My New Preferred Website Software

Published October 5th, 2020 in General

As of early 2020 I have changed the content management system / CMS that I use from WordPress to a Laravel based CMS called Statamic.

Deciding to stop using WordPress wasn't an easy decision - I have used it since around 2011. WordPress is popular and so widely supported but has limitations.

The projects that I'm working on often need customisations which are made very difficult to achieve and maintain in WordPress. At the end of 2019 I went on the look-out for a better CMS.

After having just completed a project in Laravel, I knew that I wanted the CMS to be based on that PHP framework. Statamic version 3 was just about to be released into beta and I instantly took to it.

In summer 2020 I was approved as a certified Statamic freelancer.

Why am I leaving WordPress?

Security

WordPress has a lot of old code running it, and due to its popularity it gets targetted a lot by hackers. Statamic is built on top of the most popular and secure PHP framework - called Laravel.

Speed

Statamic uses files to store your data and in most cases that will make your site a lot faster! Because we are now using Laravel we have access to a lot of optmisations that WordPress doesn't.

Custom Features

If you need any custom features, such as a bespoke form that saves entries and fires off emails to users on submission, we can do that properly, quikcly and effecively using Laravel's underlying features.

Fewer Plugins Required

Statamic comes with features that in WordPress you would need a plugin for. Multi-language, custom form fields, user permissions, SEO fields, backups are all included.

Built-in Backups

Your site will be kept backed-up after any content updates are made. If you save some changes to the site, within 5 mins they will be backed up on the cloud.

Control Panel Comparison

Want to know what it looks like? Drag the bar below to see the two control panels compared side by side:

Why care what CMS is used?

  • It provides the control panel to edit your website.

  • It forms the foundation of the security of your site.

  • It can facilitate features that you want, like user forms, booking systems, etc.

  • It defines the programming language the site is written in, which effects the developer you can employ, and the server you run it on.

I'm used to WordPress, is Statamic easy to use?

WordPress might be more familiar to regular editors, but I am confident that Statamic provides a much more simple editing experience. Here is a video of the Statamic control panel compared with WordPress:

Our website is already on WordPress - will you still work with it?

I'm not taking on new projects in WordPress, but will be maintaining current clients until time to redevelop.