WordPress or Semi-Static Pages? Decide Who Will Make the Edits
Who needs to change your hours, publish a notice or correct a service page? Answer that before choosing a platform. If staff need to do it themselves, an editor belongs in the requirements.
Consider two hypothetical businesses. A contractor sends revised wording to the person maintaining the site. A nonprofit's staff must publish a closing immediately. Similar-looking pages may need quite different editing tools.
I build new semi-static sites and support WordPress sites that already exist. I don't take new WordPress builds. That describes my service; your publishing needs still decide what fits your business.
What I mean by semi-static
My semi-static sites use PHP, HTML and CSS, with shared parts such as the header. They don't include a general content management system. Someone changes the files when a page needs editing.
The server runs PHP to build the HTML response. A static HTML file is already in that form. Neither label proves the finished page will load quickly.
Agree how you'll request edits, what turnaround applies and who can maintain the files later. If you expect to log in and rearrange the page, include an editor in the quote.
Keep the publishing tools you use
WordPress provides drafts, scheduled posts, revisions and publishing roles. Those are useful when one person writes and another approves. Replacing the system can remove that workflow even if the new pages look good.
Occasional publishing can still require immediate access. Have the responsible staff member try posting a notice and correcting hours in the proposed setup. Judge the actual task, rather than how often it happens.
Bookings, payments and memberships need their own plan. Identify where the records live, who handles refunds and what happens when a confirmation fails. Linking to an outside booking service differs from running those records inside the website.
Choose managed pages when that suits the job
Plain pages can fit a service list, work gallery, hours and contact details. That assumes you're happy sending edits to a maintainer. Put forms and outside services in the scope before accepting a brochure-site quote.
List the changes you expect next. Wording fixes, new photos and layout changes may have different costs. My care plan covers small content fixes; larger changes need their scope agreed.
Check domain access, hosting access and what you receive if you leave. My terms give you the final semi-static code and the files if you move hosting. Get those arrangements clear before launch.
Compare finished pages with similar content
The 2025 Web Almanac CMS study reports 45% of sampled WordPress sites passing mobile Core Web Vitals. That's a platform sample, not a measurement of your site or a comparison with my PHP builds.
Its page-weight study puts the median mobile home page around 2.6 MB. Compare a proposed page with its real photos, map and booking tool included. An empty demo leaves out the work your page must do.
Take a first look at your own page
This is a quick check, rather than a full site audit. It can help you choose a specific repair to discuss.
- Enter an important service page's public URL in PageSpeed Insights. Keep the report link and date.
- Look at mobile and desktop results separately. Keep the same device category when comparing a later report.
- Read the field-data label. It covers the previous 28 days and may describe the URL or the wider origin.
- If field data is missing, record that gap. It doesn't mean the page passed.
- Use the simulated lab test to find one issue worth investigating. A red score alone doesn't justify rebuilding.
- Use your phone to find the service and contact route. Send your own form a message marked TEST and confirm arrival.
The Core Web Vitals guide describes three measurements: main content appearing, response to interaction and unexpected layout movement. The good thresholds are LCP within 2.5 seconds, INP at most 200 milliseconds and CLS at most 0.1.
Those thresholds apply at the 75th percentile of visits, with mobile and desktop assessed separately. In plain terms, the target needs to hold for most visits, across all three measures.
Google's report documentation explains the difference between field and lab data. After a repair, the lab test can reflect it immediately. The visitor data still includes earlier days.
Add the cost of keeping it useful
Compare the build, hosting, care, included edits and outside subscriptions. Include staff time spent publishing. A lower build quote can cost more in use if every urgent notice needs a paid request.
For a standard semi-static project of five to seven pages, the starting price is $1,200. I quote the full scope before beginning. My pricing page sets out the scope.
New customers pay $60 monthly for care, with an annual bill. Earlier agreements keep their terms. Hosting, backups, updates, DNS and form troubleshooting are included, along with small content fixes and my direct support.
For WordPress sites already running, support begins at $75 a month on annual billing. Repair work has a separate quote. Price the specific repair before paying to replace a working site.
WordPress maintenance guidance includes backups and recovery. Plain PHP also needs maintained hosting, protected accounts and working forms. Choose who does that work, whatever the platform.
Why I changed my new builds
My August 2024 post described moving new builds toward plain pages because drafting was quicker for me. That was my experience, not a measured speed comparison for visitors.
As my services page explains, I use AI tools for drafting, layout, code and cleanup. I review the work, test the site and take responsibility for the result.
For an owner who sends service changes to me, I can build the needed pages without installing a publishing system. For staff who need publishing control, removing that system can make their job harder.
Choose the setup you'll actually use
Keep an editor when staff need to publish themselves, schedule content or approve drafts. Keep a maintained WordPress setup that serves you well. One slow page is a reason to investigate that page.
Consider managed semi-static pages when the main job is presenting your work and making contact easy. Agree how changes and any extra booking functions will be handled.
For a new site, my free preview covers one important working page. Check its wording, photos and contact path on your phone before deciding. It's a single-page preview so you can assess the approach before a full build.
Compare what your business needs to change
Send the current site address and the updates your staff need to make themselves. I'll help you weigh keeping it against replacing it.