Wenn es um die Erstellung einer Unternehmenswebsite geht, ist die Wahl der richtigen Plattform entscheidend. Sie haben zwei Hauptoptionen: WordPress und statisches HTML, jede mit ihren Vor- und Nachteilen.
WordPress ist ein dynamischer Website-Builder, der Flexibilität und benutzerfreundliche Funktionen bietet. Statische HTML-Websites hingegen bestehen aus festen Seiten, die zwar schnelle Ladezeiten bieten, aber oft nicht die einfachen Aktualisierungen ermöglichen, die viele Unternehmen benötigen.
Bei WPBeginner verwenden wir WordPress, weil es schnelle Updates ermöglicht, eine große Bibliothek von Plugins bietet und leistungsfähig genug ist, um Tausende unserer Inhalte zu hosten. Nachdem wir das Tool seit über 16 Jahren nutzen, sind wir überzeugte WordPress-Experten.
In diesem Artikel gehen wir auf die Unterschiede zwischen WordPress und statischem HTML ein. Indem wir die Vor- und Nachteile jeder Option untersuchen, wollen wir Ihnen helfen zu entscheiden, welche Plattform am besten zu Ihren geschäftlichen Anforderungen passt.
Eine Einführung in WordPress vs. statisches HTML
WordPress und statisches HTML sind beliebte Optionen für die Erstellung von Unternehmenswebsites.
WordPress ist ein Website-Baukasten mit einem integrierten CMS (Content Management System). Dank seiner intuitiven Benutzeroberfläche können Benutzer Websites leicht erstellen.
Sie können alle Änderungen an Ihrer Website über einen Verwaltungsbereich vornehmen, der auch für absolute Anfänger leicht zu verstehen ist.
Es gibt zwar viele Website-Baukästen, aber WordPress ist der beliebteste, da er fast 43 % aller Websites im Internet betreibt.
Wichtig: Wenn wir von WordPress sprechen, meinen wir WordPress.org, den selbst gehosteten Website-Baukasten, und nicht WordPress.com, einen Hosting-Dienst. Bitte lesen Sie unseren Leitfaden über den Unterschied zwischen WordPress.org und WordPress.com.
HTML ist die Auszeichnungssprache, die zur Darstellung von Webseiten verwendet wird. Die meisten Websites im Internet werden mit HTML und einer Vielzahl von Auszeichnungs- und Skriptsprachen erstellt.
In der Regel müssen Sie einen Webentwickler damit beauftragen, eine HTML-Website für Ihr Unternehmen zu erstellen. Er wird HTML, CSS, JavaScript und andere Technologien verwenden, um Ihre Website zu erstellen.
CMS-Software wie WordPress verwendet eine Datenbank zum Speichern und Abrufen von Inhalten. Bei HTML-Websites hingegen werden alle Inhalte in statischen Dateien gespeichert.
In diesem Sinne werden wir WordPress und statisches HTML gegenüberstellen, um Ihnen zu helfen, die perfekte Lösung für Ihre Unternehmenswebsite zu finden. In den folgenden Abschnitten werden wir über Folgendes sprechen:
Sind Sie bereit? Lasst uns gleich loslegen!
Vorteile der Verwendung von WordPress
Einfach zu aktualisieren – Sie können sich einfach bei Ihrer WordPress-Website anmelden und neue Seiten hinzufügen, ohne Ihren Entwickler zu bezahlen.
WordPress ist einfach zu bedienen und hat eine intuitive Benutzeroberfläche, die das Erstellen und Aktualisieren von Seiten auf Ihrer Website erleichtert.
Professionelle Vorlagen – Es gibt Tausende von vorgefertigten Vorlagen, die Sie auf Ihrer Website verwenden können. Diese Themen werden von Fachleuten aus der ganzen Welt entwickelt.
