Building an online business is one of the best ways to make money since it is easier to launch and has lower startup costs than a brick-and-mortar store.

To start building your own business website, you’ll need to choose a domain name and a platform. Make sure to check your preferred website name’s domain name availability before purchasing one.

Then, consider using a content management system (CMS) for your website platform. Compared to a website builder like Shopify, a CMS offers more flexibility to connect custom domain names, choose a web host, and customize your website.

To help you narrow down the choices, we list the top eight CMSs for small business websites in 2022. Let’s begin!

1. WordPress

WordPress is one of the most popular CMS platforms. Initially a blogging platform, it now offers flexibility and customization options for all types of websites. There are also over 59,000 WordPress plugins to add more site functionalities, making it perfect for any website.

Some notable features of WordPress include responsive mobile sites and comprehensive user and media management. This CMS is also free, but you’ll need to find a web hosting provider and buy a domain name separately. Depending on the hosting plan, it can cost from $2/month to upwards of $10/month for a single WordPress site.

Pros:

• Free to download.
• A user-friendly interface.
• Various customizable free themes.

Cons:

• Limited customer support – users have to rely on community forums and documentation.
• Using bad or too many plugins can lead to security risks.

2. Joomla

Many small business owners use Joomla to create a professional website. It provides powerful PHP applications and search engine optimization (SEO) tools that are beneficial for growing a small business.

Like WordPress, Joomla is an open-source platform that is free to use. It has key features like multilingual support and cache management to speed up your website. However, beginners might find Joomla challenging to set up as it requires some technical knowledge.

Pros:

• A WYSIWYG editor that lets you directly edit site content without coding.
• A banner tool to monetize your website through ads.
• Easily redirect URLs when needed.

Cons:

• The control panel has a steeper learning curve.
• Limited add-ons compared to WordPress.

3. PrestaShop

PrestaShop is one of the most popular CMS platforms for building an eCommerce website.

Even though it is free to download, PrestaShop has a wide range of tools and add-ons for various eCommerce businesses to create a professional online store.

Its key features include multi-store management, multiple payment options, sales and orders statistics, and advanced SEO capabilities to help you manage and market products with ease.

Pros:

• Easy to set up and launch an online store.
• Extensive theme customization.
• Sell products worldwide with multi-currency options.

Cons:

• Add-on features can be costly.
• Relatively steep learning curve.

4. Drupal

Drupal is one of the best CMSs providing robust security – perfect for making reliable, high-performing websites. It’s also extremely flexible, so you can create a scalable site that grows with your business.

Tools like the drag-and-drop editor and marketing automation can help to simplify your workflow. Plus, it has a personalization feature that improves the user experience, which can positively affect site traffic and online sales.

You can download Drupal for free since it’s an open-source CMS.

Pros:

• A dedicated support team to help you overcome cyber attacks like malware.
• Optimize for mobile devices and search engines.
• Flexible integrations with third-party tools.

Cons:

• A steep learning curve as Drupal is primarily designed for web developers.
• Running multiple combinations of modules can create performance issues.

5. Magnolia

Magnolia is a headless CMS that is an excellent solution for delivering content via an API across multiple channels, such as mobile apps, websites, and social media.

It’s perfect for a small business website as it offers powerful tools to manage and optimize marketing campaigns. Magnolia also has an A/B testing feature and an intuitive visual editor to manage content for a single-page application (SPA).

In terms of pricing, you’ll need to contact their sales reps to get a custom quote. Alternatively, request a demo to learn more about this platform.

Pros:

• A centralized interface to create and manage content.
• Omnichannel experiences that can increase traffic and engagement.
• High scalability to grow a website.
• Seamless integrations with existing applications and frameworks.
   

Cons:

• No free option.
• Some technical knowledge is required.

6. Hubspot CMS

HubSpot (News - Alert) CMS is another popular content management system enabling users to create a website quickly. This platform has great online resources and built-in marketing tools, making it a top choice for marketers, creatives, and content creators.

One of the most notable features of this platform is its built-in customer relationship management (CRM) tool. It lets site owners collect and manage data to nurture existing and potential customers.

This CMS’ pricing plans range from $23/month to $1,200/month, offering varying numbers of reporting dashboards, subdomains, and website pages.

Pros:

• Requires no coding knowledge.
• Robust analytics tools to analyze and improve SEO performance and rankings.
• Personalize your website using smart content.
• Social media integrations to help users publish and track their content.
   

Cons:

• Limited plugins and themes.
• Lack of technical support.

7. Kentico

Kentico is a headless-ready CMS that offers complete customizability. The platform provides strong marketing and eCommerce tools to reach a broad audience, making Kentico perfect for eCommerce stores that want to scale their business.

Some of its key features include automated content translation and digital asset management, perfect for optimizing your site. Kentico’s pricing can get quite costly, with its Business plan starting at $11,100/year. Although it’s not ideal for beginners, this CMS can suit medium and large businesses.

Pros:

• Consulting services are available at an extra cost.
• Robust security.
• Comprehensive resources for enterprise-level projects.

Cons:

• Pricier than other CMS platforms.
• Some coding skills are required to build a more extensive website.

8. Adobe Commerce

Adobe (News - Alert) Commerce, previously known as Magento, is another popular eCommerce platform suitable for any type of website. It offers high flexibility and scalability, making it perfect for medium to large-sized businesses.

This powerful CMS provides excellent site security, mobile responsiveness, and a wide range of integrations and extensions. Some of its key features include built-in SEO tools, inventory management, and product bundles that will help you market your products.

Pros:

• Dedicated infrastructure.
• High customizability.
• Personalize content for specific customer segments.
   

Cons:

• Costly fees.
• Requires web development skills to set up and manage.

Conclusion

When choosing the best CMS platform for your website, it is crucial to consider its features, pricing, and pros and cons. Similarly, it’s also important to consider your business size, needs, and growth expectations.

This article listed the top eight content management systems for small businesses in 2022. Here are our top three picks:

1. WordPress – one of the best platforms with a user-friendly interface and various plugin options.
2. HubSpot CMS – an excellent CMS that provides great built-in marketing tools and is suitable for non-technical users.
3. Adobe Commerce – a robust CMS offering high scalability and comprehensive eCommerce features.

We hope this article has helped you choose a CMS that suits your needs and business goals. Good luck!