Honest Comparison
Static site vs WordPress for a small business: an honest comparison
Most articles comparing static sites with WordPress are written by people selling one or the other. We ran WordPress for years, then replaced our own site with a hand-built static one in June 2026 — so this is the comparison we can back with our own numbers, including the cases where WordPress is still the right answer. Rated 4.9 on Google.
- ● Family-run since 1995
- ● 4.9 on Google
- ● We made the switch ourselves
First-hand, not theory
We ran WordPress for years — then replaced our own site
For years, 365techies.co.uk ran on WordPress. It did the job, but keeping it doing the job took real effort: plugin updates, theme updates, core updates, caching tweaks, and the low-level worry that any one of those could break something on a Tuesday morning.
In June 2026 we replaced it with a hand-built static site — plain, fast HTML pages generated by our own build process, with no CMS, no plugins and no database behind them. We did it to our own site first, deliberately, before ever suggesting it to a client. The full warts-and-all write-up, including what broke along the way, is at how we rebuilt our website.
So when we compare static sites with WordPress below, it is not a sales pitch for either. It is what we measured on our own site, plus an honest list of the situations where we would still put a business on WordPress today.
Speed
What the change did to our speed scores
A static page is just a file. There is no PHP to run, no database to query and no plugin stack to wade through before the page appears — the server simply hands the file over. That is why static sites are usually quicker, especially on a phone on a patchy mobile signal.
On our own site, the difference was measurable. Before the rebuild, our mobile performance score in Google’s Lighthouse tool sat at roughly 65. After it, the same tests came back in the high 80s. Those are our own measurements on our own site — scores vary a little from run to run, and your mileage will depend on your content and hosting; for a second, measured data point on a client’s site — not ours — see what a website rebuild actually changes, where time to first byte fell from 1,320ms to 97ms — but the direction and the size of the jump were consistent.
Does speed matter for Google? Google’s own Search Central documentation includes page experience — of which speed is a part — among the signals it looks at for normal search results, and its published Core Web Vitals guidance (on web.dev) sets out the thresholds it considers good: for example, main content loading within 2.5 seconds. More importantly, speed matters for people: visitors give up on slow pages, and a visitor who has left cannot ring you.
The quickest way to see where you stand is to run your site through our free speed test — it takes about a minute and does not ask for your email.
Security & upkeep
Plugins, patches and the maintenance surface
Every WordPress site carries a maintenance surface: the WordPress core, the theme, each plugin, the database and the wp-admin login page. All of it needs updating, and the login page and out-of-date plugins are the two doors attackers try first. None of that makes WordPress bad — it makes it a system that needs looking after, which is exactly why maintenance plans exist.
A static site removes most of that surface. On our site today there are no plugins to update, no database for anyone to inject anything into, and no CMS login page to brute-force — because there is no CMS. That same static setup now serves more than 40 free online tools without a content management system anywhere in sight.
Honesty requires the flip side: static does not mean invincible. Your hosting account, domain registration, email and any contact forms still need protecting and renewing, whichever way you build. It shrinks the attack surface; it does not abolish it.
If you are not sure what state your current site is in, our free website checker will give you a plain-English readout.
The honest trade-off
When WordPress is still the right answer
Here is the section most static-site articles leave out. The big trade-off with a static site is self-editing: changing a page generally means going through whoever built it, or through a build process, rather than logging in and typing. For some businesses that is a deal-breaker, and pretending otherwise would be selling you the wrong thing.
We would still recommend WordPress (or something like it) if:
- You edit content weekly or daily yourself — news, offers, price lists, menus. A CMS earns its keep when you genuinely use it.
- You run an online shop — baskets, stock and payments need a dynamic platform such as WooCommerce or a dedicated ecommerce system.
- You have member logins or gated content — user accounts need a database by definition.
- Several people publish to a blog — multi-author workflows, drafts and scheduling are what a CMS is for.
- Your catalogue changes constantly — hundreds of frequently-updated product or listing pages are easier to manage in a CMS.
If that is you and your WordPress site is simply slow or flaky, the answer is usually to fix it rather than flee it — our guide to when to fix a slow WordPress site and when to rebuild walks through that decision honestly.
The real question
Do I need WordPress for my business website?
No — and it is worth saying plainly, because a lot of small businesses assume WordPress is simply “what websites are made of”. WordPress is one way to build a website, not the way.
If your site is a brochure — who you are, what you do, where you cover, how to get in touch, perhaps a dozen service pages — and it changes a handful of times a year, you do not need a CMS at all. You are carrying the update burden, the plugin risk and the speed cost of a publishing system you barely publish with.
What your business website actually needs is simpler: to be found, to load fast on a phone, to say clearly what you do and where, and to make contacting you effortless. Static handles all of that beautifully for sites that do not change daily.
The same logic applies to website builders: if you are on Wix or Squarespace and bumping against their limits, we have written an honest checklist — including when to stay put — at have you outgrown Wix or Squarespace?
Money
Cost over time — the honest version
Some static-site articles imply that going static makes your website nearly free to run. Our own experience says: not quite. When we rebuilt, our hosting stayed exactly where it was, on the same SiteGround account, at the same cost. The domain still renews. Email still runs. None of that changed.
