The CMS Debate: Why We Chose Craft CMS vs Wordpress

It's been around 6 years since we were introduced to Craft CMS and since our introduction, we've developed both large and small websites. It's been a learning experience with both learning about the good and the bad. We've learned to accept the pitfalls and celebrate the wins when it comes to learning new CMSs. While we are a CMS agnostic agency, we can say that Craft CMS is by far our favorite to create websites with. 

Flexibility and Customization

One of the primary factors that swayed our decision in favor of Craft CMS is its unparalleled flexibility and customization capabilities. Unlike WordPress, which relies heavily on themes and plugins for functionality, Craft CMS offers a more modular and adaptable approach to content management. With Craft CMS, we have the freedom to create bespoke solutions tailored to our clients' specific requirements, without being constrained by the limitations of pre-built templates or plugins. We think of it like this, if it's in your imagination, you can build it in Craft CMS.

Content Structure and Management

Craft CMS provides a robust framework for managing content in a structured and organized manner. Its intuitive content modeling tools enable us to define custom content types, fields, and relationships, allowing for greater control over content architecture and presentation. This level of granularity empowers us to create dynamic and sophisticated websites optimized for performance and scalability.

1. Content Modeling

Craft CMS provides a flexible and intuitive content modeling system that allows developers and content creators to define custom content types, fields, and relationships. This enables the creation of highly tailored content structures that align with the unique needs and objectives of the website. For example, you can easily create custom content types such as articles, products, events, or case studies, each with its own set of fields to capture relevant information.

2. Custom Fields and Elements

Craft CMS offers a diverse range of field types out of the box, including text, rich text, assets, categories, and more. Additionally, developers have the ability to create custom field types to accommodate specific content requirements. This level of flexibility enables content creators to input and manage various types of content elements, such as images, videos, metadata, and structured data, with ease.

3. Matrix Fields and Blocks

Matrix fields in Craft CMS empower content creators to build dynamic and modular content layouts using blocks. Blocks can represent discrete content elements, such as text blocks, image galleries, call-to-action sections, or testimonials. Content creators can arrange and rearrange these blocks within the content editor to create rich and engaging page layouts without the need for complex coding or design skills.

4. Entry Types and Sections

Craft CMS allows for the creation of multiple entry types and sections, each tailored to specific content types or areas of the website. This enables content creators to organize content logically and efficiently, ensuring that each type of content is managed and presented appropriately. For example, you can have separate entry types for blog posts, news articles, and product pages, each with its own set of fields and templates.

5. Content Relationships

Craft CMS facilitates the establishment of relationships between different pieces of content, allowing for seamless content linking and cross-referencing. Content creators can create relationships between entries within the same section or across different sections, enabling the creation of dynamic content displays, related content sections, and content-driven navigation.

Security and Stability

Security is paramount in today's digital landscape, and Craft CMS takes it seriously. With a strong focus on security best practices and regular updates, Craft CMS provides a secure foundation for building websites that safeguard sensitive data and protect against potential threats. Additionally, Craft CMS's lightweight codebase and streamlined architecture contribute to its stability and reliability, ensuring optimal performance even under heavy loads.

1. Updates and Maintenance

Craft CMS follows a proactive approach to security by regularly releasing updates and patches to address vulnerabilities and enhance system stability. The development team is diligent in monitoring security threats and promptly releasing updates to mitigate potential risks. By keeping the CMS up-to-date, website owners can benefit from the latest security enhancements and bug fixes, reducing the likelihood of security breaches and system failures. Sounds good to us!

2. Secure codebase

Craft CMS is built on a secure and reliable codebase, Yii, that adheres to industry best practices and security standards. The development team emphasizes writing clean, maintainable code and conducts thorough code reviews to identify and rectify potential security vulnerabilities. Additionally, Craft CMS leverages modern security features, such as secure password hashing, input validation, and CSRF protection, to safeguard against common attack vectors. Even better!

3. Role-Based Access Control

Craft CMS offers robust role-based access control (RBAC) capabilities, allowing website administrators to define granular permissions for users and groups. This enables organizations to restrict access to sensitive areas of the CMS and assign specific roles and permissions based on user responsibilities. By implementing RBAC, Craft CMS minimizes the risk of unauthorized access and unauthorized modifications to the website's content and settings.

4. Support and Documentation

Craft CMS boasts a vibrant community of developers, contributors, and users who actively collaborate to improve the platform's security and stability. The Craft CMS community provides valuable resources, such as forums, documentation, and tutorials, to help users troubleshoot issues, implement best practices, and stay informed about security-related topics. Additionally, Craft CMS offers comprehensive documentation and support resources to assist users in securing their websites and maximizing system performance.

Performance and Speed

Performance is a key determinant of user experience, and Craft CMS delivers in spades. Unlike WordPress, which can suffer from performance bottlenecks due to its reliance on plugins and complex codebase, Craft CMS is renowned for its speed and efficiency. Its minimalist approach to code and caching mechanisms result in lightning-fast page load times, enhancing user engagement and SEO rankings.

Scalability and Future-Proofing

As businesses grow and evolve, scalability becomes increasingly important. Craft CMS is designed with scalability in mind, offering a scalable architecture that can adapt to the changing needs and demands of our clients. Whether it's handling a surge in traffic or integrating new features and functionalities, Craft CMS provides a solid foundation for future-proofing our websites and ensuring long-term success.

We don't want to persuade you to use Craft CMS but rather you should take Craft CMS for a test drive yourself. There's lots to learn and many different aspects to Craft CMS, however we think it will be to the benefit of your clients. By choosing Craft CMS for your website, you can rest assured that your online presence is protected against security threats and equipped with the stability needed to deliver a reliable and secure user experience.

If you're unsure about the many CMS options that are available we want you to know we're here to help guide you to that answer. Regardless of the CMS, we can help you choose which is best for your business. Of course, we love Craft CMS development! As always, feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions.