WordPress vs Static HTML – What’s Best for Your Business Website?

WordPress vs Static HTML is one battle that can only be fought on a technical front. Do you want to launch a business website but not sure how to get started? Recently while attending an event, one of the users asked us what’s the advantage of using WordPress over a static HTML site. If you had a developer tell you that you need a HTML site or was wondering because you had heard this elsewhere, then you’re in the right place. In this article, we will compare WordPress vs HTML and what’s best for your business website.

What is WordPress?

WordPress is a Content Management System (CMS). Content Management Systems allow YOU to manage your website from a user friendly interface.

You can make all the changes on your website from an admin area which is quite easy to understand, even for absolute beginners.

While there are many CMS out there, WordPress is the most popular one because it powers nearly 26% of all websites on the internet.

It is important not to confuse WordPress.org with WordPress.com. WordPress, the open source CMS is available on WordPress.org. On the other hand, WordPress.com is a blog hosting service. Please see our guide on the difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com.

Having said that, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of using WordPress.

Advantages of Using WordPress

Easy to Update – You can simply login to your WordPress site and add new pages without paying your developer. WordPress is easy to use and has an intuitive user interface, which makes it easy for you to create or update pages on your site.

Professional Templates – There are thousands of ready-made templates that you can use on your site. These themes are developed by professionals from all over the world.

Incredibly Powerful – WordPress websites can be easily extended with plugins. By installing plugins, you can add any functionality to your existing website such as adding a contact form, adding a reservation system, adding a photo gallery, and more.

Full control and Ownership – You get full control of your website, its domain name, and all its contents. You can make any changes you want, and there is no limit on how much your site can grow in popularity, traffic, sales, and users.

Disadvantages of Using WordPress

Learning Curve – While WordPress is easy to use but it takes a while for most beginners to get familiar with the software. There is plenty of help available to get over this learning curve quickly, but it will take a little effort.

Maintenance – You will be responsible for keeping WordPress, installed plugins, and themes up to date. You can also use managed WordPress hosting who can do this for you.

What is a Static HTML Website

HTML is the markup language used to display web pages. Most websites on the internet use HTML with a variety of markup and scripting languages to create web pages.

Typically you will need to hire a web developer to create an HTML website for your business. They will use HTML, CSS, JavaScript and some other technologies to build your website.

CMS software like WordPress use database to store and retrieve content. On the other hand, HTML websites have all your content in static files.

Having said that, Let’s take a look at advantages and disadvantages of a HTML website for your business.

Advantages of a HTML Website

Little to No Maintenance – Once your website is live, you do not need to install any updates or regularly backup. If nothing is changed, you can just backup your website once and forget about it.

Low Requirements – HTML websites don’t need servers with PHP or MySQLinstalled on them. They can run on cheaper server with low resources. Although most good web hosting companies offer PHP and MySQL support.

Disadvantages of a HTML Website

No Updates – Unless you know HTML/CSS, static HTML websites can be very difficult to update for beginners. You will need to hire a developer even for smaller tasks like adding new pages, updating old content, or uploading videos or images.

No Additional Features – If your business grows and you want to add a feature to your website like a store, a survey or poll, a gallery, etc. All of this would require you to hire a developer and in most cases they would recommend you to move to WordPress.

Costs – Considering that you will have to hire people even for smallest tasks, the cost of a HTML website could get much higher than a WordPress website.

What is Better? WordPress or HTML?

Now that we know the pros and cons of both WordPress and HTML websites. Let’s talk about which one is better for your business website.

If you are certain that you will never want to update, change, or add anything new to your website, then by all means go for a HTML website. It will be faster and will serve your purpose.

If 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.

For those who want grow their business website to make you more money, then WordPress is the way to go forward.

Using WordPress you can add content to your website without hiring anyone. You can create as many pages as you need at any time.

You can add a blog section to keep your customers updated, or even build your own email list and keep bringing more customers to your business.

You will be part of a global community of businesses using WordPress to manage their online presence. You will find plenty of free help, resources, tools and pluginsto grow your business every day.

Instead of paying developers loads of money for smallest things, you will be able to spend that money on growing your business with WordPress.

How to Get Started With WordPress for Your Business Website?

First, you will need to sign up for a WordPress hosting service provider. These are specialized companies that will host your website on their servers.

We recommend Hostaculous as they are the official WordPress hosting providers.