Unglaublich leistungsfähig – WordPress-Websites können leicht mit Plugins erweitert werden. Durch die Installation von Plugins können Sie Ihrer bestehenden Website beliebige Funktionen hinzufügen, wie z. B.:
- Hinzufügen eines Kontaktformulars
- Hinzufügen eines Reservierungssystems
- Erstellen einer Fotogalerie
- Und mehr
Vollständige Kontrolle und Eigentum – Sie erhalten die vollständige Kontrolle über Ihre Website, ihren Domainnamen und ihren gesamten Inhalt. Sie können alle Änderungen vornehmen, die Sie möchten, und es gibt keine Begrenzung dafür, wie sehr Ihre Website in Bezug auf Popularität, Verkehr, Umsatz und Nutzer wachsen kann.
Nachteile der Verwendung von WordPress
Lernkurve – Obwohl WordPress einfach zu bedienen ist, dauert es für die meisten Anfänger eine Weile, sich mit der Software vertraut zu machen. Es gibt reichlich Hilfe, um diese Lernkurve schnell zu überwinden, aber es wird ein wenig Mühe kosten.
Wartung – Sie sind für die Erstellung von Backups, die Installation von Software-Updates und die Sicherung Ihrer Website verantwortlich. Die gute Nachricht ist, dass es eine Menge Plugins für diese Aufgaben gibt, die den Prozess vollständig für Sie automatisieren.
Vorteile einer HTML-Website
Wenig bis gar keine Wartung – Sobald Ihre Website live ist, müssen Sie keine Updates mehr installieren oder regelmäßig Backups Ihrer Inhalte erstellen. Wenn sich nichts geändert hat, können Sie Ihre Website nur einmal sichern und sie dann vergessen.
Geringe Anforderungen – HTML-Websites benötigen keine Server, auf denen PHP oder MySQL installiert ist. Sie können auf billigeren Servern mit geringen Ressourcen laufen. Andererseits bieten die meisten guten Webhosting-Unternehmen PHP- und MySQL-Unterstützung an.
Nachteile einer HTML-Website
Keine Updates – Wenn Sie keine HTML/CSS-Kenntnisse haben, können statische HTML-Websites für Anfänger sehr schwierig zu aktualisieren sein. Selbst für kleine Aufgaben wie das Hinzufügen neuer Seiten, das Aktualisieren alter Inhalte oder das Hochladen von Videos oder Bildern müssen Sie einen Entwickler beauftragen.
Keine zusätzlichen Funktionen – Wenn Ihr Unternehmen wächst und Sie eine Funktion zu Ihrer Website hinzufügen möchten, wie z. B. eine Umfrage, einen Online-Shop oder eine Bildergalerie, dann müssen Sie einen Entwickler beauftragen. In den meisten Fällen wird der Wechsel zu WordPress empfohlen.
Kosten – In Anbetracht der Tatsache, dass Sie selbst für die kleinsten Aufgaben Mitarbeiter einstellen müssen, könnten die Kosten für eine HTML-Website viel höher sein als für eine WordPress-Website.
Was ist besser? WordPress oder statisches HTML?
Nun, da wir die Vor- und Nachteile von WordPress- und HTML-Websites kennen. Lassen Sie uns darüber sprechen, welche für Ihre Unternehmenswebsite besser ist.
Wenn Sie die Freiheit und Kontrolle über Ihre Website haben möchten und kein Geld für monatliche Zahlungen an Entwickler zum Hinzufügen von Bildern verschwenden wollen, ist WordPress die bessere Wahl.
Wenn Sie sicher sind, dass Sie Ihre Website nie aktualisieren, ändern oder etwas Neues hinzufügen wollen, dann entscheiden Sie sich auf jeden Fall für eine HTML-Website. Sie wird schneller sein und Ihren Zweck erfüllen.
Für Menschen, die ihre Geschäftswebsite ausbauen und online Geld verdienen wollen, ist WordPress der richtige Weg. Außerdem können Sie mit WordPress jede Art von Website erstellen oder sogar zusätzliche Einnahmequellen zu Ihrem bestehenden Geschäft hinzufügen, wie z. B.:
- Hinzufügen eines Online-Shops
- Aufbau einer Mitgliedergemeinschaft
- Verkaufen von digitalen Downloads
- Annahme von Online-Zahlungen mit Kreditkarten und mehr!
