When talking about web development, it’s easy to assume WordPress is the obvious choice – especially in Hallingdal, where we often see WordPress being used. After all, it’s the world’s most popular publishing platform, with countless ready-made solutions and plugins to get you started quickly. But what works for the masses isn’t necessarily the best choice for growth-focused businesses.

We’ve chosen Craft CMS as our publishing tool – and here’s why:

WordPress: A good start, but limited

WordPress was originally created as a blogging tool, and much of its architecture still reflects this. Although it has evolved to handle more complex websites, it often requires a jungle of plugins to deliver custom functionality.
This dependency makes the system heavy, less scalable, and often slower as the site grows.
The upside is that you can quickly get started and create something on 1, 2, and 3 – when you know the system well. WordPress also comes with ready-made themes that allow designers to take a pre-built framework and adjust as needed. It’s a bit like buying a prefab house when you know you want that specific dining room and ideally a basement (not in the catalog) even if the lot is flat.

Craft CMS: More flexibility and control

Craft CMS, on the other hand, puts the user in the driver’s seat. With Craft, we can build websites without having to wrestle with predefined themes or plugins.
To continue the "prefab house" comparison: You start with planning and a vision for how the house should look – who will live there – before building the foundation and framework.
We have the freedom to design our own HTML and create custom templates with Twig, a powerful and straightforward templating language that gives us clean code and a structure that makes development and maintenance easier.

Craft’s modular setup actually reminds us of Wide CMS, a system we used for over 15 years. Wide CMS was known for its “broad” and template-based structure, and much of the logic there is recognizable in Craft, especially with Twig and Matrix fields for flexible content setups. 
Morten, the developer of Wide CMS, recommended we take a closer look at the new Content Management System "Craft". The transition was therefore natural for us.

Also read: Would you buy a brand new car for $1,200?

Some of the benefits of Craft CMS

Designed for growth and customization; here are some benefits that make Craft CMS a superior choice (for us):

1. Customization and flexibility
   • Twig templating: Separate front-end and back-end logic for cleaner code and easier maintenance.
   • Reusable components: Uniform styling and reduced code redundancy.
   • Custom fields: With Craft’s Field Layout Designer, we can create unique solutions with intuitive interfaces for editors and content creators.
   • Plugins like SEOmatic for advanced search engine optimization.
2. User experience
   • Live Preview: Real-time visualization of changes for a seamless editing experience.
   • Customizable dashboard: A minimalist, intuitive control panel tailored to the editor’s needs.
3. Performance and scalability
   • MVC framework: Optimal performance and scalability, with clean code for reusability and growth.
   • Blitz caching plugin: An extra performance booster for fast websites.
4. Security and reliability
   • Regular updates and security patches.
   • Two-factor authentication and data encryption.
   • Protection against common security risks like SQL injections and XSS.
5. Integration and future-proofing
   • GraphQL support: Efficient data handling and seamless distribution of content across multiple platforms.
   • API access: For easy integration with third-party services like HubSpot and Google Analytics.
   • Customization for specific business needs, including headless architecture.

For businesses that want to grow and scale

Several well-known brands, such as Interflora, Norwegian Top Football, and Nortura, use Craft CMS. Kantefølflak does too. This is no coincidence. Craft provides the flexibility we need to deliver websites that convert visitors into customers and support businesses in their growth.
For us, it’s not just about creating "homepages" but about crafting experiences that represent the business in the best possible way on a professional website.
With Craft CMS, we’ve found the tool that lets us do just that.

It’s worth mentioning that the internet world consists of more than just Craft CMS and WordPress, even though good old Wide CMS is now retired. There are hundreds. Joomla, Enonic, Statamic, Drupal, WordPress, and Craft are just a few of many possible options.

Maybe we can help you find the right tool – with a great website – and an intuitive customer journey that leads to increased revenue and a better bottom line.

Contact us about your next project.