One needs a reliable e-commerce content management system in place to run a successful online store, but they can often prove to be heavy on the pocket. Thankfully, we have two dedicated e-commerce content management systems to analyze, and they happen to be free! WordPress and Magento both pack quite a punch when it comes to popularity in the market, as well as features. Picking a winner among these two is not going to be easy, but we are surely going to give it a go. However before we begin, we must clarify that there can never be one clear winner between the two, just a unique winner in each category. Ultimately, it comes down to the specific needs that make you choose which the best e-commerce development platform is for you.
In this post, we are going to analyze WordPress acdrnd Magento and highlight not only their advantages but also their disadvantages to you so that you can choose the best e-commerce platform.
If you have previously worked with WordPress, then Magento may seem a bit complex to you in comparison. But don’t fret, it comes with its own set of benefits to online stores!
The Similarities: Magento & WordPress
On a first glance, both e-commerce platforms look strikingly similar as they are both SEO friendly, have broad themes, a robust online support community and come with the ability to customize fully. Both Magento and WordPress give you the options to add, modify and manage your content in whichever way you prefer. The difference between Magento and WordPress is not in their features, but preferably in what they are oriented towards. While WordPress is more content-oriented, Magento happens to be created exclusively for e-commerce purposes.
WordPress
Most websites that can be found online are currently running on WordPress. It is an open-source e-commerce platform even though it is majorly used as a blogging platform. WordPress is now being used by more than 60 million websites which make 17% of all websites on the internet. Even eBay, which is the current owner of Magento, runs their blogs on WordPress. Now, this is quite ironic, wouldn’t you agree? While it is user-friendly, WordPress also comes with easy to install plugins and themes with total freedom to customize in any way you see fit. You can make use of the basic e-commerce functionalities in WordPress with the help of several popular third-party plugins such as Easy Digital Downloads Plugin and WooComerce Plugin.
Magento
Magento is a lot like WordPress as it is also an open-source e-commerce platform worthy of being trusted by more than 150,000 online store owners which include many well-known brands and multinational corporations of the world. For small and large-scale businesses, Magento is an excellent choice as it offers complete customization and gives its merchants a chance to set up stores based on their flexibility and needs. It offers features such as multi-store management, mobile e-commerce, search engine optimisation (SEO), reports, and several useful tools. As we mentioned earlier, Magento is a bit complex when compared to WordPress as it comes with an interface capable of integrating multiple content pages and menus. Even so, it is very similar to WordPress. The difference between the two is that Magento happens to be a lot more secure than WordPress when it comes to integrating third-party extensions.
Magento vs WordPress
Whether Magento or WordPress is the right fit for you boils down to one question; what are your business goals? If your main goal is to build an online business by generating sales, then Magento development is your best bet. However, if you want to dive into the world of content marketing and digital publishing, then WordPress is the ideal fit for you. There are many reputable WordPress development companies out there that you can take your pick from. We have an excellent candidate for you, but more on that later.
Security
It is the job of any small, medium or large business owner considering a new platform to wonder what it is like in terms of security and safety, After all, a content management system holds sensitive information. Since WordPress is quite popular, it gets a lot of traction on the matter of security. However, the foundation of both Magento and WordPress is quite secure. Both of these e-commerce platforms are mature and thus have had years worth of security patches installed, which provide you an ample amount of security. What it all comes down to are the themes and plugins that you choose and how well you manage your server security. This is also a reason why you should look into a managed hosting solution so that you can have the ability to customize and be flexible without having irrational worries about misconfigured server and security flaws.Â
Search Engine OptimizationÂ
Both Magento and WordPress come packed with SEO features that can individually be tweaked and improved with the help of a few plugins. We recommend that if you choose WordPress, you go for clean coded themes so that best practices can be taken part in. You can install reputable plugins such as Yoast SEO so that you can manage essential page details and create custom page titles and meta descriptions. Since WordPress was created with content as a priority, it comes with a lot of features you can use to maximise the impact of what you post.Â
Similarly, if you go for Magento, choose a well-scripted theme. Since Magento was not primarily created for content marketing purposes, it takes a bit of effort to get this platform on the same level as that of WordPress.Â
Combined Power of the Two
Though most people don’t know, you can mix the power of Magento and WordPress! We are sure you are wondering how. Let us tell you. You can use Magento to handle your store’s theme and design, but use WordPress in the back-end so you can use it’s powerful blogging features. This way, you can get the best of both worlds. The choice is really simple. If you want to run a store focus on the e-commerce aspect of things, Magento is your winner. If you’re going to run a store that is focussed on the content issue of things, WordPress is your winner. But what if you want both? There is no reason you can’t have that. All you need is a reliable WordPress and Magento development company to get you your customized solution.Â
Why Choose X10sive Media
Let us tell you a little bit about X10sive Media. It is a web design Sydney company that was created a little over 10 years ago with a vision in mind, that is, to deliver customized web solutions to our clients that align with their vision in the end.
