WordPress Vs Static HTML: How Do You Design Your Website?

Sep 26, 2022
WordPress vs html

To help you make your choice, we'll outline the meaning of these terms before diving into the advantages and disadvantages of each option.

Difference Between WordPress Static HTML and Static HTML

The final result is that everything comes out as HTML in the front end. That is, your site's code will look exactly like this, regardless whether you're making use of WordPress or a static HTML website:

WordPress html
Whichever option you pick the code will be exactly like this

The main difference lies in how it is that HTML develops.

For static HTML, the scenario is fairly straightforward. The developer or you write codes ( including your content). Once it's uploaded to the server and is there, it's always just like that. There's no background processing happening - your site remains with its finalized form.

  • Then, you'll need to execute the PHP code that will put together your site's HTML Version of the website.

What exactly is a Content Management System, Then?

Instead of having to manually insert the content and format it with HTML similar to static HTML website, you can just input your content using the WordPress editor, and WordPress will display it on your site:

The WordPress editor interface
The WordPress editor interface

If you desired to alter the content at a later date, you could just go in and edit it by using the editor you already have, instead of having to modify the static HTML file on your server.

Pros and Pros and WordPress

Code-Free Content Management

The most significant benefit of WordPress is the fact that it allows you to virtually eliminate the need for code in managing your day-to-day operations of your website. The majority of tasks you'll need to take can be performed using a graphic interface.

With this graphic interface, it is possible to:

  • Create new content
  • Modify the way your website looks
  • Modify how your website functions
  • Configure important SEO settings
  • Take a number of additional important actions

If you don't know anything about HTML/CSS ( and probably even when you do), this approach can simplify the process to oversee the entire website.

Easy to Change How Your Website Looks

wordpress themes
What is the best way to add a new WordPress theme

However when you have a static HTML site, you can control the appearance of your website using your own CSS. It's not just difficult to establish in the first place but it's also time-consuming should you need to completely alter the way your static HTML site appears at some point in the future. Yes, there are CSS frameworks you can use to make this process faster however it will require additional effort and experience to be able to manage.

WordPress theme
WordPress theme

Additionally, you need to take care to make all of your CSS mobile-friendly (AKA look good on mobile) however, the majority of WordPress theme is responsive as a default.

Easy to Add New Functionality

How you add a new WordPress plugin
How do you install a brand new WordPress plugin

There is even the option of quickly adding onto eCommerce or social networks capabilities.

Rapid Growth and Major Changes

The combination of plugins and themes and plugins, as well as WordPress the general functions as a CMS allows you to easily create complex websites.

Static HTML is an easy option to build a basic website that has only a couple of pages... but should you require any other non-standard functionality, WordPress is almost certainly going to let you build a site faster.

Do There Exist Any Negatives Using WordPress?

WordPress 5.0 PHP benchmarks
WordPress 5.0 PHP benchmarks

How much does caching impact the performance of a WordPress website? Here is a quick test on the WordPress blog, before and after cache.

Without Cache

First, we ran a test using cache deactivation on our WordPress blog.

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WordPress site without cache
WordPress website without cache ( Pingdom test)

It is evident that there is an extended delay for the first HTML DOC loading. This is due to not being served from the cache on the server.

Without cache delay
There is no delay in cache

With Cache

Then we ran a test by enabling caches on the WordPress blog. The cache settings were not modified.

WordPress site with cache
WordPress website with cache ( Pingdom test)

It is evident that it's a huge improvement. Indeed, providing the page using the cached server decreased the load time by 32.2 percent.

With cache
With cache

The second disadvantage would probably be high-quality. Due to the extreme popularity of WordPress, there are many terrible themes and plugins on the market. And free solutions sometimes just drop off the map entirely. Sorting through the bad to discover the positive could take a long time.

Pros and Cons of a Static HTML Website

It was reported by WordPress - but now lets look into the advantages and disadvantages of having a static HTML website.

There's No Underlying Software to manage

We've talked about the issue a few minutes time ago, but let's revisit the topic quickly since it is one of the major benefits from static HTML.

