Should You Really Abandon WordPress?

Perhaps you've experienced it before: your WordPress blog slowing down after an update, a plugin conflicting with your theme, or one that's no longer maintained, a security flaw allowing a hacker to break into your site, all pretty common problems that can happen on this platform.

I've been there, which is why four years ago, I switched my blog to a static site generator. Was I right to do so? Is it a good solution for everyone? Probably not. But I suggest we talk about it.

In this article, I'll analyze, without sugarcoating, the real advantages and limitations of static site generators compared to CMS like WordPress.

If you're looking to launch a blog or migrate your existing platform, these 5 minutes of reading could save you months of stress.

Let's start by listing my general expectations for a blog.

Expectations for a Blog

Actually, I should rename this section "my expectations for a blog". You may have different expectations.
On my side, I've been blogging for almost 20 years, I've gone through Joomla, WordPress, Medium, Bloggrify, Gridsome. I've tested Ghost, Jekyll, Hugo. In short, I've done my fair share of testing.

My expectations are fairly simple:

• I need good natural search engine optimization (SEO)
• I want good reading comfort on the blog
• I need to be able to notify my readers when there's a new article
• I want to be able to interact with my readers on each article
• I must maintain ownership of my content

And very importantly, I don't want to spend hours debugging software, installing plugins, repairing damage caused by hackers, making backups, etc...

Of course, I'm willing to make compromises, and this will be necessary, but you get the idea.

Limitations of Traditional CMS

I started with Joomla and WordPress, and quickly encountered limitations regarding my expectations.

First, the last point was a major issue. These are software that need installation. I started with hosting on different providers, installed tools like Apache and Nginx, went through the updates, plugin installations, etc...

I have to be honest, WordPress also has a gigantic plugin universe, but sometimes it's too much. There are dozens of SEO plugins, thousands of themes, and you can even transform your WordPress into an e-commerce site. It's great, very rich, but quickly becomes complex to maintain just to write a blog. That's not surprising you have some WordPress consultant out there.

I eventually switched to wordpress.com to avoid managing the installation and updates myself. But this pro version comes with limitations and a cost. Indeed, you have to pay quite a bit to access all the plugins and themes in the WordPress catalog.

In short, I finally decided to change my approach and gave Medium a chance.

Medium is very good in terms of ease of use, natural referencing, and reading comfort. But I've always had doubts about the ownership I have over my content, as highlighted by the Terms of Service, where you grant:

a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, fully paid, and sublicensable license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, and publicly display your content

And then, second problem, I blog about technical subjects. I need to insert code snippets or graphics. And Medium can't do that.

So, I came to use static blog generators.

Static Blog Generators

A static blog generator is, roughly speaking, an application that produces a static site with one click.
We generally write these blog posts in a text file, in markdown, trigger a command, and get a static site. This static site can then be deployed on any platform. Of course, the whole process can be automated.

When I say "static," the site is indeed just a collection of HTML, CSS, and JS files. This makes the site more easily accessible and faster, but most importantly, completely impervious to any database unavailability issues or security flaws.

You can't hack a database that doesn't exist.
A static site can't have a problem accessing a database that doesn't exist.

For my part, I use Bloggrify, because I'm the author and I built it to make my life easier. But it would be entirely possible to use Hugo or Jekyll among the better-known options.

All these options are open source and free, so you're welcome to do whatever you want.

I built Bloggrify with exactly my needs in mind:

• automatic SEO management
• simple themes for optimal reading comfort
• integrated management for technical blogging
• sharing options
• an RSS feed that allows readers to subscribe to my content

I was missing a few features, like newsletters, a good blog analytics product, a comment system, or donations. And for all this, I've proposed integrations with different tools, including Hakanai.io, which offers blog analytics and an RSS to email service for newsletters.

Who Is It For?

Static site generators are particularly suitable for:

• Developers and tech people who are comfortable with command-line tools
• Bloggers who write technical content requiring code snippets
• People concerned about security and performance
• Those who want total control over their content and its rendering
• Projects with a limited hosting budget

They aren't necessarily suitable for:

• Beginners without technical skills
• Projects requiring frequent updates by multiple non-technical contributors
• Sites needing numerous dynamic functionalities (forums, complex e-commerce)
• People who prefer a visual interface for creating content

Regarding deployment complexity, a static site generator is far from being reserved for developers. There's a whole set of fairly simple tutorials for setting them up. With a bit of goodwill, it's possible to use this type of tool without technical knowledge, and the advantages are numerous.
But, I can't deny that the learning curve can be steep for some users.

Conclusion: Choosing the Right Solution for Your Blog

After almost 20 years of writing with various blogging solutions and having navigated between Joomla, WordPress, Medium, and finally static site generators, I can affirm that there's no universal solution. Static site generators like Bloggrify, Hugo, or Jekyll represent for me the ideal solution for a blog: speed, security, and total control over my content. I gained peace of mind by no longer having to manage plugin updates, repair damage caused by hackers, or worry about performance.

However, let's be honest: this approach requires a certain technical level. If you're comfortable with the command line and Markdown, you'll probably find it to your liking. If not, platforms like WordPress remain perfectly valid despite their drawbacks. I must say, however, that while there is a learning curve, I find it's compensated by the peace of mind that a static site provides afterwards.

The essential thing is to start from your real needs:

• Do you prioritize ease of use or technical control?
• Do you need complex dynamic functionalities or a simple blog?
• Are you willing to invest time in the initial configuration to save on maintenance later?

In any case, the idea is to spend more time writing than maintaining the platform. The best platform is the one that allows you to focus on writing and sharing your ideas, without technology becoming an obstacle. If you're a beginner, perhaps start with a simple solution like WordPress.com or Ghost. If you have the time, explore static site generators.

And you, which approach have you chosen for your blog? What were your decisive criteria? I'd be curious to know about your experience in the comments.