Static websites
The web’s simplest idea, done the modern way.
Plain, pre-built pages served straight to your visitors. It sounds old school, but it’s how some of the fastest, safest sites on the internet are built, from a one-page holiday let to sites with thousands of pages and millions of visitors.
What is a static site?
Ready before anyone asks.
Most websites build each page on the fly, every time someone visits, using a database and software that needs constant updates. A static site builds every page once, in advance. When a visitor arrives, the page is simply handed over. Nothing to compute, nothing to break, almost nothing to hack.
You may hear it called “Jamstack”. It’s the same idea, with modern tools added for editing, forms, search and anything else you need.
Why static
Fast, safe and nearly free to run.
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Instant pages
Pages are served from servers around the world, close to each visitor. Quick on any phone, and Google rewards that.
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Almost nothing to hack
No database and no login on the live site means no plugins to exploit and no break-ins to clean up.
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Pennies to host
Hosting is often free or a few pounds a month, even for busy sites.
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Shrugs off a traffic spike
Featured in the paper, or a sell-out launch? The site stays up, however many people turn up at once.
Who it’s for
Right for a pop-up. Right for a giant.
Small and simple
- Holiday lets, B&Bs and local businesses
- Launches, events and pop-up campaigns
- Landing pages for an app or product
- Portfolios and personal sites
- Sites that change now and then and should just work
Big and busy
- Large content sites with thousands of pages
- Documentation and knowledge bases
- Sites that get sudden surges of traffic
- Organisations where security is critical
- Anyone tired of paying to keep a heavy CMS alive
Trusted at serious scale
Let’s Encrypt, the non-profit that secures hundreds of millions of websites, runs its own site this way. So does the documentation for Kubernetes, the open source system behind much of the world’s cloud computing, with thousands of pages.
Is static right for you?
Brilliant for most sites, not quite all.
If you need people to log in, buy from a large catalogue or post their own content, a different platform is usually a better fit. We’ll tell you on the first call.
- WordPress if lots of people post news and updates every day. More about WordPress →
- SilverStripe if you need publishing approvals and detailed editor permissions. More about SilverStripe →
Keeping it current
Change it yourself, or just send it over.
Static doesn’t mean stuck. Choose what suits you:
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A simple editor
Log in, change words and photos, press publish. Your site rebuilds in seconds.
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We do it for you
Email or WhatsApp the change and it’s done, often the same day. Ideal for sites that rarely change. Included in Care and Partner plans.
Included as standard
Everything you’d expect, without the baggage.
- Mobile-friendly design
- Search engine basics set up properly
- Contact and enquiry forms
- Cookie consent and privacy notices, where needed
- Built to accessibility standards
- Fast global hosting set up in your name
- Automatic secure padlock (https)
- Everything in your name: domain, hosting, code and logins
Optional extras: a content editor, blog or news, site search, newsletter sign-up, booking or payment links, maps, connecting to your other software.
Recent static sites
Small, fast and doing their job.
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This site
The site you’re reading now. Go on, see how fast the next page loads.
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willbarker.dev
A developer blog and portfolio, quick to write for and costing next to nothing to run.
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voyija
A launch site for a travel planning app, built to load instantly and grow with the product.
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Victor House, Dartmouth
A simple, photo-led site for a holiday home, with views of the River Dart and nothing to maintain.
After launch
So little to look after, it barely needs it.
With no database or plugins, there’s very little to update. A care plan covers hosting checks, uptime monitoring, small content changes and the occasional refresh. Many static sites run happily on Essentials, from £25 a month, no contract.
Questions
Static site questions, answered.
The idea is old, the tools aren’t. Modern static sites have editors, forms, search and everything else you’d expect, with far less to go wrong.
Yes, with a simple online editor. Or, if changes are rare, send them to us and we’ll do it.
Yes. Forms work just like any other site, with submissions sent straight to your inbox.
Hosting is often free or a few pounds a month. Your domain is the main running cost.
Very easily. Pages are served from a global network built to handle huge numbers of visitors.
Yes. Pages, a blog, search or an editor can be added at any point. If you outgrow it, your content moves cleanly to another platform.
You do. The domain, hosting, code and content are all in your name.
A simple site can be live in about a week. Larger sites take longer, and you’ll have a timeline in writing before we start.
Tell us about your site.
A free, friendly call. You’ll come away knowing whether static is right for you, and what it might cost.
Or get in touch directly
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