If you’re going to create a website using open source publishing software (and if you’re not, why aren’t you?) it’s going to come down to two choices: Joomla or WordPress. Joomla and WordPress are the two current giants in the field, and it may not be clear which one you should choose. The reality is that one is not objectively “better” than the other. It all comes down to what your own publishing needs happen to be.
Joomla vs. WordPress
To help you frame your decision, consider this: Joomla was created as a content management system, whereas WordPress is more of a blogging platform that has expanded into a program that can serve as a content manager. What does this mean? If you’re looking to create a corporate website that also has a blog, you will probably want to look at Joomla first. In contrast, if you are trying to build a website around a strong blog or family of blogs, WordPress is probably going to be your first choice.
Benefits of WordPress
Then there is the issue of user-friendliness. As a blog-based platform, WordPress is much more user-friendly. That doesn’t mean that novices can’t learn to create using Joomla, it just means it is going to take a little more work. On the other hand, those with some web design experience may be more comfortable using a platform that assumes its user has some knowledge, and may find WordPress a little too “Fisher-Price” for their taste.
Benefits of Joomla
If security is an issue, you may prefer Joomla, as it allows multiple levels of permissions, whereas WordPress only offers public, private and password protected. Joomla also easily supports eCommerce software, while WordPress does not.
Finally, there is the issue of design flexibility. A WordPress site is fairly easy to recognize, since there is limited flexibility in your design options, as your website is essentially an expanded blog. Joomla offers much more flexibility in the way of design, and fresh templates are easier to create. This means that if you are looking to create a website that looks completely unique and more closely conforms to your or a client’s vision, you will often have a much better chance of success with Joomla.
Examples of Effective WordPress Sites
Mashable.com, a hugely popular Social Media Guide, uses WordPress as its platform. Mashable is integrated with Twitter, Facebook, Google Search and many other applications useful to visitors from the social media world. Mashable does just what you would expect, mashing up the hottest content on music, video, travel, games, jobs, business and more in one location. WordPress is a perfect fit for such a venture, which requires continual add-ons and updates, and Mashable has no problem attracting advertisers or the consumers that those advertisers are after.
A site outside the affiliate marketing world that has used WordPress effectively is Komodo Media (www.komodomedia.com). Komodo Media is a small web design studio. The purpose of their site is to introduce their design capabilities and help you get to know them. They don’t need a big corporate presence or a radically distinct design template, because that’s not who they are. Something too elaborate might confuse or dissuade clients who might fear that Komodo won’t be able to conform to the client’s vision. This is a simple site built around a blog, portfolio and some download offerings to make it easy for potential clients to find the site, enjoy the site, and contact Komodo Media about business opportunities.
Examples of Effective Joomla Sites
GreenMedica.com is a great example of a site that uses Joomla effectively. Green Medica has a lot of great products, like Brain Rescue and Coriolus Versicolor, that require a website with a little more advanced design to showcase them. They have a blog, but it’s not the primary focus of their site. Joomla allows GreenMedica to easily integrate a shopping cart and blog, while featuring a marketing design that will attract a lot of consumer traffic and make purchasing easy.
A great Joomla site to check out outside of the marketing world is the site of the Scottish rock band Mogwai (www.mogwai.co.uk ). As a rock band, Mogwai needs a distinctive site, and that’s what they’ve created using Joomla; a site that represents their brand. In addition to a blog-type section where they can update fans about news and tour dates, the designer has used Joomla to seamlessly integrate audio, video and podcasting, as well as eCommerce, with an online store and shopping cart allowing visitors to buy Mogwai-branded products right from the site.
Joomla vs. WordPress: The Bottom Line
The bottom line is this. WordPress can do a lot, and it will probably be able to do even more as the software continues to adapt. However there is a way in which Joomla sites have a much more professional appearance. If you’re doing corporate website work and you have a reasonable grounding of website-building experience, Joomla is probably the way to go. If your goal is to put up a site that simply showcases a great blog, perhaps one you will use to direct traffic to affiliates, and your main area of expertise is not website creation and design, WordPress will definitely meet your needs.
