Reinventing the wheel isn’t something that anyone wants to do nor recommended from a business standpoint in particular. I say this simply because I’ve seen far too many individuals attempt to do just that. When it comes to brainstorming or even building your website you should really consider some of the ready-made Open Source Solutions that are available on the web for website development.
Why? Well, hold your horses for a minute and I’ll tell you in this post. When it comes to website development I have been working with Open Source Applications such as Joomla and WordPress in particular since 2005 and yet to find a platform that substitutes or combines the functionality of those two. It’s also of the main reasons why I wanted to write this blog post and show you that there are better, easier, and more flexible solutions out there for building your website.
Top 3 Reasons to Use Open Source for Your Website
Before you dive into using any of the well known open source solutions available out there such as Joomla, WordPress, Drupal, Php-Nuke, Dot Net Nuke, or any other for that matter I would strongly suggest that you have a solid website development plan in place. It’s very important to identify all of the needs and necessities that your website will have from a structural standpoint. And just for the record you browse all available CMS solutions first before making a concrete decision on one that will meet your requirements.
Reason #1: It’s FREE!
- Don’t quote me on this frankly because there are other applications out there that charge a fee for downloading or subscribing to it. For the sake of this particular post the OSS applications I’ve mentioned are FREE for you to use and develop with. Any way you look at this or analyze it cost matters nowadays. So, if you’re using some of the content management systems that I’ve outlined in this post you don’t have to worry about breaking the bank.
Reason #2: Functionality
- If someone has stamped in your head that content management systems are poor use for website development and lack functionality please don’t listen to them. You’ll do yourself a huge favor in all honesty! The sky is the limit as far as what you want to achieve with these open source content management systems. E-Commerce? – Joomla has you covered and not only that but offers one of the best Open Source E-Commerce Solutions that you will find on the website. WordPress also offers e-commerce functionalities although isn’t quite as advanced. Need a mobile friendly website? Both Joomla and WordPress have the ability of interacting with your mobile audience and delivering your website’s content on-the-fly. Are you a PHP Programmer/Developer and have the need for an advanced platform to exercise your skills? Drupal offers unlimited potential for the advanced programmer. Need an SEO friendly application? No Problem – Got with Joomla or WordPress and e-mail me later to say Thank You.
Reason #3: Flexibility
- Whether you’re looking to build a basic website and wrap it around a content management system or an e-commerce solution to host your products there’s one out there to fit your needs. Applications such as Joomla or WordPress to be specific are up to the task and I would strongly recommend that you take full advantage of one of them. There are over 250,000+ supporters and developers around the World that are actively supporting and testing these platforms. Each of these particular solutions offer various components, modules, & plugins that can handle just about any functionality you’re looking for. If you’re an advanced user you’re going to find out that you can exercise your imagination and develop your own custom add-ons.
Open Source Solutions such as the mentioned above content management systems truly can change and add value to your business. Each offer cutting edge technology and performance to meet today’s fast changing online marketing demand and ensure that you’re reaching out to your target market.