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7 Best Ways To Detect What CMS Is Used By A Website
Identify what CMS is used by a website with these 7 easy methods. Leverage tools, extensions, and tricks for fast and accurate detection.
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As you build a list of potential B2B sales prospecting, you probably look for any information you can get about them—from their location to their revenue to their tech stack. When understanding a business's tech stack, discovering what CMS a website uses can offer valuable insight. For one, it can tell you about the company’s digital capabilities and how updated they are. This can help you craft more personalized and relevant outreach. If you want to learn the best ways to detect what CMS a website uses, you’re in the right place.
One helpful tool for uncovering this information is Aomni's website technology checker. Using it, you can quickly and easily learn what CMS a website uses and other key details that can aid your B2B sales prospecting efforts.
What is a CMS?
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A content management system is an application that helps create, organize, and store media and other files for use on websites. CMSs enable non-technical users to quickly develop, edit, and publish content without understanding web design or coding languages like:
- HTML
- CSS
These applications are essential for streamlining web operations for companies of all sizes, but they are handy for small and mid-sized firms without a dedicated IT department. These companies can use CMS tools to manage the site in-house instead of outsourcing the work.
What Can a CMS Do?
Here are some of the processes that a full-featured CMS can manage.
The CMS will often handle all the back-end and front-end coding to allow non-technical employees to focus on developing the user interface (UI) and producing content and pages that help their company grow and engage customers. Popular content management systems also allow for collaboration. They enable whole teams to work together to:
- Generate
- Alter
- Arrange
- Publish material
Streamlining Collaboration and Workflow with Role-Based Features in CMS Platforms
The content management system platform acts as a single repository for content and provides automated procedures for content curation and production. CMS applications have administrative features that help manage multiple users.
Employees designated as authors, for instance, can upload and store their work on the system, while editors can edit and publish it when it is ready. Administrators can do all these things and authorize others to revise or update content.
Why Do You Need a CMS?
A content management system (CMS) is central to marketing processes because it provides a platform to create and distribute content consistently. Content is a key element of successful marketing, so having an efficient way to develop and manage it can impact the success of campaigns and, ultimately, revenue outcomes. With a CMS, marketers can quickly create and publish curated content, allowing them to make changes based on analytics after the campaign starts.
A CMS also makes it easier to track analytics and measure performance, which can help marketers understand what content is working and what needs to be improved. This real-time analysis and content publishing and management allow changes and corrections that can improve marketing outcomes. Content management systems also have advanced features, such as displaying content based on user activity.
Related Reading
7 Best Ways To Detect What CMS Is Used By A Website
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1. Inspect the Source Code
One of the easiest ways to identify a website’s CMS is by examining its source code. By pressing Ctrl + U to view the HTML, you can search for a meta tag labeled “generator.” This tag often contains the name of the CMS, such as WordPress or Joomla.
The structure of file paths in the code can offer clues. For instance, directories like “wp-content” or “wp-includes” point to WordPress, while Joomla sites might reference “components/com_content.”
2. Analyze Broken Image URLs
Broken images can be surprisingly informative. By inspecting the properties of a non-loading image, you may uncover CMS-specific paths within the URL structure. These small details can reveal what platform the website is using.
3. Check the Website Footer
Many websites include CMS information in their footer, often with phrases like “Powered by WordPress” or “Built with Drupal.” Although this attribution might be removed on custom sites, it’s always worth scrolling down to check.
4. Look at the URL Structure
A website’s URL can also hint at the CMS. WordPress typically uses patterns like “?p=123,” while Joomla URLs might include strings such as “index.php?option=com_content.” Recognizing these structures can provide quick confirmation of the platform in use.
5. Test Common Admin Login URLs
CMS platforms often have default admin login URLs. For example, adding “/wp-admin/” to a domain name typically leads to the WordPress login page, while “/administrator/” is commonly used for Joomla. Visiting these URLs can help you identify the CMS.
