Top 5 Free Content Management Systems (CMS).

Content Management Systems, CMS in short, is a system which allows users without any HTML or web development knowledge to create and edit the content of their sites. Using CMS you can edit your static content, format any text you added, add and edit images. Ultimately you can create a content rich website which is good-looking as well, and all this without any previous knowledge about Web Development.

There are many CMS available for use, some are FREE while others require license for use, some CMS may be easy to use while some may be a bit complicated. The suitable type for you is determined by your needs.

I have compiled a list of Top 5 CMS that are available for FREE –

I. Joomla -

This one is the most popular of all, and has been around for numerous years and almost has a cult following. The most current version of Joomla has a refined administration panel which makes it even easier for new users to operate. The Joomla community has amassed numerous extensions from free to paid for all types of industries and solutions that are needed. The development cycle for Joomla is also very fast, so this means the community is always releasing new updates and security fixes.

II. CMS MadeSimple -

This is a great CMS that has gained much popularity. It is lightweight and easy to setup. Unlike other CMS systems it is very simplified. This makes it very good for small sites or sites that need to be quickly developed .

III. GL Fusion -

Gives you the ability to quickly and easily setup websites complete with extras like forums, CAPTCHA support, calendaring, and full file and media gallery management solutions, and MooTools AJAX support. glFusion creates sites that arefully XHTML compliant with a pure CSS driven layout. The design is SEO friendly and is also accessible by screen readers and other assistance tools used by the visually impaired.

IV. Etomite -

This CMS makes use of some new content delivery techniques, specifically in the utilization of AJAX. You can incorporate AJAX functionality through the backend editor without any knowledge of AJAX programming. In addition, this CMS system creates your site in a fully W3C/XHTML validated format. This is become more and more important with regard to search engines and placement, and having a clean cross browser compatible site.

V. Impress CMS -

This is a community developed CMS ans still young compared to the others listed above. However, its fast growing and as easy to use as editing a word document. This CMS won the 2008 most promising CMS award and currently, a small selection of add-on modules are available.