How to manage big static HTML/CSS website + Backend + SEO

[blackbrut]

Hello guys,

I plan to create a static HTML/CSS website based on a popular Envato HTML template. I will have a homepage, category pages, and lots of blog posts. I choose to work with static HTML/CSS instead of WordPress because I want to have more control and lightweight pages.

I have a database with the title/content/image of my article and I plan to mass edit the HTML files and upload them through FTP.

I've always worked with WordPress until now, and I have a lot of confusion mainly on the backend of the website. I couldn't find any valuable pieces of information related to my problems.

- How does category/blog posts are linked to each other? If I had a new post to category 1, will it display automatically on the category page? How to configure it?
- I want to have a search bar, but I don't want to work with Google to show page related to the keywords. It's kinda the same problem as the category page, how I link my new post to the search result of the website.
- How do I create the sitemap of my websites? When I add a new post, do I also need to add it to the sitemap I create? I use YoastSEO on WordPress but I can't find an alternative for a static HTML website.

Let me know if you have valuable resources to help me in my journey. If there's an experienced developer that knows what my problems are about, you can send me a PM for the job.

Thank you

 

[Visual Eagle]

Hello guys,

I plan to create a static HTML/CSS website based on a popular Envato HTML template. I will have a homepage, category pages, and lots of blog posts. I choose to work with static HTML/CSS instead of WordPress because I want to have more control and lightweight pages.

I have a database with the title/content/image of my article and I plan to mass edit the HTML files and upload them through FTP.

I've always worked with WordPress until now, and I have a lot of confusion mainly on the backend of the website. I couldn't find any valuable pieces of information related to my problems.

- How does category/blog posts are linked to each other? If I had a new post to category 1, will it display automatically on the category page? How to configure it?
- I want to have a search bar, but I don't want to work with Google to show page related to the keywords. It's kinda the same problem as the category page, how I link my new post to the search result of the website.
- How do I create the sitemap of my websites? When I add a new post, do I also need to add it to the sitemap I create? I use YoastSEO on WordPress but I can't find an alternative for a static HTML website.

Let me know if you have valuable resources to help me in my journey. If there's an experienced developer that knows what my problems are about, you can send me a PM for the job.

Thank you

1) All needs to be manually linked to the page and you would have to add the element in there which is basically just copy-paste if you already have 1 blog post example.
2) With javascript, some coding, and SQL database this can be made. I think there are already some premade scripts out there for HTML based websites.
3) This needs to be manually coded as well and you would have to add new post to the sitemap you created manually. Or you can use some sort of automatic HTML sitemap builder that are available online. Check validity through here: https://www.xml-sitemaps.com/validate-xml-sitemap.html

 

[getivan]

A lot of what you are asking depends on the theme, and your framework.
I use Bootstrap Studio, and Notepad++, but the structuring of the files is literally done inside folders, which are then uploaded to your object storage.

My sitemaps are created inside Scrapebox, but there are lots of utilities for doing this.
You can even do it somewhat manually with a keyword multiplier, I'd guess.

I mostly use Microsoft Azure Object Storage for the Hosting, and Cloudflare for the CDN.
I'm still uploading with CyberDuck, but you might also be interested in UltraFTP, and its affiliated suite.


Hope that all helps you, and touch-base if I can help further.
Thanks for reading!

Ivan
-

 

[hideath]

that's the power of WP, you are missing all the good features for what?
I won't make a PHP/HTML websites unless I have only a couple of pages or I need something that can't be done with WordPress
you have control to everything using WordPress, and knowing how to edit things in there is way easier and simpler than managing a big HTML website

 

[693840]

Only do this if you're experienced with PHP.
With PHP, you could use templates, create your own kind of CMS back-end, and much more.

 

[Matheus Moreira]

You need a blog generator like hexo, hugo, jekyll or whatever. They may provide all those wordpress features out of the box.

Just dont expect things to be exactly the same and note that everytime that any page of your site changes you have to regenerate the whole blog again.

 

[blackbrut]

that's the power of WP, you are missing all the good features for what?
I won't make a PHP/HTML websites unless I have only a couple of pages or I need something that can't be done with WordPress
you have control to everything using WordPress, and knowing how to edit things in there is way easier and simpler than managing a big HTML website

I think a lot about it, and here the reasons why I think I would go for HTML/CSS instead of WordPress:
- I think it will be easier for me to edit the .html page and upload them on FTP instead of working with WordPress Rest API.
- I might have thousands of pages, and I want to have very lightweight pages like <100ko. (I cal images from outside server)
- The blog page will be pretty basic and nothing fancy.

Problems are everything that is automatically done in WordPress that seem different on HTML/CSS websites. How do I create category pages, link my new post to the related category, and everything I mention in the thread post. And I would avoid to have to update category and things every time I upload a new page.

 

[hideath]

I think a lot about it, and here the reasons why I think I would go for HTML/CSS instead of WordPress:
- I think it will be easier for me to edit the .html page and upload them on FTP instead of working with WordPress Rest API.
- I might have thousands of pages, and I want to have very lightweight pages like <100ko. (I cal images from outside server)
- The blog page will be pretty basic and nothing fancy.

Problems are everything that is automatically done in WordPress that seem different on HTML/CSS websites. How do I create category pages, link my new post to the related category, and everything I mention in the thread post. And I would avoid to have to update category and things every time I upload a new page.

well, the majority of this can be done if you make/transfer a theme into WordPress
however, you can still directly make a static website HTML files but you gonna need to do everything manually
for the search bar, it will be pretty hard unless you save your posts into a database and create a static PHP/HTML template

 

[Gogol]

You need a blog generator like hexo, hugo, jekyll or whatever. They may provide all those wordpress features out of the box.

Just dont expect things to be exactly the same and note that everytime that any page of your site changes you have to regenerate the whole blog again.

+1 for jekyll. It's stupidly fast.

 

[blackh4t]

Always good for learning to try doing thing yourself )

 

[Nonilol]

You really want a CMS for this, a static HTML website can do none of the dynamic stuff you are asking for, because well, it's static.

And while Wordpress certainly isn't the perfect software, your reasons for not using it are invalid. When you self host, you are in full control and WP can be pretty much as performant as a static HTML website if you set up caching properly.

 

[callmemaximillian]

gohugo +1

 

[blackbrut]

Hey guys,

Really appreciate all of your feedback, even if I am more confused than before. Now I know there are different solutions to my problem and I need to find the right solution for me.

Thank you