6. Explore the Robots.txt File
The robots.txt file, found at “site_name/robots.txt,” often contains CMS-specific directories. For instance, WordPress sites frequently list “/wp-admin/” in this file. This method provides a simple way to confirm the platform behind the site.
7. Use Browser Extensions and Tools
Website technology checkers are your best friend if you want a more robust approach. These tools analyze websites to identify their underlying technologies, from Content Management Systems (CMSs) to JavaScript frameworks and hosting providers.
For instance, running a website checker tool on a personal website might reveal that it uses:
- Google Analytics
- Bootstrap for responsive design
- Fastly Content Delivery Network (CDN) makes it easy to gain comprehensive insights without digging into the code yourself.
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Aomni is an AI agent platform designed specifically for B2B sales intelligence software. Our solution empowers enterprise and strategic account executives to execute account-based sales and marketing strategies with unprecedented efficiency and effectiveness. Our key features include:
- AI-powered prospect and account research
- Comprehensive account mapping and planning
- Data-driven sales strategy development
- Automated call preparation
- Personalized AI agents for sales optimization
- AI chat interface for streamlined sales processes
- AI-assisted Account Based Sales/Marketing campaign execution tool
Transforming Sales Teams with Aomni: Overcoming Challenges and Achieving Quotas
Aomni addresses critical pain points for sales managers whose Account Executives, Account Managers, and Customer Success Managers must perform better and include quotas. By leveraging our advanced AI technology, sales professionals can significantly enhance their preparation for customer conversations, leading to the following:
- Larger deal closures
- Increased promotion opportunities
For individual sales professionals, Aomni provides the tools and insights needed to:
- Elevate their performance
- Close more substantial deals
- Accelerate career progression
Our platform transforms the way B2B sales teams operate, ensuring they enter every customer interaction:
- Fully prepared
- Strategically positioned for success
Try our sales intelligence software and our website technology checker for free today!
10 Best Tools For Easily Detecting What CMS Is Used By A Website
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1. Aomni: Your Go-To for Sales Intelligence Software
Aomni is an AI agent platform designed specifically for B2B sales intelligence software. Our solution empowers enterprise and strategic account executives to execute account-based sales and marketing strategies with unprecedented efficiency and effectiveness. Our key features include:
- AI-powered prospect and account research
- Comprehensive account mapping and planning
- Data-driven sales strategy development
- Automated call preparation
- Personalized AI agents for sales optimization
- AI chat interface for streamlined sales processes
- AI-assisted Account Based Sales/Marketing campaign execution tool
Aomni addresses critical pain points for sales managers whose Account Executives, Account Managers, and Customer Success Managers must perform better and include quotas. By leveraging our advanced AI technology, sales professionals can significantly enhance their preparation for customer conversations, leading to the following:
- Larger deal closures
- Increased promotion opportunities
For individual sales professionals, Aomni provides the tools and insights needed to:
- Elevate their performance
- Close more substantial deals
- Accelerate career progression
Our platform transforms the way B2B sales teams operate, ensuring they enter every customer interaction:
- Fully prepared
- Strategically positioned for success
Try our sales intelligence software and our website technology checker for free today!
2. Netcraft: A Classic Tool with Comprehensive Data
Netcraft Site Report is one of the oldest tools in the market, which helps you find various helpful information:
- Background: First seen, title, ranking, language, description
- Network: IPv4/IPv6 address, domain registrar, network owner, hosting country
- SSL/TLS: Vulnerability status like POODLE, heart bleed, SSL cert details, protocol negotiation, public key, certificate type & chain details
- Hosting: Who hosts the website SPF details
- Security: Risk rating, block list
- Site Technologies: CDN, CMS, software, RSS, compression, character encoding, etc…
3. BuiltWith: Detect Technologies and Track Their Popularity Over Time
BuiltWith, an online Internet research tool, is quite impressive in letting you know technologies are used to make a website, and it also provides you with related technology trend statistics in a beautiful chart. Along with technology, it also lets you know if any advertising is used. It is interesting to see how it tracks the website at the broader level to reveal each component.
