Choosing the right content management system (CMS) for a B2B company directly impacts the company's ability to attract and nurture leads online. The right CMS can:
- Reduce time spent making & managing pages
- Build alignment and transparency between sales & marketing teams
- Tailor features to B2B needs
- Enhance the business's online presence
- Improve customer engagement
From the learning curve to the level of support you get (and in what format), it’s important to consider multiple factors in CMS evaluation. Some B2B companies choose solely on price point and very quickly find themselves struggling to find additional plug-ins or platforms to help their employees successfully do their jobs. Here’s how to choose a website platform that makes digital marketing and sales more cost-efficient over time, even if the up-front price is higher:
6 Best CMS Options for B2B Business
Six CMS options are particularly popular with B2Bs attempting to maximize their marketing productivity, including:
- WordPress
- HubSpot
- Squarespace
- Wix
- Joomla
- Drupal
WordPress
WordPress is the world’s most popular CMS option for B2B businesses due to its flexibility, over 50,000 plugins available, and user-friendly interface, which allow website customization without extensive technical knowledge. Its wide adoption also means there's a large community of developers and resources available, making it easier for B2B businesses to find support, customization options, and integrations with other business tools.
| Advantages |
Disadvantages |
- Highly customizable and flexible: WordPress offers fully customizable coding.
- Large community and ecosystem of plug-ins and themes: Due to the popularity of the platform, there are thousands of plug-ins and themes available and more regularly introduced. If you aren’t able to make your own custom feature but have an idea of what you’re looking for, there’s a good chance someone’s already developed a solution that’ll work for you.
- Cost-effective, especially for smaller businesses: Because WordPress is a community-focused platform, the price point for businesses to start a website can be relatively low.
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- Not specifically designed for B2B: The WordPress platform is designed “for the people” and allows creation of business or recreational websites (think selling products or showcasing your furry friends). While the community support is impressive, the focus is not on marketing and sales tools that would be advantageous to a B2B company.
- Requires more technical expertise for advanced functionality: WordPress is not the most straightforward in terms of coding and tool navigation. Therefore, it may require outside support to achieve certain features and functionality.
- Plug-ins: Even with free plug-ins, this is not the most cost-effective approach. Also, plug-ins mean extra time spent every time you need to update or fix one (a regular occurrence).
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HubSpot
HubSpot was founded in 2006 and provides a full platform to support marketing and sales, all while providing the most efficient avenue to scale. The platform also offers AI support on a task-by-task basis. HubSpot subscriptions come in several pricing tiers:
- Starter tier: This starts at $15 per user per month and tops out at 1,000 contacts
- Professional tier: This starts at $800 per month and allows for 2,000 contacts. (Additional users $45/month)
- Enterprise tier: This starts at $3,600 per month with 10,000 contacts. (Additional users $75/month)
| Advantages |
Disadvantages |
- All-in-one marketing, sales, and service platform: HubSpot integrates the tools and resources you need to track leads, analyze data, and handle campaigns and content on a single platform.
- Extensive features and tools: HubSpot simplifies and optimizes B2B efforts to reach and nurture leads. All of the tools are integrated, and no additional plug-ins are required to improve efficiency.
- Powerful lead management and analytics: HubSpot offers efficient data collection and reporting to help you better manage your lead database. The platform also offers automation and forms to keep the pipeline flowing.
- SEO capabilities: HubSpot offers integration with Google Search Console and SEO (search engine optimization) tools on the platform itself to make your content and infrastructure more attractive to search ranking algorithms.
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- Requires more up-front investment: The cost for HubSpot’s highest-paid tiers can make the initial investment a bit scary. However, that initial investment may be equal to or less than what you will ultimately pay for a platform like WordPress and its necessary plug-ins.
- Steep learning curve: Learning the platform’s layout and where different tools and resources live can be time-consuming. Also, due to HubSpot continually adjusting and improving the platform, there can be regular changes to adapt to, which can slow down task completion.
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Can You Combine These Options?
As a matter of fact, yes.
While some people are evaluating the benefits of HubSpot vs. WordPress, others are looking at the potential benefits of an integration. For those individuals, there is a HubSpot plugin for WordPress.
However, the only way to get full use of HubSpot is to host your website on the platform and then access the HubSpot account and features through the plugin. Therefore, the use of the plugin won’t save money and may mean additional time in setup and learning to navigate it.
Squarespace
If you’re looking for an integrated option, Squarespace offers domain registration, content management, and eCommerce in one place. The platform also gets marks for its visually appealing templates and easy-to-use interface.
| Advantages |
Disadvantages |
- Ease of Use: Squarespace’s user-friendly interface makes it relatively simple for non-technical users to build and manage a professional-looking website without extensive coding knowledge.