What did change is what falls away. There are no plugin licences to renew, no CMS updates to apply, and far less scope for the “something broke after an update” emergency call-out. A well-built lightweight site simply needs less looking after — and if you are currently paying a monthly retainer, it is fair to ask what that fee is actually covering. Our guide to what website maintenance should cost in the UK breaks that down with named sources.
We will not invent comparison figures here, because every site is different — a five-page brochure site and a fifty-page site with forms and integrations are not the same job. Every build and every rebuild we do is quoted individually, in writing, before any work starts.
Verdict
Which should your business choose?
Here is the framework we use ourselves, by business type:
| Your situation | Our honest steer |
|---|---|
| Brochure site for a trade or local service; changes a few times a year | Static — faster, safer, less to maintain |
| Online shop with baskets and payments | WordPress + WooCommerce, or a dedicated ecommerce platform |
| You publish articles or offers every week yourself | WordPress (kept healthy), or a static site with an editing workflow — talk it through first |
| Member logins, courses or gated content | WordPress or a specialist platform — static will not do this |
| Site rarely changes and speed, security and low upkeep matter most | Static, without hesitation |
Whichever column you land in, we can help. For a new site built the right way from the start, see our web design & hosting service. If you have an existing site that needs replacing without losing your Google rankings, that is exactly what our website rebuild service is for — the same process we used on our own site, productised.
We are a family-run Dorset firm, going since 1995, and we work remote-first across Bournemouth, Poole and the rest of Dorset — with on-site visits where they help and meetings by appointment. Call 01202 775566 (Mon–Fri 9–5) or text 07520 615332, and you will get a straight answer either way.
FAMILY-RUN SINCE 1995 · ★ 4.9 ON GOOGLE · 200+ COMPUTERS UNDER OUR CARE · NO FIX, NO FEE · SAME-DAY REMOTE SUPPORT
// GOOD QUESTIONS
Frequently asked
Is a static site better than WordPress for SEO?
Neither wins automatically — Google ranks pages, not platforms. What a static site gives you is an easier route to the things Google does reward: fast loading, clean code and no plugin bloat. On our own site, moving from WordPress to static took our mobile Lighthouse performance score from roughly 65 into the high 80s (our own measurements, June 2026). Good content and sound structure still matter most on either platform.
Do I need WordPress for my business website?
No. WordPress is one way to build a website, not a requirement. If your site is a brochure that changes a handful of times a year, a static site will be faster, more secure and cheaper to look after. WordPress earns its place when you self-edit frequently, sell online, or need logins and member areas.
Can I edit a static website myself?
Usually not through a login-and-type editor, and that is the honest trade-off. Changes typically go through whoever built the site or through a build process. For sites that change a few times a year that is rarely a problem — small text changes are quick jobs — but if you edit weekly, tell us, because that changes our recommendation.
Are static sites more secure than WordPress?
They have a much smaller attack surface. There are no plugins to fall out of date, no database to attack and no CMS login page to brute-force — the routes used in most WordPress compromises. But no site is invincible: your hosting account, domain and email still need protecting whichever way you build.
Is a static site cheaper to run than WordPress?
Cheaper to maintain, not free to run. When we rebuilt our own site, hosting stayed on the same SiteGround account at the same cost, and the domain and email carried on as before. What falls away is plugin licences, CMS updates and most emergency fixes. We quote every project individually rather than publishing one-size-fits-all figures.
How much faster is a static site than WordPress?
It depends on the site, so we will only quote our own numbers: our mobile Lighthouse performance score went from roughly 65 before the rebuild to the high 80s after, on the same hosting. Scores vary run to run, but the jump was consistent. Run your own site through our free speed test at /website-checker/ to see your starting point.
Can a static site have contact forms and bookings?
Yes. Forms can submit to an external service rather than a database on the site itself — our own static site does exactly that — and booking widgets embed the same way they would anywhere else. What a static site cannot do is anything needing user accounts on the site, such as customer logins or a members’ area.
Should I move my existing WordPress site to a static site?
Only if the sums add up for your situation. If you rarely self-edit and the site is slow or costly to maintain, a rebuild is well worth pricing up — done properly, with every old address redirected, your Google rankings can be preserved. If you edit constantly or sell online, staying on WordPress and keeping it healthy is usually the better move. Our fix-or-rebuild guide walks through the decision.
What is a static website in plain English?
A website made of ready-built pages. When someone visits, the server hands over a finished file instead of assembling the page from a database on the spot, which is what WordPress does. Fewer moving parts means faster loading and less to break, update or attack.
Do you build both static sites and WordPress sites?
We advise on both and build to fit the business, not the other way round — we have no plugins, themes or WordPress hosting upsells to sell you, so we have no stake in steering you either way. We are family-run since 1995, rated 4.9 on Google, working remote-first across Bournemouth, Poole and Dorset with visits and by-appointment meetings where they help.
Not sure which way to go?
Run your current site through our free speed test, then talk it through with us — no pressure, no jargon, and an honest answer even if that answer is “stay where you are”. Mon–Fri 9–5, or text 07520 615332 any time.
01202 775566 · help@365techies.co.uk · MON–FRI 9AM–5PM