Published:January 4, 2022
Updated: November 28, 2023
Views: 2,349
Please let us be honest and tell you that we have never been fond of WordPress. Ever. WordPress is perfect for non-developers and they can easily build a website for their companies. If they can't afford a custom-made website, then let them do it, it's the best option for them. WordPress is free and there is a ton of plugins available (although the paid plugins are stable and safe to use). Soon, the website starts crashing after the new update because the theme or the plugins are not updated yet. That's when you realize you need to hire an agency to help you.
But, it's a shame to see developers and digital agencies use WordPress themes and other website builders for professional use. The clients feel like they are going to get the best available technologies, and instead of that, they are being scammed for something they could have done themselves. Still not convinced? Read this great article about more reasons for not using WordPress for professional work.
Back in the day, we thought that it was better to invest more time in building a custom CMS backend with Laravel, and not use WordPress. You can read more here. However, that was a really time-consuming process and we were desperate for an alternative until we found out about Statamic CMS. On a regular basis, we have clients that need our help to migrate their website from WordPress to Statamic.
Statamic has a free version that you can use to build a simple website, but the Pro package is the one that you really need for professional websites and it costs $259 per project. It has everything you need to build a complex website, multilingual, unlimited user accounts and roles, version control with Git, a user-friendly and customizable control panel, etc.
Although you can connect Statamic to a database, by default Statamic is a flat-file CMS. All the data that you have are stored in markdown files (.md) and through the version control, you can see all the changes in these files, which means that you don't have to worry about database backups.
The image below is a screenshot of the Control Panel with all the available features. It's recommended that you give the client a specific user role with fewer functionalities to make it simple for them to use it.
Statamic stands out for:
Speed - The flat file solution doesn't need database queries and thus the websites are super fast and the data loads instantly.
Security - Hackers usually attack the database and not having one makes it harder for them.
Version Control - You know what was done, when was it changed, and who did it. Perfect!
Collaboration - Multiple developers can work on the same project and they don't have to migrate anything to make it work.
Customizable - You can tweak the Control Panel and adapt it to the needs of your clients.
Statamic is built on top of Laravel, a very popular PHP framework. That's why it's easier to make further changes to your website and make custom functionalities in the backend. It has great documentation and a shallow learning curve. Building a custom professional website for a client is much faster with Statamic than with WordPress.
As for the design, we make use of Tailwind CSS to build custom reusable components that we include as part of the Control Panel and the user can easily change the layout of the website. Statamic uses Antlers as its own templating engine and it's very easy to learn if you have some experience with Blade or Twig.
Nowadays, almost all our websites use Statamic as a CMS. The websites are professional and the client can easily use the CMS. On the other hand, Statamic helps us make websites that are super-fast and very secure. We don't have to use a database and there is version control. The Control Panel is super easy to understand too. It's simply amazing.
One of the best features is that we can build a custom design for a specific client and organize it into different components. The client can use these components to build a new page that will have the same design theme. This gives the client much more power to fully customize the website if needed. The screenshot below shows how the client can make changes to the design.
We decided to become part of the Statamic Marketplace and give back to the community. That's why we built Landtamic, Cloud and Formatic, which are Statamic Starter Kits. They're perfect for creating a personal website, a SaaS, or a blog, in just a few minutes. Add your logo, choose your preferred design components and write some content. That's it, as simple as that. Landtamic has everything that you need and it's professional, whereas Cloud is more compact and affordable.
You can check the DEMO or watch the VIDEO for Landtamic Statamic Starter Kit.
Our daily technologies nowadays are Laravel and Statamic in the backend, React (Nextjs), and Tailwind CSS in the frontend.
This article is part of the "Which technologies do we use and why?" series where we explain the technologies that we use daily.
Are you planning a new Statamic project or thinking about migrating your WordPress site to Statamic? Learn more about our expertise as a renowned Statamic development agency.
Lucky Media is proud to be recognized as the #1 best Statamic Agency by Clutch, a leading B2B ratings and reviews platform.
At Lucky Media, we offer a range of services including website development, web application development, and mobile apps development. We specialize in Statamic, React Native, Next.js, AI and ML solutions. We also provide staff augmentation and TALL stack development services.
For more insights into our work, check out our case studies on revolutionising lead generation with AI, customized coaching site, healthcare digitization, next-level performance, lead generation and patient journey, WordPress to Statamic migration, and improving user experience. These case studies provide a glimpse into how we tailor our technology choices to meet specific client needs and deliver exceptional results.
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