When you think of creating any website, you probably think of content management systems, most commonly known as CMSs. When you start searching for any good CMS, your search restricts to WordPress and Joomla.Both these systems are popular and heavily used throughout the world.
According to Wikipedia,Joomla was downloaded 23 million times during March 2007 and 2011. Approximately, 7,400 extensions are available for Joomla. On the other hand, WordPress powers 22% of all the new websites and it has been downloaded over 32.5 million times.
Also, if you search for “wordpress vs joomla” in Google, it would return 133,000,000 results. So, it clearly shows that a lot have been discussed and written on these content management systems.
In terms of stats, both are almost at the same level. Stats are not always correct and it doesn’t mean that these content management systems are perfect. For sure, they both have their advantages and disadvantages. So, let’s just dig deep and find out the answers to some of the frequently asked questions regarding Joomla and WordPress.
Both are CMS, what is the difference then?
Joomla is a fully-loaded content management system, which provides a fair deal of features, extensions and plug-ins. It is developed and designed to allow users to create fully-designed websites that can be easily managed and updated by the users. It allows you to build and manage menus, weblinks, contact us form, polls and many other things. Additionally, you can enhance the features of Joomla using different components, like mambot and modules.
WordPress is more like a blogging platform. It is developed in PHP programming language and its backend is supported by MySql database. It is great for posting articles and arranging those articles by category and date. But, the main problem with WordPress is its inflexibility. You can’t enhance it into more diverse website structure having features like galleries, or forums.
Usability wise, both Joomla and WordPress are easy to use. However, there are few areas where Joomla requires improvements. Joomla is more flexible as compared to WordPress.WordPress is the best option for those who are looking for a blogging website. Joomla is highly-recommended for those who want to have a complex and highly-professional website.
In short,WordPress is all about writing content and publishing it. Joomla is the presentation of content. The choice is totally yours, because it depends on the purpose and theme of your website and also on your knowledge of web development and design.
What does Joomla and WordPress offer for SEO?
WordPress features and functions are engineered in a way that they guide the search engine crawlers through ‘meta titles,’‘meta keywords,’‘posts,’ and ‘page content.’ WordPress also comeswith several built-in search optimization tools. In addition to that, you can also install several other SEO plug-in to optimize your site for search engines.
It is correctly said that Joomla is not as effective and search engine-friendly as any other content management system like WordPress, in particular. But, the fact is, when any Joomla website is built while keeping SEO in mind, it is as good for search engines as any other regular website out there.
Do Joomla and WordPress have backup support?
The answer to this question is same for both WordPress and Joomla. If you don’t have the programming experience, you basically have to hire your own developer. This is because neither WordPress nor Joomlaprovides you backup support. There are plenty of online communities and forums that do provide support in terms of answering to your queries, but that would be of no help for less savvy users.
Is there any feature that will update modules automatically?
Again, the answer to this question is same for WordPress and Joomla. Right now,there is no option or feature available, which can update the modules automatically. It has to be done on your own, or by hiring the services of any expert programmer. This is the part where both WordPress and Joomla lack. You will have to splash some money in order to get support for modules, extensions and plug-in.
Which one is suitable for amateurs?
When comparing Joomla vs. WordPress, amateurs will find WordPress easier to create a website or blog without spending too much of time.It is easy to install and configure.And guess what,administration backend of WordPress is simple and makes sense to the beginners with nominal training. That is a huge plus for people with less technical knowledge.
Joomla is not easy to understand,because it has complex extensions and structure. Joomla requests learning, adaptation and time from beginners. The administrative back end is just too complex and it might scare you off when you first see it. The more extensions you install, the more plug-in you activate, and the more it becomes harder for you to settle with.
What are the pricing options?
One of the main benefits of WordPress and Joomla is that both the apps are free to download. There templates can be obtained for fairly low prices. You can also find some free templates, but that might not fit your requirements
I think combining joomla and wordpress is not a good idea.
Mainly when Joomla and WordPress are taken into account, it depends upon on the users. But from my perspective I am pro Joomla because I find it more enriching and feature oriented. The amazing support for it just makes it better for use.