Sie werden Teil einer weltweiten Gemeinschaft von Unternehmen, die WordPress für die Verwaltung ihrer Online-Präsenz nutzen. Es stehen zahlreiche kostenlose Ressourcen, Tools und Plugins zur Verfügung, die es Ihnen erleichtern, Ihre Prozesse zu rationalisieren und Ihr Unternehmen auszubauen.
Anstatt Entwicklern viel Geld für die kleinsten Dinge zu zahlen, können Sie dieses Geld für das Wachstum Ihres Unternehmens mit WordPress ausgeben.
Erste Schritte mit WordPress für Ihre Unternehmenswebsite
Zunächst müssen Sie sich bei einem WordPress-Hosting-Anbieter anmelden. Dies sind spezialisierte Unternehmen, die Ihre Website auf ihren Servern hosten.
Wir empfehlen Bluehost, da es der offiziell von WordPress empfohlene Hosting-Anbieter ist. Außerdem bieten sie unseren Nutzern einen kostenlosen Domainnamen und bis zu 61% Rabatt auf das Hosting (siehe unseren Bluehost-Gutschein).
WordPress ist bekannt für seine schnelle und einfache Installation. Werfen Sie einen Blick auf unsere Schritt-für-Schritt-Anleitung zur WordPress-Installation für Anfänger.
Nach der Installation müssen Sie ein Theme für Ihre Website auswählen. Vielleicht möchten Sie sich auch die wichtigsten WordPress-Plugins für Unternehmenswebsites ansehen.
Ausführlichere Anweisungen finden Sie in unserem ultimativen Leitfaden für die Einrichtung eines WordPress-Blogs.
Häufig gestellte Fragen zu WordPress vs. statischem HTML
Nachdem wir nun die wichtigsten Unterschiede zwischen WordPress und statischem HTML behandelt haben, wollen wir nun auf einige häufig gestellte Fragen eingehen.
Diese häufig gestellten Fragen helfen Ihnen zu verstehen, welche Option für Ihr Unternehmen am besten geeignet sein könnte.
Ist eine statische Website besser als WordPress für SEO?
Nein, eine statische Website ist für SEO nicht besser als WordPress. Mit WordPress können Sie leistungsstarke SEO-Plugins und -Tools verwenden, die Ihre Seiten automatisch für die neuesten SEO-Richtlinien optimieren können. Eine statische Website würde eine Programmierung erfordern, um diese SEO-Best-Practices zu nutzen und hinzuzufügen.
Kann WordPress so schnell sein wie eine statische Website?
Ja, das ist möglich. Mit einem guten WordPress-Hosting-Unternehmen und einem Caching-Plugin kann ein Benutzer WordPress verwenden und gleichzeitig seinen Benutzern zwischengespeicherte statische Seiten anbieten. Diese Praxis macht eine WordPress-Website sogar schneller als die meisten statischen HTML-Websites.
Auf welcher Sprache basiert WordPress?
WordPress basiert hauptsächlich auf PHP, wobei einige Teile in HTML, CSS und JavaScript geschrieben sind.
Warum ist WordPress besser als andere Plattformen?
WordPress bietet benutzerfreundliche Funktionen, umfangreiche Anpassungsmöglichkeiten mit Themes und Plugins sowie eine starke Support-Community und ist damit ideal für Anfänger und Unternehmen jeder Größe.
Ist WordPress besser als Webentwicklung?
WordPress ist eine großartige Option für Nicht-Entwickler oder diejenigen, die eine flexible, gebrauchsfertige Lösung wünschen. Die kundenspezifische Webentwicklung ermöglicht jedoch eine maßgeschneiderte und einzigartige Website-Funktionalität.
Wofür ist WordPress am besten geeignet?
WordPress ist für viele Dinge bestens geeignet! Dazu gehören Blogs, Business-Websites, eCommerce-Shops, Portfolios und jede inhaltsorientierte Website, dank der einfachen Verwaltung und Anpassung von Inhalten.
