HTML websites without a CMS

What is an HTML website without a CMS?

With this approach — often called a static website — each page sits on the server as a finished file. When a visitor requests a page, the server sends it straight back. Nothing has to be calculated, no database is consulted and no extensions are loaded. The pages are built by hand from HTML (the structure), CSS (the styling) and, where needed, a little JavaScript (for interaction).

The difference with a CMS

With a system such as WordPress or Joomla, a page is assembled afresh on every single visit: the software fetches texts from a database, loads the theme and the active plug-ins, and builds the result from them. That makes publishing yourself easy, but it also brings software that has to be maintained and secured. A static site skips that whole intermediate step.

Benefits of building without a CMS

• SpeedPages are ready and waiting and appear almost instantly, on mobile too.
• SecurityNo login page, database or plug-ins means hardly any attack surface.
• Low costsLightweight hosting is enough and no subscription for updates is needed.
• StabilityThere is no software that ages, so the site keeps working as intended for years.
• Free rein in designThe styling is not restricted by a theme or page builder.

We set these points out in more detail under the benefits of HTML without a CMS.

What are the drawbacks?

The honest downside: there is no dashboard where you can quickly change a piece of text yourself. Changes are carried out by whoever builds the site. In practice many organisations actually prefer that — you email what needs to be different and it is handled expertly — but if you want to publish yourself every day, a CMS is more convenient. You can read about that trade-off in CMS or no CMS.

Who is it suitable for?

Static HTML is an excellent fit for presentation websites, corporate sites, portfolios and campaign sites: sites where the content is relatively stable and where speed, appearance and calm matter more than publishing every day. If you are specifically looking for an alternative to WordPress, you will find that comparison at website without WordPress. Do you already have a site on a CMS? Then read at Converting a CMS website to HTML what such a switch involves.

Is a static site still relevant today?

Absolutely. Modern HTML and CSS make rich designs possible: animations, a light and a dark theme, video, forms and accessibility options are all part of it. Static on the server therefore does not mean dull in the browser. You can read how we put this into practice at HTML web design.