Drupal is a trusted content management system. Is it worth building a website on it? If yes, what kind of website? Get to know what types of sites you can build with Drupal. This article discusses 12 different projects and explains why the CMS was a good choice.
What is Drupal?
Drupal was developed in 2001. Its latest version is 10, though versions 7 and 9 are still supported (as of August 2023). Nevertheless, you can still find websites that were built on older versions.
According to W3Techs the market share of the CMS is 1,7%:
Unlike WordPress, which is used mainly for simpler types of websites, Drupal can be used for more advanced projects. It is perfect for:
- government websites,
- Internet forums,
- university sites.
As an open-source software, Drupal is highly adjustable. The built-in functions can be freely expanded thanks to modules. The CMS is well-known for flexibility, scalability, and security. These three features make it the best choice for the project we will be discussing later.
12 Types of Websites You Can Build With Drupal
Take a look at exemplary types of projects you can build on Drupal:
Build a Non-governmental Organization on Drupal
Example – UNICEF Innovation Found
This website on Drupal has been developed by Smartbees. Unicef provides financial support for emerging projects that can contribute to children’s well-being around the world.
The page shares information on the fund itself, investments, and available forms of support. Drupal handles such content with no problems.
Build a Government Site with Drupal
Example – Polish Ministry of Health Website
What is Drupal used for? Difficult and complex solutions such as the Polish Ministry of Health website, for example. Thanks to its high scalability and flexibility, the CMS is able to support a large number of Individual Internet Accounts. These accounts allow patients to make appointments, flick through sick leaves or prescriptions, etc. What is more, the page shares news on health-related topics and tips on how to live healthier.
As you can see, Drupal can support the biggest sites which can face huge traffic, as it was during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Build a Corporation Website on Drupal
Example – KGHM Polska Miedź
KGHM is one of the biggest copper and silver mining companies in the world. Their website is supported by Smartbees.
This Drupal-based page is full of content divided into sections such as Investors, Tenders, Products, etc. There is also a recruitment process tab, a search engine, and information for stakeholders.
There is no doubt why KGHM chose Drupal. Thanks to its modularity, scalability, and the ability to easily integrate with other systems, the CMS is frequently used by corporations. Supporting many languages and security features is also worth mentioning.
Build a Company Website with Drupal
Example – Brainstorm
Drupal can be ideal for smaller projects as well. Brainstorm is a company that organizes business, HR, and sales training. It also provides coaching sessions and career advice.
On the website, you can find categories such as News, VOD, Educational Projects, and more. The filtering feature enables you to search for particular training.
Drupal’s technical abilities help the website manage the content, having SEO optimization in mind. Companies may choose Drupal for its security features as well.
Build a University Website on Drupal
Example – Kozminski University
71% of the best universities in the world use Drupal. This includes MIT, Oxford, and Stanford University.
Why is that? Let’s take Akademia Leona Koźmińskiego as an example. It is one of the most prominent business academies in Poland. Their website is also our project.
The page contains useful information about the academy and its offers. Moreover, it has some advanced functions. For example, the internal search engine includes many filters that help you find a particular degree:
This type of website requires the highest level of security to help keep sensitive data safe. That is why Drupal is so popular amongst universities. Find out more by reading our case study.
Build a Cultural Institution Website with Drupal
Example – Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk
This website was built with Drupal and presents the history of Polish civilians who lived during the Second World War. The page contains information on exhibitions and educational initiatives that are organized by the museum.
Drupal’s scalability helps the site present its contents in an attractive and hassle-free way.
Build an Internet Forum on Drupal
Example – Nasz Bocian
Nasz Bocian is a Polish website that addresses adoption, foster parentness, or infertility. Users are able to share experiences, look for support, or consult their matters with experts.
Drupal is ideal for this kind of website since it allows you to moderate the comments and user’s accounts as well as features content management functions. Read more here.
Build a Crowdfunding Platform on Drupal
Example – Przyjaciele Zwierząt
Przyjacielezwierzat.pl is a crowdfunding platform dedicated to helping animals, built by our team. Users can support fundraisers organized by various associations. The page presents detailed information on every fundraiser, including the financial goal and a brief description of the action.
What is Drupal best used for? For safely managing various forms of payments and gathering dynamically changing data, for example. This particular website requires controlling user accounts as well.
Build an Information Portal on Drupal
Example – Sądeczanin
Sadeczanin.info is a local information portal that focuses on the city of Nowy Sącz in Poland. There’s a wide range of information you can find on the page, namely news on culture, economy, education, religion, or sports events.
Drupal is a perfect solution for such complex and diverse websites that support many formats, comment sections, and more.
Build a Blog on Drupal
Example – Biolog Help
You can also consider using Drupal for blogs. BiologHelp.pl is dedicated to students who are interested in biology. The website contains articles, research works, and information about various biology exams. There’s also an internal search engine.
Build an Online Shop on Drupal
Example – Velo
Velo is a website that was designed for cycling lovers. It was developed by our team. Users can buy the newest bikes, and search for parts, accessories, or sports clothes.
E-commerce functions in Drupal are available via the Drupal Commerce module. It allows you to create a quick-running online shop.
Build a Product Configurator on Drupal
Example – CAT Machine Configurator
Drupal allows you to create more complicated projects, for example, the CAT machine configurator, which was developed by Smartbees.
The website lets you choose vehicle models and their variants. Buyers can also choose individual equipment (cabins, drills, tracks, and more).
This was a very challenging project, but Drupal, combined with the JS library (Vue in this instance) works very well. Thanks to that combination, you can create advanced business solutions. Read more here.
What is Drupal not good for?
Although Drupal is a great content management system, in some cases, you could consider another system:
- simple website – using Drupal is unnecessary when you plan to create a simple page and you are not going to develop it heavily,
- short notice – CMS might be problematic, if you wish to very quickly develop a website
- small budget – building a project on Drupal usually requires more money than other CMS systems,
- lack of technical skills – Drupal is a much more complex CMS than WordPress for example.
Summary
As you can see, Drupal can be used for a wide range of projects – from blogs to advanced e-commerce websites. On top of that, you are able to equip them with advanced functions.
Regardless of what project you are planning to build, the CMS ensures scalability, modularity, and security. Consider using it. Your Drupal website might be a great success!