Wir hoffen, dass dieser Artikel Ihnen geholfen hat, WordPress mit HTML zu vergleichen und die beste Lösung für Ihre Unternehmenswebsite zu finden. Vielleicht interessieren Sie sich auch für unseren Leitfaden darüber , was Headless WordPress ist und ob Sie es verwenden sollten, oder für unsere Expertenliste der Arten von Websites, die Sie mit WordPress erstellen können.
Wenn Ihnen dieser Artikel gefallen hat, dann abonnieren Sie bitte unseren YouTube-Kanal für WordPress-Videotutorials. Sie können uns auch auf Twitter und Facebook finden.
Syed Balkhi
Hey WPBeginner readers,
Did you know you can win exciting prizes by commenting on WPBeginner?
Every month, our top blog commenters will win HUGE rewards, including premium WordPress plugin licenses and cash prizes.
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Start sharing your thoughts below to stand a chance to win!
Jagdeesh
Hey All,
Just would like say one thing about Words Press and Website Developer
Both are easy to use when compare to past 10 years coding knowledge.
Thanks
WPBeginner Support
Thanks for sharing your opinion
Admin
karthik
was sure a helpful information. Thank you
WPBeginner Support
Glad our article could be helpful
Admin
David E. Roy, Ph.D.
Hi, years ago, at the dawn of Internet time, I created my own websites w/ Dreamweaver. I got used to easily creating a page as well as linking various pages together. With WordPress, so far, I can’t seem to get the logic sufficiently to do easily what I want to do. I want to be able to have a home page that lists topics I am writing about and where I can archive them in separate topics; perhaps have titles of past comments pop up with a mouse over, etc.
I know also there are a number of terms and names of processes to be learned, but what I keep feeling is that I don’t know what I’m going nor how it is going to look or function. In the long run, if I do earn some $ from what I am doing, I probably will want to hire someone to post, maintain, etc. But until or unless that day arrives, I need to do this myself.
So, I’m open to suggestions!
Mauro
Hello everybody,
I have a WP site (impreza theme) and I’d like to upload some elearning courses whose content starts wiith home.htm.
The user experience would be very simple: when they reach courses page (regular WP page) they can choose form a grid of courses that basically are thumbnail impages with proper links to sitename.it/wp-contents/upload/2017/06/home.htm.
Where I should put the home.htm and following contents? I have another site with AVADA and I put them under wp-contents/upload/2017…etc. and it works! But with Impreza I get a page error.
Do you have any suggestion?
Thanks a lot,
Mauro
Justin
Im a pro developer and its true, when you need a new section people need to hire me but i never need to recommend WP it can be easily done in code.
Also you can have a CMS in html.
Most importantly people pay me 80k-100k a year because html website rank better on google because they load faster then Wordpress and the code to make wordpress work ranks you lower as well.
Rojar
I really can not understand what is the best between 2 , if i tell you to chose what you will take?
Thank you!
WPBeginner Support
Hi Rojar,
We will choose WordPress.
Admin
Johnny
Wow what a a hot topic as I was stuck between the 2. HTML or CMS WP. I think. I’ll stick to Dreamweaver meanwhile.
sergio
who said HTML is only static guys?with the HTML 5, it can be also dynamic or add node.js it will go real-time live lolll when you change your code in HTML it will be right away displaying on the server.
Michael
HTML / CSS and everything that comes with creating a fully functional responsive website costs too much time. It becomes too expensive for the customers and is time consuming.
With WordPress, you can set up a complete website within 1 day. HTML is fun but takes too much time so you miss other projects.
David
HTML/CSS and all that goes into it to make a fully functional responsive website just takes too much time. It’s not practical anymore. With Wordpress you could set up a professional website in one day and you move one to another. It’s noble/fun to do HTML/CSS/JQuery/Bootstrap etc, but it’s soooo time consuming that it’s just not worth it.
R Daniel
Why did I expect anything but a long-winded advertisement for WordPress?
