
Choosing a CMS for your small business website, it’s essential to consider design flexibility and the user experience. If you want to use a built-in template for your pages, look for a platform that provides a starting point for you. It’s also crucial to provide a good experience across all devices. Mobile-responsive content is essential nowadays, so in addition to design flexibility, look for a platform that offers the ability to improve the user experience.
Even the most straightforward website will require a good user experience to ensure visitors enjoy using it.
Of course, the more complicated the site and its content structure, the harder it will become to provide a great user experience.
Ecommerce and Marketing Features
Your CMS platform must do more than simply manage your content. It should also introduce ecommerce features in a streamlined and effective way. By integrating with the best ecommerce partners, you can bring your current providers together with your CMS platform.
In addition, your CMS platform should also be capable of being used for marketing purposes. Such as updating your content calendar or planning your digital marketing strategy. By taking advantage of what your CMS platform has to offer, you can streamline your process and take your small business to the next step.
The best CMS for small business
It’s worth considering if you’re looking for a simple and efficient CMS with a clean and minimal user interface. Ghost is a CMS for a small business created for bloggers. Unlike WordPress, It does not power a wide range of websites. While this may seem a limitation, it allows for a more focused and streamlined user experience.
For example, Ghost’s automatic post scheduling and social media integration make blogging easier.
Unlike some other CMS, Ghost offers a free software application that you can download and use on your own server. However, to use Ghost, you’ll need to purchase web hosting. While this can be expensive than other CMS options, it also gives you more control over your website. With Ghost, you can customize your site to match your brand and give your customers a better experience.
Plus, with paid web hosting, you’ll get access to additional features that can be extremely helpful as you grow your business online.
WordPress
It’s a popular CMS for small business. WordPress is an original open-source platform that is free to download and provides every freedom to create your website. But you’re responsible for sorting your own web hosting, domain name, security, and speed. It’s also used by many small businesses who appreciate its low cost and ease of use. While you can find free plugins and themes, it’s important to remember that you get what you pay for. Premium plugins and themes offer more features than their free counterparts.
If you’re serious about building a WordPress site, investing in premium plugins and themes is worth it.
Ghost vs. WordPress: Comparison
Pricing is one of the crucial factors to consider when choosing what CMS for small business to pick. As a small business, staying within your budget is a must, but still, having access to quality tools. Let’s compare the cost between WordPress and Ghost to give you a better insight into which is a better choice for you.
Cost
WordPress is FREE. The software is free to download for users like you. That means there are no upfront costs, and you can use it for as long as you like. For you to have a website live online, you’ll need to purchase a domain name (your website’s address) and hosting (where your website lives). Once you have those, you can connect your domain name to your hosting account and install WordPress.
Then you’re ready to start creating content for your new or improved website.
Although you have to invest money on website hosting and domain name, WordPress offers many features that you’d definitely be interested in.
wordpress
It has a wide selection of free plugins and themes for you to use to get you started. There are more than 58 000 free plugins for you to browse and use to create your website.
Premium plugins are also available for extra costs if you want a specific theme or plugin.
What sets WordPress apart from the other CMS is that you have complete control over how much money you’re willing to spend. If you’re satisfied with the free plugins it offers, then you don’t need to empty out your wallet.
Ghost offers a 14 days trial for users to try, but after the trial period, their server deletes all data if you won’t select a paid plan.
The cheapest plan you can get is their Starter plan for 9$.
This includes:
- 1 staff user
- Access to official Ghost themes
- Custom domain
- ZERO transaction fees
Other plans are readily available for your convenience if you want to add more users or access the additional features.
So whether you’re starting with content marketing or looking for a new CMS for small business, take advantage of Ghost’s 14-day free trial. It’s the perfect way to see if Ghost is right for you.
Ease of Use
Non-coders may find blogging intimidating. Choosing a CMS that simplifies site creation might be the right fit.
In a nutshell, WordPress is elementary to use. Since it’s open source, you must install it and manage updates and backups. However, WordPress is pretty easy to use overall, especially once you spend time learning about the terms, themes, plugins, and more.