4. Wappalyzer: Get Real-Time Insight into Your Competitor’s Technology
Quickly figure out what technology your competitor’s websites are utilizing with the help of Wappalyzer. This solution specializes in peeking through technologies like advertising networks, eCommerce platforms, CMS, analytics, and others while reporting them back to you instantly so you never get left behind.
You can look up any website on the internet and also make a list of them within the solution. This helps you research, stay organized, and take action on your projects. To save a massive amount of time, you can check up to 1,000 websites at once.
Leveraging Wappalyzer for Competitive Intelligence and Technology Tracking
Simply upload your list of websites and upload them for bulk research. You can also use their API for programmatic access. The best thing about Wappalyzer is that it notifies you whenever your competitor’s website’s technology changes.
For example, when they move to a new eCommerce platform or content management system, you’ll be the first to know about it. Apart from all these fantastic features, this solution also has a browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge to get a quick view of the technologies used by the websites you visit.
5. Whatruns: A Simple Yet Effective Browser Extension
Whatruns is a free Chrome browser extension that reveals the technologies used on a website. The fact that this is just a browser extension makes things much simpler and less to worry about. It makes every website on the internet as transparent as glass, allowing you to view everything, such as:
- Their fonts
- Analytical tools and so much more
You can follow/unfollow websites and be notified whenever they stop using or start using any technologies. Whatruns has thousands of apps and technologies to help you instantly recognize who might be using them. The interesting thing is that you don’t even need to register an account to use their service. Just download the Chrome extension and get started.
6. PageXray: Get Organized Technology Data Displayed
Another Chrome extension that serves the same purpose, PageXray, organizes a website’s plugins and other technologies. Just click a button, and the icons will appear, indicating what the website is using.
It’s free, seamless, and does the job pretty well. It’s not the fanciest solution, but you can be sure you’ll get what it advertises.
7. W3Techs: Get a Detailed Overview of a Website’s Technology
W3Techs Site Info tool lets you know the following detailed information in tabular format. This consists of the following:
- Popularity ranking CMS used like WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, etc
- The programming language used like PHP, Node.js, JavaScript, etc
- Markup Character encoding Image file formats
- Site elements – external CSS, inline CSS, Compression, SPDY, HTTP/2, HSTS, SSL cert details
- Analytics, Web server, analytics, reverse proxy details, and at the end, you will get a technology score based on popularity and traffic.
8. CMS Detector: A Straightforward CMS Lookup Tool
CMS Detector is as direct as it gets, a strength and flaw. You input the website address, and it reveals the CMS in question; that’s it. The remaining information is related to SEO and CMS statistics. This might be the ideal tool if CMS is the only information you need.
Notably, it prompted an ad popup window during the lookup tests. It’s a minor annoyance, but it stands out among the other services for checking CMS. CMS Detector also has a Chrome extension.
9. RESCAN: A Simple CMS and Technology Detector
Rescan.io displays little data. As seen in the example, it lists only a network overview and a simple list of technologies used on the website. Everything is in a single scroll. Locating the CMS is easy, as it’s set in its category. Like other websites, clicking on a specific technology or that category links to a page with overall statistics.
10. WhatCMS: Find Out What CMS Is Being Used
WhatCMS doesn’t give you all the technologies, but just which CMS is being used, like:
- WordPress
- Joomla
- Drupal
- Blogger, and 138 more
Once you understand the technology, you can attend web development courses to make a similar or better website.
Related Reading
- How to Find Out What Website Builder Was Used
- Lead Qualification Tools
- B2B List Building
- How to Tell What Framework a Website Uses
- Technographics
- Sales Prospecting Tools
Why You Would Want To Check What CMS Is Used By A Website
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Learn from the Best: Gain Insights to Improve Your Site
Analyzing the CMS used by a website can inspire your projects. Whether it’s a sleek design, seamless navigation, or advanced functionality, identifying the platform behind a site helps you:
- Reverse Engineer Features: Discover how your favorite features were implemented. Is it a plugin, a custom module, or a CMS-specific capability?