Jonathan
I was thinking the same thing. Talk about biased.
Suanlian Tangpua
Static HTML5 website loads very fast and really good for SEO when compared to WordPress. But, like you’ve said it needs the knowledge to update a page.
Dean
I find there is a problem that most newbies and some professed users of Wordpress don’t speak much about. When comparing WP with HTML you need to bring up the need to update constantly with Wordpress where as HTML if coded correctly lasts far longer without any updates making it superior to WP as a content management system.
Security is the biggest issue of all with Wordpress. Most people get breached because of sloppy website management. While it is understood that HTML websites can sing the same song yet Wordpress is to easy to publish with out the right precautions set.
Peter H
Static html is not obsolete. So many professionals in here bot nobody mentioned that you can have best of both worlds. You can easily combine static pages and use wordpress for just on blog pages or just where you need to manage the content. People tend to push wordpress everywhere. Think twice and use right tool …
Mustafa Faris
I have WordPress sites and i am very happy with them but sometimes i missed my old simple, fast and white HTML pages …. these days we need something like WordPress to make it faster to update and add.
Deborah Jane
Which is better for SEO on a small E commerce site?
Rajiv
Awesome article! WP indeed gives you en easier interface to update your site and it’s time saving too for non-tech friendly people specially. However the worst thing about WE is that almost all websites look similar. For someone like me who wants innovation and things done as per my own requirements, HTML is the buddy.
Daniel
I’m a certified web developer/graphic artist that has been doing this for a while. I consider it all a matter of personal preference. I personally love to type out and build an entire responsive site in html/css, or buy a nice template and alter it. I know that’d make some people put an ice pick in their ear, but for me, I enjoy the minute details that you can do with html/css that you can not do with wordpress. C’mon… with css/html you can have a website that looks exactly like a wordpress site, you can go into the code and edit things anywhere on your site down to moving 1 specific pixel for goodness sake…. wordpress does not give you that level of control. Then you just attach your clients website to a WYSIWYG editor, and they can then log in and make any text changes that they want to pages, change text content, swap pictures, whatever…. and you don’t have to lift a finger, and you can define with css the areas that they can and can’t edit in their nice and easy user friendly UI.
The amount of customization that you can do to your site when you build it yourself with html/css/javascript/whatever….. is 10x more customizable than with wordpress. Sure you can add plugins in wordpress, but you can do the same thing with coding it yourself into your site. It’s all personal preference though.
Static html sites are in no way going away. If done properly they are much more secure than ones built with wordpress. At the end of the day though, it’s what works best for you and your client though. Some of us just like to look at text strings, others don’t
hammad
This article is very helpful for us..
I have a question here… that which is more secure about security ?
Ash
That is a great question and one that most people don’t consider. Wordpress has some serious security concerns. Like any platform, if you keep it updated, it SHOULD stay ahead of the hackers. However, most beginners and casual users will not keep Wordpress up to date.
On the other hand, the static html example (leave out JavaScript) in this article would have no inherent security vulnerabilities. But like anything, in the hands of a novice, mistakes could be made which could open a door.
If security is your concern, a professionally coded site with managed hosting or a (semi) active webmaster is the way to go. And don’t let people tell you this is too expensive. It can be the most affordable option when you count the time of learning a platform like Wordpress or the hassle of dealing with a hacked site.
Arthur D. Clerk
Something that doesn’t seem to be mentioned is the ability, or lack thereof, for HTML sites to easily be responsive. Given the need these days to suit a site to desktops, laptops, tablets and phones, working with a Wordpress theme gives you that power.
One of the drawbacks these days to using Wordpress is that so many template demos look alike. There’s a lack of originality in design from theme developers. I find it refreshing to stumble upon an HTML site, and for very small sites (local salon, pizza delivery place, car repairman, etc.), the HTML sites work fine. Maybe even better. Less hassle and less subject to being hacked.
Marcos
What about static HTML generating plugins for Wordpress?
