Should you create a website from scratch or use a website builder platform? The answer isn’t always obvious.

Depending on the option you pick, the cost, duration, and final output can all vary significantly. We’ll compare and contrast the functionality of a basic HTML site with the popular content management system (CMS), WordPress, to help you select the perfect answer for your business.

Difference Between an HTML & WordPress Website

HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) is a coding language for building web pages from scratch. WordPress, on the other hand, is a content management system that allows you to upload files, publish content, and host media without writing any code.

If you don’t want to invest the time and money to build a customized website from scratch using HTML, CSS, and Javascript, you can use one of the hundreds of publishing platforms, website builders, and content management systems available.

A CMS is the most popular of these choices. It lets you simply change your site’s style, include media in your postings, organize information using tags and categories, manage many users, modify the source code, etc.

Websites built using a content management system (CMS) are very simple. They’re easy to use, need little to no coding skills, and offer a variety of functional possibilities. For first-time website builders, they’re a tempting option, but what exactly is a static HTML website, and how does it compare?

What is a static HTML website?

A static HTML website is made up of a collection of HTML files, one for each page on the website. When a visitor visits a static website, their browser sends a request to the server, and the server responds with a single HTML file (along with maybe some style sheets and scripts) that the browser can use to display the page. A static HTML page appears the same to every visitor and can only be altered if the HTML code is modified by the developer.

Static HTML sites are straightforward to build (one HTML file = one web page). Still, they’re inefficient to maintain since all customized or dynamic information must be programmed directly into the HTML file. Any site-wide updates must be done inside each HTML file. As a result, maintaining a big static website would require a significant amount of time and work.

A dynamic website is an answer to this problem. Dynamic websites create web pages on the server-side in response to requests rather than maintaining a library of ready-to-ship HTML files. When you visit a page on a dynamic website, the webserver receives your browser’s request, creates an HTML file from stored data using a scripting language like PHP, and delivers it back to your browser to display. Individual visitors will benefit from far more freedom and a more personalized experience as a result of this.

Dynamic websites can be built from scratch, although they’re typically done using a website builder, platform, or content management system (CMS) like WordPress.

Let’s put it all together and see how WordPress stacks up against HTML.

WordPress vs. HTML

WordPress is a content management system (CMS), while HTML is a markup language for web design. Although all WordPress sites are HTML-based, not all HTML sites are WordPress sites. In general, beginners and non-developers should use WordPress websites, whereas experienced web developers should use self-hosted HTML websites.

HTML/CSS/Javascript vs. WordPress

You’ll need to hire a developer to build a website from scratch. To build web pages, a developer will utilize HTML, CSS, and sometimes JavaScript. Although building a website from the ground up may take more time and money, it will provide your visitors with a unique appearance and experience.

WordPress is a versatile content management system (CMS) that allows multiple users to create and manage a website. While WordPress utilizes the PHP programming language, most users can manage their sites without knowing how to code.

Unlike HTML sites, which often need a developer to make even a minor change, customizing a WordPress site is simple. HTML sites, on the other hand, are easier to maintain since they don’t need to be compatible with plugins that make a CMS like WordPress work.

Let’s talk about how WordPress and HTML operate together now that we’ve covered the differences between developing and managing a static HTML site vs. a WordPress site.

Do Content Management Systems like WordPress use HTML?

Yes, to put it briefly. HTML is used by WordPress and other Content Management Systems (CMS).

WordPress is not primarily written in HTML to give you the long answer. PHP, a programming language that controls how a WordPress site interacts with and connects to its database, is widely used in both the core software and WordPress Plugins and Themes.

PHP is a server-side programming language, which means it operates solely on the webserver. As a result, when a site visitor fills in your webpage’s URLs, your server’s PHP code receives the request and retrieves the relevant content from your WordPress database. It then converts the content into an HTML file (together with any supporting CSS files) and delivers it back to the requester. Because the WordPress core is written in PHP, third-party developers can create plugins and themes that run on their own PHP files. Using these plugins and themes to modify the appearance and feel of your website without having to code it yourself is typically free or reasonably affordable.