- Uncover New Tools: Try using a lesser-known CMS like Ghost for blogging or a headless CMS like Strapi for ultimate flexibility. These discoveries could inspire you to try something new.
- Replicate Success: If you’re impressed with how a site handles user experience, knowing the underlying tools can help you replicate or adapt those features.
Stay Ahead of Competitors: Analyze Your Rivals’ Websites for Insights
Want to know what makes your competitors’ sites tick? Checking their CMS can reveal a lot about their strategy.
For instance:
- CMS Selection: Are they using WordPress for its vast plugin ecosystem or something like Shopify for streamlined e-commerce?
- Integrations: What third-party tools are they using for analytics, chatbots, or email marketing?
- Scalability: Is their setup built for high traffic or rapid content publishing?
This insight can help you compare your site’s performance and features to theirs and make informed decisions about future upgrades.
Optimize Your Website: Discover New Ways to Enhance Your Site
If you’re searching for ways to improve your site, analyzing the CMS used by others can spark ideas for better performance, design, or functionality.
For example:
- Speed Boosts: A fast-loading site might use a CMS with built-in optimization tools or advanced caching plugins.
- User Experience Improvements: Learn how other sites handle accessibility, mobile responsiveness, or interactive features.
- Innovative Add-ons: Discover plugins or themes that could elevate your site’s design or functionality.
Evaluate Hosting and Scalability: Look Beyond the CMS
Sometimes, it’s not just about the CMS—it’s about how the site is hosted and maintained. A CMS might perform differently depending on the hosting provider or server infrastructure.
For instance:
- Hosting Providers: Check if the site is hosted on a robust platform like AWS, DigitalOcean, or a managed CMS hosting service.
- Scalability Solutions: If a site handles large traffic volumes smoothly, it could use solutions like a Content Delivery Network (CDN) or server-side rendering.
Expand Your Technical Knowledge: Analyze CMSs to Enhance Your Skills
For developers and designers, analyzing a site’s CMS is a fantastic way to learn.
You can uncover:
- Emerging Technologies: See which new CMS platforms or plugins are gaining popularity.
- Best Practices: Understand how others structure their content and integrate APIs.
- Performance Techniques: Identify methods like lazy loading or advanced caching to optimize loading speeds.
Test Before You Invest: Evaluate a CMS Before Committing to It
Considering a specific CMS for your project? Seeing it in action on a live site can be a game-changer.
For instance:
- Evaluate Usability: Does it seem flexible, feature-rich, or limited in functionality?
- Assess Performance: Does the site load quickly and handle complexity well?
- Validate Choices: Knowing others successfully use the CMS can give you confidence in your decision.
Related Reading
- SimilarWeb Alternatives
- Sales Prospecting Automation
- WhatRuns
- List Building Tools
- BuiltWith Alternatives
- Cognism Alternatives
- Wappalyzer Alternative
- AI Sales Prospecting Tools
Try Our Website Technology Checker for Free Today
Aomni is an AI agent platform designed specifically for B2B sales intelligence software. Our solution empowers enterprise and strategic account executives to execute account-based sales and marketing strategies with unprecedented efficiency and effectiveness. Our key features include:
- AI-powered prospect and account research
- Comprehensive account mapping and planning
- Data-driven sales strategy development
- Automated call preparation
- Personalized AI agents for sales optimization
- AI chat interface for streamlined sales processes
- AI-assisted Account Based Sales/Marketing campaign execution tool
Empowering Sales Teams with AI
Aomni addresses critical pain points for sales managers whose Account Executives, Account Managers, and Customer Success Managers must perform better and include quotas. By leveraging our advanced AI technology, sales professionals can significantly enhance their preparation for customer conversations, leading to the following:
- Larger deal closures
- Increased promotion opportunities
For individual sales professionals, Aomni provides the tools and insights needed to:
- Elevate their performance
- Close more substantial deals
- Accelerate career progression
Our platform transforms the way B2B sales teams operate, ensuring they enter every customer interaction:
- Fully prepared
- Strategically positioned for success
Try our sales intelligence software and our website technology checker for free today!
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