Where the WordPress runs on a local (your own computer) or a local server (with the client), a plugin creates the files as they are published and then it’s uploaded using FTP (together with the wp-content/uploads/ folder). It would be necessary a script to regenerate files like the home page.
You get the update advantage of WP, the speed and better security of pure HTML.
I’ve been thinking on this solution, I can imagine a few hickups but most can be solved. I only have 2 problems (all theoretical): different post types, created by themes and plugins (even so I believe it’s still possible) and comments (if you use them – not my case).
Does anyone see this possibility any different?
Thanks
Marjolein
The idea of a CMS separated from the HTML output is not new. Moreover; a large proprietary CMS works like this. Benefit; secure & if hacked easy to recover. Downsite; more and more large websites are very interactive; more like applications then website. So working with a CMS set-up like this while maintaining code on the server-side simultaiously can be a challenge. Like you mentioned. But the basic idea works.
Aliji
HTML will only get more widespread adoption. the insicurity of wordpress and other content management system is a problem for web developers, as hackers and the web continue to advance more businesses will rely on html rather than a CMS to manage their site. i would say, for very security consceious businesses html is still the best for you.
Ruby
I have a business, and the person who did my website used WP. My website was hacked into, and the hacker used my website as a fake page to do ATM transactions online. I now have no website, and getting a new one done in HTML. As a client, I do not want to deal with security issues and updating the site myself, which the web developer insisted I could do, and then was nowhere to be found to help me out. I am extremely frustrated! Will a new website in HTML fix my problem? I will change my web hosting as well.
WPBeginner Support
Depends on your needs and requirements. A plain HTML website can also get hacked.
Admin
mo
If an HTML website is hacked. Can I call my web host to delete the account, and make it fresh?
I always keep a back up, this way I can upload everything at a moment’s notice.
Rahul
Building a website is not very tough job, just we need to choose proper platform to work on it. Creating a website according to our business is something different as just building a website. Wordpress is easy way to any kind of website with no more coding issues. It have plugins option, user friendly features, best way to update and many more. It supports all SEO activities too. So having wordpress is any time best option for you
Gary Sjogren
I’m just starting to learn about what’s involved with a WP site. But I’ve hand-coded html for 15 years, and more recently created some sites using Google sites. No one mentioned Google, so I wonder how that compares with WP, especially since it has a WYSIWYG editor for text, tables, and embedded graphics. Please comment!
M
Can any domain name be mapped onto a WordPress Business account? Or is it only some domain names with certain endings ie. .com , etc?
WPBeginner Support
The self hosted WordPress.org does not require a business account. You can use it on any domain you like. Please see our guide on the difference between self hosted WordPress.org vs free WordPress.com blog.
Admin
Edward
I like WP but I’ve just started with html and css and in my humble opinion html is for me.
Daniel
Look forward to seeing one of your themes on the Wordpress repository
Osama
Great post,but i think html site is more easy to manage by myself there are services like weebly or wix that you can do your website in no time and so easily no need to hire anyone.
raybees
Wix? Weebly? cmon have you read their terms? They can terminate your site at any time for any reason with no comeback. Also they are limited in MANY ways that most business web developers understand but normal people do not. The advantages depend on what the site is being used for of course – but ownership, revisions, flexibility, high perf hosting and upkeep are just a few (probably over 100 advantages i could call off the top of my head). And the people saying pro sites are easy? show me the pro site created in a day. It will be crap – SEO tuned content, custom vector/svg graphics and photographers – Its actually a big job and why they cost so much.
Rudy
HTML sites may not be as popular as CMS style site, however, you do have a variety of add-ons to use, like surveys, polls, photo gallery, etc….To add or modify a page is not difficult to do with HTML/CSS if YOU are the one who created the site. Even with CMS, if you use a developer, they may not always be avail when you need them.
Fortunately, WP for Beginners provides great information and I’ve learned how to configure my websites on my own…
Susan Holland
I’ve been working with static sites from the olden days of such things. While I am not a professional web designer, nor am I an html expert, I have found that the tools offered on DIY sites make it seem comparatively simple compared to the old necessity of STP interfaces and constant learning curves. How wonderful it is to put up a gallery by uploading images to a „gallery“ and then manipulating from there, linking to anything you want from that base.