When you use WordPress as well as themes and plugins and themes, you're accountable for updating all that underlying code as well as ensuring there's any compatibility issues. Although this can be quite simple ( you usually just must click a link) but it's an essential thing to take care of to ensure that your website safe and running.

On the other hand, if you've written clean static HTML, you'll be able to let things alone and never worry about updates.

Easy Access to the Underlying Code

While WordPress allows you to access the entire code that powers the site, an static HTML site will make it a bit simpler to input certain types of markup. Instead of having to work with template templates and the WordPress loop all the information is available at your fingertips.

What are the drawbacks of the creation of a static HTML site?

Though static HTML website can be suitable for a standard site, the major problem arises as you work to increase the size of your site, in terms of quantity of content or functionality.

Most of these disadvantages can be viewed as the exact opposite of WordPress' advantages. Namely:

  • Editing or adding content isn't user-friendly because you'll need to look into the code.
  • Adding new functionality requires that you code it yourself.
  • Changing how your site looks requires rewriting your CSS.

Additionally, unless you actually are an expert in HTML/CSS, most of these things will also need a developer's fee while WordPress would let you do it yourself, for most part.

Use WordPress as a Static Website Generator

The static website generators differ from these two choices in the sense that they utilize a content management system's content, such as WordPress then combine it with a theme and generate static HTML pages. Jekyll is among the top one, that you could use to host your whole website or blog on GitHub Pages, and then push out your latest content in one click. But what's the drawback? It's not easy (to be honest) to get it set up, and even for developers, it can be time-consuming.

If you're in the mood for an afternoon to learn more about Jekyll then take a look at this piece by Mike Neumegen. Alternatively, an flat-file CMS such as Grav can give you easier control of your content while also not requiring a database.

If you're an expert in technology, it's even possible to achieve the best of both worlds and use WordPress as the static HTML website generator. You just need keep in mind that if use WordPress for this purpose it will require sacrifices:

  • It will not be "real-time" interactive content available on your site at all.
  • You can't use WordPress's built-in commenting system.

Essentially, everything that is server-side (PHP) generated will become static and updated manually. Generators for static websites will build an entire HTML page based on the content you have provided. Once it's finished, regardless of how many people visit your website, it will not get regenerated until you enter an exact command to your personal computer.

Developers have solved the commenting "problem" by making it impossible to use the service at all, or by switching to JavaScript-based options The most well-known being Disqus or Facebook comments.

If you're a client it is automatically enabled for each WordPress website, and the cache by default is wiped out every hour. You can, however, create a ticket to our support staff within your My dashboard and ask for a greater duration for your cache. Just please make sure you are aware of the implications for doing this.

Cloudflare Full Page Cache

We offer the best of Both Worlds

We don't generally recommend loading your entire website from cache unless you've got the time to test it thoroughly. For example, when it is WooCommerce, you can cache your "static" front page products, categories, and categories (if you don't change them too often) and , yes, it will load fast! But as soon as you click "add to cart" it's necessary to change to a non-cached version otherwise you'll be able to see that the cart is always empty.

We have servers-level guidelines that are in place for online shopping solutions and blogs to ensure what should be cached is as well as what doesn't.

A few examples include certain WooCommerce as well as EDD pages like cart, my-account, as well as checkout. that aren't caching. And users automatically bypass the cache when the woocommerce_items_in_cart cookie or edd_items_in_cart cookie is detected to ensure a smooth and in-sync checkout process.

This gives you an extremely fast loading WordPress site not having to fret about the site's stability.

Cache component stack
Cache component stack

WordPress or Static?

Now for the million dollar issue... When you're building just a tiny site that isn't likely to evolve or add the addition of new content, static HTML is a fine approach. However, for everything different, WordPress is almost certainly going to be a better option. It is the case especially if you don't have access to an experienced developer.

Its simplicity of use and its flexibility is the primary reason for it to power over 43.3% of all the sites on the Internet. Let us ask you this question: have you ever thought of building a site with static HTML instead of WordPress? Have you taken the route of a static website generator?

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