While a WordPress site will seem and function similarly to a static HTML site to end-users, the process of sorting and delivering content to those people is vastly different.

Unlike WordPress, which requires the hosting server to compile your posts or webpages into HTML files using PHP code, each page of a static website is kept as a separate HTML file that exists in its entirety. There is no need for assembling. Because HTML, like CSS and JavaScript, is a client-side language, this is the case. HTML is a markup language that runs on the visitor’s device rather than the hosting server.

HTML vs. WordPress Speed

Customers who buy online do not want to waste time waiting for a page to load. Page speed is critical to the user experience that Google began considering it as one of its desktop and mobile ranking factors. The main reason for integrating speed in its algorithm was that users spend less time on slower sites, according to statistics. According to a Website Builder Expert survey from 2021, one out of every four visitors leaves a site that takes more than four seconds to load.

You must consider speed while determining how to create your site in order to deliver a pleasant user experience and lower bounce rate. Let’s have a look at how WordPress and HTML sites perform in terms of speed.

HTML Speed

The loading of HTML pages does not require the use of PHP or database queries. This means that HTML sites are quicker out of the box than WordPress sites if their code is optimized.

There are various things you can take to guarantee that an HTML site loads quickly. These techniques include removing unneeded white space, removing comment sections, caching your site’s content on a regular basis, minimizing the amount of inline scripts, minifying and compressing graphics, and using lazy loading for photos, among others. It’s worth noting that many of these methods are website maintenance best practices, which means they’ll help your WordPress site load faster.

WordPress Speed

The impact of a WordPress site that requires PHP and a database on load time is negative. Every time a visitor comes to your site, your server must run PHP code and get data from your database in order to show the visitor the correct information. Because this uses more server resources than an HTML site, load times and delays may increase.

You can work toward beating the 4 second load time that clients demand by choosing a fast hosting provider, acquiring a Content Delivery Network (CDN), optimizing and compressing your pictures, and taking other actions to speed up your WordPress site.

Which One Should You Pick?

Have you got a better idea of which one is best for your website now that you’ve learned both the pros and cons of WordPress and HTML?

HTML is a better alternative if your website does not require any upgrades, regular revisions, or more content. HTML will also help your website function more quickly.

WordPress is the greatest choice if you want to expand and update your company website on a regular basis. Why is this the case?

Even if you don’t have any technical skills, you can manage your website using WordPress. You can also create the content and pages you require at any time. Furthermore, there are several plugins available to power your site’s functionalities and help you build your business, such as:

• Although WordPress is SEO-friendly, SEO plugins such as Yoast SEO can help you further improve it.
• If you have an online business, eCommerce plugins like WooCommerce make it simple to manage.
• Using plugins, you can easily combine your content marketing approach with your email marketing plan. To keep your relationship with customers going, start developing an email list using a plugin like MailChimp.
• Using a marketing automation plugin like Inboundnow, you can save time by automating marketing techniques.

See? Using WordPress plugins, you can make the most of your internet marketing plan to create leads, engage with customers on a regular basis, and make sales.

How to Get Started?

So, if you’re ready to start building a website, get a domain name and decide whether to use WordPress or HTML.

All you need to do to create a WordPress-powered website is choose a hosting company.

Simply install WordPress and begin creating. Following the installation, you’ll need to choose a theme and add various plugins to your website.

However, if you want to use HTML to power your website, you’ll need to learn more, including HTML, CSS, PHP, and JavaScript, before you begin.

Conclusion

As you can see, choosing whether to use WordPress or HTML as the foundation for your website will be determined by your primary objective. Static HTML is a fantastic choice if you want to create a website that doesn’t require any content changes or updates. WordPress, on the other hand, is an excellent choice if you’re going to grow your site by adding new content on a regular basis.

So, have you made up your mind? Let us know what you think in the comments!