What I love about Wordpress is the fluidity of it. It has the opportunity for a LOT of personality, and so I have used it for a blog platform for many years as well. Linking content from one platform to another is such a fine smorgasbord!
My new venture will be with a domain I own…a portal site (html) from an easy „sitebuilder“ provided by the host, and many pages with links to my blog entries on your Wonderful Wordpress.
I have a job ahead transplanting specific blocks of data from old blogs and also old business oriented websites. There will be some complicated linking going on until I can detach the „old“ and move on with the new. But I am excited about the possibilities. i would be interested to know if this seems a good plan to WPbeginner techs? Susan
Kaye Handlon
I make a modest living building WordPress websites for small to medium size businesses. And while I love WordPress for certain types of websites, I don’t full agree with this article.
The main point I do not agree with is the cost, and specifically the statement „f you want to have the freedom and control of your website and not waste money on monthly retainers paying developers to add images, then WordPress is obviously the better choice.“. It has been my first hand experience with over 150 clients that many of them simply do NOT feel comfortable keeping a WordPress website up to date (WordPress itself, plugins, making backups to run updates and managing security).
Quite honestly I believe the learning curve for PROPERLY keeping WordPress updated and secure about as easy or difficult as setting up an FTP client to download / upload static html files to make simple text changes.
So in that regard, most ’non-techy‘ business owners will still pay a developer (like me) to properly update their WordPress website and keep it, on a basic level, secure.
Personally, my suggestion is if they plan to make weekly, or even a large amount of monthly updates (church websites are ideal candidates for WordPress website) then WordPress is worth it for the ’non-techy‘ business or organization. If they plan to make updates less than that, and the changes would be small (an update on yearly policy documents, quarterly updates for service prices, or that sort of thing) then they are better off with a static HTML website and paying a developer for 15 minutes or even an hour of time to do those updates. Chances are they would be paying a developer that much yearly for a developer to keep their WordPress site secure and properly backed up and updated.
Don’t get me wrong, I love WordPress, I just think for smaller websites that might only receive light text updates less-than-monthly, a static html website may be the way to go as far as money spent with a developer for maintenance.
teri matelson
Technically, html has been evolving and changing, and coders learning and moving forward. Still, I think the Admin-backend programs like WP, Weebly and such will take over. That’s fine. However… „Quite Easy“ is not the case in WP and although some clients will be able to log in to make minor changes in text or upload an image, they better have contact with the developer and be prepared to pay an hourly fee when the developer needs to add/design new pages/content, fix what the client broke, fix what a WP update broke, renew a license, or help with what just didn’t come out looking quite right. WP is highly technical and complex, and design is still a skill many people don’t have. This „free and easy“ type advertising of WP is ok when it’s .com, but WP websites of any quality… just not so.
Louis
I try to stick with a static site over WordPress whenever possible. My 2 main reasons are speed and security.
JasonW
You forgot to add that static sites are a ton more secure. With no server side language script bugs to exploit, it makes it 100x harder for hackers.
@ADRIENNE WordPress and all other CMS‘ combined is only about 60% of what makes up the internet. Static sites are still alive and well in 2016 making up the largest part of the interwebs.
Kaye
I totally agree with you. I have clients who can barely wrap their mind around how to make simple text changes in WordPress, or ad an image to content. They simply do not want anything to do with keeping their WordPress websites moderately secure, properly backed-up (and archived) and updated.
I think for the average non-tech related small business (or organization) owner/manager with a small website with less than monthly content changes, they are better off with a static HTML website and just paying a developer for 30 minutes – 1 hour of their time to do the updates. This type of website owner would be paying that to a developer for WordPress maintenance anyhow.
Sorto
Yes, security and speed.
Lyn Anderson
I like WordPress and will continue to use it but there are sites I’m thinking of making static HTML, mainly for speed.
