In this article
In short
- WordPress makes sense when several people change content every day, when you need a ready-made feature with a well-maintained plugin, and when you want almost any developer to be able to take the site over.
- A custom website (static, or with a few dynamic parts) makes sense for presentation sites, venues, small businesses and tourism: fewer moving parts, fast without extra effort, and no licences.
Speed
WordPress is not slow by itself. Heavy themes, page builders and a dozen plugins that each add their own CSS and JavaScript make it slow. A well-built WordPress site on decent hosting can be fast, but it takes knowledge and discipline for the whole life of the site.
A static site runs no database or PHP on each visit, so it is fast without extra tools. The sites we have built measure an LCP of 0.3 to 0.9 seconds. That is not automatic either: large images and third-party scripts slow a static site down too.
Speed affects rankings as part of page experience, but content that answers the search matters more than any speed test.
Security
The WordPress core is patched regularly and quickly. The problem is add-ons: according to Patchstack's annual reports, the great majority of reported vulnerabilities in the WordPress ecosystem are in plugins and themes, not in the core. A site with five maintained plugins and regular updates is safe; a site with thirty plugins nobody updates is not.
A static site has a smaller attack surface because there is no code on the server for an attacker to run. It still has a domain, hosting, a contact form and sometimes third-party services to maintain.
Maintenance
No site is maintenance-free. The difference is what you maintain:
- WordPress: core, theme and plugin updates, checking everything still works after them, backups and renewing paid plugin licences.
- Custom: hosting and domain, occasional updates to the build tools, backups, and content changes made by a developer if there is no editing system.
Editing content
This is the strongest argument for WordPress. If your team publishes news, changes prices or adds products every day, an editing system is worth more than any fraction of a second. A custom site can have simple editing for the parts that change, such as an events programme or a price list, but a general-purpose editor is where WordPress is stronger.
Three-year cost
In this example the build is 1,500 €, the domain 15 € and hosting 80 € a year, and basic maintenance 300 € a year for both. Only the first row has paid licences of 100 € a year. The figures are for the calculation, not a quote.
| Option | Build | Per year | Three years |
|---|---|---|---|
| WordPress with paid licences | 1,500 € | 495 € | 2,985 € |
| WordPress without paid licences | 1,500 € | 395 € | 2,685 € |
| Custom static site | 1,500 € | 395 € | 2,685 € |
The difference comes from licences and the amount of update work, not from the name of the technology.
How to decide
- Do several people change content every week? WordPress.
- An online shop with many products and ready-made integrations? WordPress with WooCommerce, or a dedicated shop platform.
- A presentation site, venue, small business or holiday rental? A custom site.
- Already have a WordPress site that works? Do not replace it for the technology alone: get it in order first.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is WordPress a bad choice?
No. It is a good fit when several people change content and you need ready-made features. Problems come from heavy themes, too many plugins and sites nobody updates.
Is a custom website always faster?
Usually, because there is no database or plugins, but large images and third-party scripts slow it down too. Our sites measure an LCP of 0.3 to 0.9 seconds.
Does page speed decide rankings?
It is one signal among many, as part of page experience. Content that answers the search matters more; a fast page without a good answer will not outrank a slower one that has it.
Do you maintain WordPress sites you did not build?
Yes. We start with a review of versions, plugins and backups, and you get a list of what needs fixing.
wosh.productions
Need a website, or someone to look after the one you have?
We build fast custom websites with a fixed quote before work starts, and maintain websites after launch, including WordPress sites we did not build.