- Attractive Templates: Squarespace offers a wide range of modern and visually appealing templates specifically designed for B2B companies. These templates can help create a polished and engaging online presence.
- Built-in Marketing Tools: Squarespace provides email marketing, blogging, and analytics, which can help B2Bs engage with their target audience and track their website's performance.
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- Limited Customization: While Squarespace offers a range of templates and customization options, it may not provide the same level of flexibility vs. HubSpot. This could be a limitation for B2B companies with specific or complex requirements.
- Potential Cost: Squarespace operates on a subscription-based model, and while the pricing plans are generally reasonable, the costs can accumulate over time. This can be especially noteworthy for larger B2B companies with more extensive website needs, advanced feature requirements, or third-party integrations.
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Wix
The suitability of Wix for a B2B company ultimately depends on the specific needs, requirements, and budget of the business. Some businesses that choose Wix go for the templates and easy-to-learn platform, while its integrated tools draw others.
| Advantages |
Disadvantages |
- Ease of Use: Wix provides drag-and-drop modules that let users who aren’t tech-savvy have more control over their website’s creation. This platform allows for site design without coding knowledge.
- Wide Range of Templates: Wix offers a vast collection of templates designed for various industries and business types, including B2Bs. This variety can help create a visually appealing and professional website tailored to the company's needs.
- Built-in Business Tools: Wix provides online bookings, customer management, and e-commerce functionality.
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- Limited Flexibility and Customization: Templates and modules on Wix are limited to a small group, which can be moved around to your liking. However, customization — particularly for businesses — leaves a lot to be desired with this platform vs. HubSpot.
- Slow Load Times: Websites on Wix are easily influenced by media file size, leading to slower load times. This has an impact on user experience.
- Data tracking issues: The lack of analytics tools (at the free level; there are paid options) makes it challenging to identify areas where your site needs improvements.
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Joomla
While Joomla offers robust features and customization options, the need for regular updates and the challenge of learning its ins and outs can be a deal-breaker for some.
| Advantages |
Disadvantages |
- Flexibility and Customization: Joomla is an open-source content management system that is multilingual and written in PHP. It offers flexibility and customization options, with a focus on developing dynamic websites. B2B companies with specific or complex requirements can leverage Joomla's vast library of extensions and plug-ins.
- Scalability: Joomla is suitable for B2B companies with growing website needs. It can handle large amounts of content, traffic, and user interaction, ensuring a smooth experience as the business expands.
- Strong Community Support: Joomla has a large and active community of developers and users, providing access to extensive documentation, tutorials, and support resources. This can be beneficial for B2B companies whose back-end users aren’t quite experts yet.
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- Steep Learning Curve: Compared to more user-friendly website builders like Squarespace or Wix, Joomla is an ordeal for non-technical users. B2B companies without dedicated web development resources may find it challenging to set up and manage a Joomla website effectively.
- Security and Maintenance Overhead: Joomla requires regular updates and security patches to mitigate potential vulnerabilities vs. HubSpot, which has reliable encryption and technologies in place. B2B companies may need to allocate resources for ongoing maintenance and security monitoring to ensure their website remains functional and safe.
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Drupal
Drupal may be more suitable for larger B2B companies with dedicated web development teams or those willing to invest in external expertise. Smaller B2Bs with limited technical resources may find Drupal's learning curve and potential costs challenging.
| Advantages |
Disadvantages |
- Scalability and Flexibility: Drupal's robust architecture and extensive module ecosystem allows users to build and customize their website to meet their specific needs.
- Security and Access Control: Drupal is known for its strong security features and reliable access control system. This can be particularly beneficial for B2B companies handling sensitive data or requiring granular control over user permissions and content access.
- Content Management: Drupal excels at organization. The platform has a system that prioritizes efficient categorization and content structuring, which can be advantageous for B2B companies with large amounts of information to manage and present in a logical manner.
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- Challenging to Setup and Maintain: B2B companies without dedicated web development resources or technical expertise may find it challenging to set up, configure, and maintain a Drupal website effectively. In turn, this means more of an investment in the long-term.
- Potentially Higher Costs: While Drupal itself is an open-source platform, the complexity and customization required for advanced B2B websites may necessitate hiring experienced Drupal developers or agencies. Additionally, some modules or functionalities essential to your operation may require paid extensions or subscriptions.
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Finding the Best B2B CMS Means Evaluating Your Business, Too
The best B2B CMS options for businesses offer ease of use, flexibility, and a variety of tools – depending on your goals and expectations. Choosing the right platform based on the skill set of your employees is also an important consideration – and one that only you can weigh appropriately.
Keep in mind that your choice of industrial CMS goes a long way in determining scalability as your business grows. It’s the foundation for support of your long-term goals, so choose appropriately for the long-term – even if that means a bigger investment at the start.