Alan
A good article but if I may add further consideration based upon my own experience (I am not an expert!)
One thing that hasn’t been focussed on is security. I manage a number of Joomla and Wordpress sites.
Whilst both suffer from hacking attempts the Wordpress sites suffers many more in comparison.
I am not saying Joomla is better than Wordpress here (that is a totally different subject) but the facts speak for them themselves in my experience of both – Wordpress is more susceptible to hack attempts.
Wordpress (and Joomla) require a database to store content and sensitive data like admin login details. The databases can be hacked and injected with nasty stuff that breaks your site or allows someone to steal information or let them do whatever they want with your lovingly crafted website or blog. Security plugins are available to deter this however.
As the Editor has pointed out, with Wordpress you HAVE to keep your Wordpress version up to date as well as your theme(s) and plugins through regular updates as all use the database and they can and sometimes do suffer from vulnerabilities. Updates can also break your site which is applicable across the CMS system.
If you are a business that depends on your website this is a matter you must consider because realistically you need someone to manage the updates (although you can have Wordpress on auto update). This may need to be a developer who can take steps to prevent upgrade mishaps.
With a static site you have none of these issues as there is no database. You may need a developer to build your static site but on the flip side if you need a developer to regularly manage the security and updates of the software and plugins on your Wordpress, which will impact most upon your business?
Whilst Adrienne’s view that static site’s are a thing of the past is shared by many (mine included up to a few months ago) there is a movement towards static site generators such as Hugo and Grav that are addressing the constant headache of security updates associated with the likes of Drupal, Joomla and Wordpress by generating a flat file CMS (no database).
Wordpress is a fantastic tool for a business website but beware – do your research on how to protect your website from some not so nice people out there…
Edward Martin III
I have been REALLY enjoying exploring Grav! It’s j-u-s-t at the limit of what I know, but the results are very nice, and I am enjoying learning about it more than I enjoyed learning about WP.
I can’t bring myself to agree that static sites are a thing of the past. (respectfully disagree — not being mean about it)
As you and others have mentioned: it really REALLY depends on your business needs.
And security needs. Ugh, security needs…
kaushik
Static HTML can also be replaced with wordpress when used with simplified themes like Genesis.
felix
Great article
Adrienne
In 2016, a static page is really a thing of the past. I can’t even image going back to static web pages. Keep up with WordPress, it’s the best thing out there.
Angus
Personally I would bet that there will be an increased move towards static html sites with GUI back end editors.
Marius
I don’t know of any web developer in 2016 that offers only static html versions of a website unless you specifically ask for it, maybe simple one-pagers aside. I’m not surprised you’re touting WP given your business, but then let’s be honest and name all the disadvantages.
I have a developer background and I’ve been working for years with WP. Let me tell you, while WP is powerful, it is just as cost-intense as any other website once you want some individual functions for your business. And at one point you’ll want something individual to be implemented or a broken plugin to be fixed, because it doesn’t work with the latest WP update.
Second – WP is *fat* and will deliver a much slower user experience compared to a neat, individual website. Period. And yes, while the availability of plugins is an advantage of WP, the security risks coming with them gives us devs a headache. Ask the creators of Linux Mint – and they’re not newbies. You don’t want to ruin your business because your wordpress installation secretly distributes malware.
And just don’t think I’m a WP-basher – I love WP especially for the speed to set it up. It’s like five minutes and I’ve got a blog going. That’s awesome.
Edward Martin III
„You don’t want to ruin your business because your wordpress installation secretly distributes malware.“
This!
What a lot of folks don’t realize (and what I realized when it happened to me) is that once Google figures out your site is hijacked, they de-list you.
Once you aren’t on Google, you are literally nobody.
I think it’s… less than fully responsible to talk up CMSs for businesses without underscoring how important security is — and how much damage can be done by lack of security. If my personal blog site gets dropped by Google for a month while I work out a security issue, no biggie, but if my business site vanishes for a month, that’s money out of my pocket starting on day 1.
(and on shared hosting — even more dangerous)