It also has a massive plugin library, allowing you to add many features to your site without writing any code. There are plugins for everything from social media integration to e-commerce, so you can easily customize your site to meet your specific needs.
It’s an excellent option for small businesses who want to create a professional-looking website without spending much money. With so much flexibility and power, it’s no wonder that WordPress is the most popular CMS on the web.
You can also find support from the extensive WordPress community if you run into any problems.
Ghost is a beginner, user-friendly CMS for small business. Once you log in, you enter your dashboard, where you can manage your site, create your posts and customize your pages. With several clicks, you can get your content published and ready to be read by your audience.
No need for complex code or complicated configurations, Ghost takes care of everything for you so you can focus on what’s really important: writing great content.
So if you’re looking for a straightforward means to build and manage your website, Ghost is the perfect solution.
Design and Flexibility
As a small business owner, you’d want tools to make your site look professional but customizable.
WordPress has plugins readily available for free. These features are flexible and can be customized to be suitable for different devices.
It keeps a consistent design; it makes it easy to switch between themes in the future without losing your content.
With WordPress, it’s possible to change the entire look of your website without having to redo all the content. This CMS separates the design from the content, making it much simpler to manage a website and update it regularly.
For those who have never used a CMS before because of how user-friendly it is for tailoring your site. , this might be the right fit for you.
Keep in mind that CMS are not just for large businesses – they can also be conducive to small businesses.
While Ghost provides a limited number of design and customization options, it’s still a good CMS for small business. The platform comes with themes similar to WordPress, but just over 15 free themes are available. If you have a deeper pocket, then feel free to purchase a premium theme, but there are still only 100 of these to choose from. Customizing your piece is done inside the settings panel. You can control the color, fonts, icons, site logo, and more. Despite this, Ghost is still a good option for small businesses looking for an easy-to-use CMS.
Search Engine Optimization Features
When running a small business, you don’t have the time or resources to invest in a complex content management system (CMS). However, that doesn’t mean you should overlook how crucial SEO is.
WordPress is an effective CMS for small businesses for various reasons, one of which is a highly optimized search engine. The core platform is designed with good SEO practices, making it simple to increase your site traffic and rankings. You can change a variety of built-in parameters to further improve your website.
A plugin that is very helpful for SEO is Yoast. There are various plans to choose from but the best part is, there is a Free plan available for your small business.
Furthermore, there are numerous plugins and themes available that contribute to SEO. So, if you want to create a small business website that ranks well in search engines, WordPress is a perfect choice.
Although WordPress is a well-known content management system for small businesses, it doesn’t include all of the advanced SEO features companies need to take control of their search engine rankings.
For example, WordPress users must install a plugin to enjoy granular control over their website’s title tags and meta descriptions.
As a result, many businesses find that a CMS like Ghost is a better option for driving organic traffic and improving their search engine rankings. Companies enjoy powerful SEO features without installing plugins or third-party software.
Hence, you can redirect your focus to creating great content and leave the search engine optimization to Ghost.
Ecommerce and Marketing Features
WordPress is a very adaptable CMS platform that is used to build a wide range of online sites. The CMS is straightforward to use and offers a variety of features that make it suitable for small businesses. It’s used to develop an online store, a blog, or a simple website. The possibilities limitless. It’s also very configurable, allowing you to tailor your website to your design specifications.
For a small business, you know how important it is to have a CMS that makes your life easy. Ghost does just that with its eCommerce functionality. You can easily gate your content and create paid newsletters for your premium subscribers. This makes it easier for you to manage members and create a post that only your paying customers can see.
Although you won’t be able to create an online store with this CMS platform, you’ll be able to create a site that offers exclusivity for your content reserved solely for your subscribers.
Conclusion
WordPress is a well-established platform that’s easy to use and has a large selection of themes and plugins. Although, it can be slower than other options and is vulnerable to security threats. CMS WordPress is the best option for your business if you want an easy-to-use platform with a selection of features.
Ghost, on the other hand, is a newer platform designed for speed and security. But, it can be more challenging and has fewer themes and plugins available. Ultimately, the best CMS for small business depends on your needs and preferences. It’s the better choice if you prioritize speed and security.