HTML or Wordpress etc.?

[trixy3]

I'm new to this and would like to ask if you recommend handcoding with HTML etc. or use a program like Wordpress etc. to develop a mini site?

 

[wishbone]

Depends on your needs, like as for products and services, a regular site is more presentable compare to just blog.

 

[jeffrey78]

if you regularly update the data, you should use blogs

 

[Debt.tv]

Depends on your needs, like as for products and services, a regular site is more presentable compare to just blog.

I disagree, you can make a nice wordpress site without it looking like a blog....

Wordpress helps because the backend allows you to publish content very quickly and if you want to be found on google, then content is what you need.

 

[PlusNames]

If updated regularly --> Wordpress

If not, then HTML (much better for ranking in google). Just keep in mind that if you need to change something, you have to update all pages. So, lets say you have 20 pages and you need to change the menu, then you'll have to update all pages.

Overall though, using Wordpress is easiest.

 

[DN BROKER]

wordpress is by far a better choice in todays market.

 

[devTastic]

What's your familiarity with HTML? If you are an expert, then by all means go for it. If you are a novice, Wordpress may be more suitable. Wordpress does the heavy lifting for you and you can focus on the content rather than making the HTML code look right. There are tons of free 'themes' available also to change up the look of the wordpress install. All the best!

 

[mhdoc]

Personally, I find the upgrade cycle with WP to be a major headache. If you only have a few sites it's not a big deal. If you have more sites and are using a custom template the constant need to update begins to take a lot of effort.

I have started moving my sites to Weebly, which is a drag and drop website building system. There are other services like this which I have not tried. I don't have to spend any time on technical stuff and all the hosting and software updates are their problem.

It increases the percentage of my time I can spend on writing content.

 

[namemarket]

I have a number of WP sites but quickly moving away from WP and back to basic html which I prefer over WP. The need to always upgrade is a pain. Plus the latest upgrade may not work if you missed installing some of the older updates, as happened to me, making a site go down and need to hire a costly coder to get it back online.

Plus I believe WP sites are more easily hacked and signficantly more subject to spam. In addition, html sites tend to take up far less disk space, and are much easier to work with as far as any code, image and advertising changes are concerned.

 

[Debt.tv]

You know what....techcrunch and mashable are both powered by wordpress!!

I use wordpress thesis on all my sites!

 

[PlusNames]

Well here's my input:

A well-coded, SEO-friendly HTML site is always better than using a CMS. But, a HTML takes more time and can be a pain in the... :P I'm currently working on a HTML site for a client and they wanted the menu changed today, so I have to changed the menu on every single page (around 50). I couldn't just copy and paste the new code as it was different on each page. But, their server does not support php, so had to go with a html site.

However, on the bright-side, I was able to get them from the 6th or 7th page in google to the top of the first page in a matter of days. I'm telling you, a well-coded html page works wonders

As for WordPress, it's much easier to use, takes less time, and has literally thousands of options (themes, plugins, hacks, etc). If my client were to use WordPress, updating the menu would just be a matter of seconds.

As far as the security concerns that another member expressed, I've never had a WordPress site hacked. There's some precautions you can take though:

-Don't name your administrator account "admin," use a different name.
-Don't allow your Themes & Plugin folder to be indexed. Either put a blank HTML file in the themes and plugins directory, or disallow google from indexing it in your robots file.
-Don't advertise you're using Wordpress.
-Always update wordpress.
-Create frequent backups.
-Create a strong password, don't worry about forgetting your password, you can always retrieve it.

That's all I can think of right now but just google for more info.

Here's a quick break-down on when you should use html vs. wordpress:

HTML
-Less than 20-25 pages.
-Infrequent updates
-Limited Server Resources

WordPress
-20+ Pages
-Larger sites
-Need for user interaction (comments, guest posts, etc)
-Frequent Updates (daily posts, frequent layout changes, etc)

If you do choose to go with a HTML site a strongly suggest you use a template like The Perfect 3 Column Liquid Layout. It's already SEO friendly and well-coded so you don't have to worry about that.

If you choose to go with Wordpress you can always find great themes for around $30 each at ThemeForest. There are also tons of plugins like WordPress SEO, SEO Smart Links, and SEO Searchterms Tagging 2 that will greatly help your SEO performance.

Hope this helped a bit

 

[BOOOKMARKER]

I suggest wordpress for minisites , as it supports lots of free themes and plugins .

 

[namemarket]

.....put a blank HTML file in the themes and plugins directory.....

Can you please give an example on that and why doing so makes a difference?

Thanks for the excellent post.

 

[dragtastic]

wordpress is the easiest tool to use - its a great CMS which allows you to also make mini sites

 

[PlusNames]

Can you please give an example on that and why doing so makes a difference?

Thanks for the excellent post.

Without a blank html file in the plugins/themes directory a hacker can just navigate to yoursite.com/wp-content/plugins or yoursite.com/wp-content/themes and he will be able to see a list of all the plugins you are using and all the themes you are using. He can then recognize a plugin/theme with an exploit, making it easier for him to hack your site. With a blank file in those directories, a hacker won't be able to see a list of your plugins/themes, they'll just see a blank page.

A hacker will also be able to find out you are using wordpress by googleing for wp-content/plugins.

So, by disabling the wp-content/plugins and themes folder from being indexed and by putting a blank file in the folder your help making your site more secure.

Thanks for appreciating my post

 

[dezinerite]

I'm new to this and would like to ask if you recommend handcoding with HTML etc. or use a program like Wordpress etc. to develop a mini site?

It depends on your ultimate goal. If the idea is to have hundreds of minisites ASAP so you can profit from adsense/ads, then go for Wordpress + free themes. These can be set up in just a matter of minutes, and then you can copy/paste your articles to them.

However, if the idea is to have a site with unique content (not changing article content too frequently) + 100% custom-made with the intention of reselling almost immediately, I would say go for HTML. Just remember, HTML sites support all kinds of codes (i.e. you can add RSS, real-time feeds, Facebook like, jquery slideshows, galleries, etc.) so it is not as limited as many people think.

Just like others have mentioned: if you're on Wordpress you will have to consider constantly updating the software, and backing them up often. As opposed to HTML sites, that are usually created or sent to your PC before you upload them so any changes you make are offline (and therefore you don't have to worry about backing them up because they are already saved in your computer) - if anything goes wrong, you only have to re-upload them via FTP. Whereas for Wordpress, you will have to re-install and then set the them + upload content if anything goes wrong and you don't have a backup.

That said, if I decided to have minisites, I would definitely go for HTML coded sites. If you are comfortable with the codes and graphics then they are PERFECT for any designer's portfolio, and in terms of reselling, the marketing campaign of "custom-made and unique website" applies. Can't say the same for Wordpress sites.

Just consider your longterm needs, and weigh out the advantages and disadvantages.

 

[jacobatwood]

Wordpress has number of pluginns and a huge set of themes which can be used to design a custom website very easily.

 

[webeguy]

Wordpress, plain old HTML sites have too many limitations. The only advantage I see in them is you don't need to update them.

 

[~ The 34 Year Buzz!!]

I'm new to this...

You are new to this, so learn to use both. Experience is valuable and learning is fun.