Why you should not have a Static website

A Static website is a bunch of HTML files with no Content Management System. Here are four main reasons to not switch from a CMS to a Static website.

Reason 1. You must do everything Manually

If you are using a CMS, it automates many things for you. These automations happen behind the scenes, and you might not even be aware of them.

That makes building your website as simple as possible.

Here are a few examples of automations commonly done by CMSs:

TAGS:

Adding Tags to an article
Initially producing each Tag page
Updating each Tag page

CATEGORIES:

Adding Categories
Initially producing each Category page
Updating each Category page

BLOG:

Initially producing the Blog page
Updating the Blog page
Updating the Archives pages

SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION:

Producing the Meta Title for each page
Producing the Meta Description for each page
Updating the Sitemap
Verify your every link

With many CMS, those things happen invisibly. You might not even be aware of them.

Having to do the above, manually, is a drawback to a Static website.

Reason 2. The Navigation menu

If you are using a CMS, the creation of your navigation menu is easy and quick. You just update the menu, and it is changed throughout your site.

But with a Static website, if you change the navigation menu, you must make the change manually. You must update every page individually.

Imagine your site has 20 pages. You must update 20 individual HTML files. It might take you an hour.

Now imagine your site has 2,000 pages. You must update individual 2,000 HTML files. It might take you a week.

Sure there are ways to speed that up. On my Mac, I have a code editor called BBEdit. It has a feature called Multi-Edit, which allows you to edit many files simultaneously.

In BBEdit, you open all the files you want to change. Then you use the Multi-Edit feature to propagate a change across all those files.

As of this writing, I’ve tested BBEdit by opening 500 files and using Multi-Edit. It performed admirably.

In any case, having to do the above is a drawback to a Static website.

Reason 3. Writing in HTML

If you are using a CMS, it allows you to write directly in English. Or in whatever language you have configured.

But with a Static website, you must write in pure HTML. That increases the amount of effort required.

If you are not already accustomed to writing in HTML, you will have to learn it. Prepare for a learning curve.

However, in my own private life, I almost always write in Markdown. Or directly in HTML. So for me, writing my own website in pure HTML is something I welcome.

But most people will not want to write in HTML. For them, it is a drawback to a Static website.

Reason 4. The Ecosystem

If you are using a CMS, you probably have access to a rich ecosystem.

That ecosystem likely includes important resources such as these:

Plug-Ins
Add-Ons
Themes
Short-Codes
Specialized Developers
Specialized Hosting Entities

But with a Static website, you have none of those things. You must do them all yourself, or else find a Developer to do them for you. That increases the amount of effort required.