Drupal is a free system that can be downloaded as a core or assemblies with various modules. It is flexible in customization, which makes it popular among color-experienced developers. However, Drupal can be also a good choice for novice users, especially if you use ready-made solutions tested by the community to create your projects. To make your final choice, we recommend reading these pros and cons of this CMS below.
The Convenience of Use
It takes time to get used to the Drupal interface. It is logical enough, but the abundance of functions and settings complicates the task for novice webmasters. Therefore, if working with the latest version, we recommend using professional Drupal 8 services.
When installed, Drupal already has a standard set of modules with which you can manage the site. For instance:
- Tracker — for tracking new items;
- Block — for displaying content on pages;
- Color — for changing the color scheme of the site;
- Image — for image processing;
- Node — for adding new materials;
- Search — to organize a website search;
- System — to manage system parameters;
- User — to manage registered users;
- Locale — to select language packs;
- Path — for renaming links;
- Update Manager — to check for updates.
These modules create the core of the system. However, its functionality is not enough to launch an online store. It requires add-ons that can be downloaded from the official website. These apps contribute Drupal functionality, so you need not only to read their descriptions but also study forums and various guides for setting up sites on Drupal.
Design
Immediately after installing the CMS, you can choose one of the standard templates, which will determine the design of the user part of the site. Other themes can be downloaded from the official website. The catalog contains several thousand templates of different performance levels: some themes don’t even have an adaptive layout, but there are still a lot of decent options.
You need to pay attention not only to the adaptability of the interface but also to the structure of the layout. How many blocks does the page offer, how they are located, is it possible to swap them without editing the template files.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
As for technical optimization, Drupal is in good relations with search engines, but it takes a lot of work to promote sites to high positions. In the basic configuration, you will find only the minimum set for configuring SEO. The automation is almost impossible without modules, as each URL will have to be configured manually to obtain a form that is convenient for the human eye.
In Conclusion
Drupal is a free CMS on which you can create an online store or decent website. It offers good basic functionality, although it requires installing modules. The system also has disadvantages. One of the main complaints about the engine is the difficulty in mastering by novice webmasters. This drawback can be fixed by using ready-made assemblies or services of professional developers.
