Joomla

Joomla is a popular open-source content management system which can be used for corporate or small business websites, e-commerce, government or organisational sites as well as personal websites. It allows multiple users to manage content on a website, collaborating on content, editing, publishing and archiving website information. Joomla's aim is to provide a digital publishing platform which is free, flexible, multilingual and secure. Joomla relies on a vast network of volunteer developers who maintain the platform, keeping it user-friendly, accessible, search engine optimised and responsive. 

The history of Joomla

Joomla was first created in 2005 when it forked off from Mambo under the trademark of Miro International Pvt. The team have continued to develop and update the software regularly over the years, particularly improving the admin interface to make it easier to use. The latest update in 2017 incorporated code improvements and encryption support. 

Big names favour Joomla to power their websites

Almost 9% of business websites are powered by Joomla, with more than 2 million active websites currently. Some of the big names that use Joomla for their websites include Nintendo Nordic, the Swiss Federal Audit Office, Michael Phelps' MP Brand and Dutch's top radio station, NPO 3FM. 

So what features and benefits does Joomla offer?

Joomla allows you to get your website up and running quickly and easily. Thanks to a simple interface there's just a short learning curve and its large global community can give support if you run into any problems. Joomla also offers free training videos and multilingual support. You'll be able to customise your site to meet your specific needs with high-quality website templates and the vast Joomla Extensions Directory. Your website will be secure with two-factor authentication and powerful built-in SEO tools will drive traffic to your site.

Any drawbacks?

Some of the plugins for Joomla have compatibility issues which can be tiresome to manage. Also, if your project is an advanced and complex website you might find that the adjustment options are too limited for what you want to achieve. 

Joomla is a great choice for the vast majority of websites and is an ideal platform for the beginner who doesn't have a lot of experience in web development. The level of support available is impressive and it's possible to integrate an E-commerce shop into your website to bring in some more income too. And one of the biggest benefits is that Joomla is completely free to use, allowing you to get started without the overhead of investing money in a new project.