"Should I use WordPress?" is the wrong question. The right question is: what do I actually need my blog to do?
Three Approaches
| Approach | Examples | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Static HTML/CSS | Plain files, Bootstrap | Simple blogs, portfolios, landing pages |
| Static Site Generator | Astro, Hugo, Eleventy | Content-heavy blogs with Markdown |
| CMS | WordPress, Ghost, Strapi | Non-technical editors, frequent updates |
Choose Static If...
- You're the only author
- You're comfortable with code or Markdown
- Performance and security matter (no database = no SQL injection)
- You want hosting to cost $0
- You publish 1— times per week max
Choose a CMS If...
- Multiple non-technical people need to publish
- You need a WYSIWYG editor in the browser
- Content types are complex (products, events, memberships)
- You need user comments, forums, or community features
- You publish daily and want a dashboard workflow
The Middle Ground: Headless CMS + SSG
Tools like Contentful, Sanity, or Notion-as-CMS give you a browser editor while outputting static pages. Best of both worlds - but adds complexity. Only worth it when you have 2+ authors who won't touch Git.
Decision Flowchart
- Are you the only writer? —Static
- Do you write in Markdown already? —SSG (Astro/Hugo)
- Do others need a visual editor? —CMS
- Do you need user accounts or payments? —Full-stack app (Next.js + DB)
What I Use
This blog is static HTML + Bootstrap 5. No build step, no database, no CMS. I edit HTML files directly. For a 9-article site, that's the right level of simplicity.
When I hit 50+ articles, I'll migrate to Astro with Markdown. I won't need a CMS until someone else needs to publish without touching code.
Start simpler than you think you need. You can always add complexity later.