Originally starting as a blogging platform, WordPress now powers 43.4% of all websites worldwide. For several small businesses seeking a new website or a redesign, their default choice is usually WordPress due to it’s notoriety and large ecosystem. However, after six years of working extensively in the traditonal WordPress landscape, I’ve faced several challenges that make it less ideal for small business websites. Instead, I recommend headless WordPress combined with Astro for developing small business websites. Here are five reasons why:

Security

Due to WordPress’ popularity in the market, it’s often targeted by hackers through vulnerable or malicious plugins, weak passwords, and lack of two-factor authentication. Security is a constant concern for WordPress sites.

Maintenance

Traditional WordPress websites frequently require updates to ensure it stays secure and functional. Failure to maintain a WordPress site often leads to vulnerabilities and various issues long-term, demanding consistent monitoring and effort.

Page Speed

WordPress sites are notorious for slow performance due to the many features it contains out of the box. Reaching optimal performance requires a significant amount of work.

Scalability

As businesses expand, their websites need the capacity to deal with larger amounts of traffic and complex features. Without substantial optimization, traditional WordPress sites tend to struggle with scalability.

Plugin Ecosystem

Although plugins add extra functionality to WordPress sites, they often present a host of issues. They often slow down sites, conflict with each other, and cause security vulnerabilities.

Why Astro is a better choice

Astro is a lightweight JavaScript framework for building fast, content-driven websites. It addresses the drawbacks of WordPress by delivering a streamlined, performance-optimized solution for small business websites. Here are some ways that the combination of headless WordPress with an Astro front end outshines traditional WordPress:

Low Maintenance

Astro’s simpler architecture reduces the necessity of ongoing maintenance and frequent updates.

Enhanced Security

Astro generates static files, significantly minimizing the risk of cyber attack because it removes the dynamic layer often targeted by hackers. In a headless setup, Astro generates static files for the front end, which are inherently more secure because they lack the dynamic elements often targeted by attackers.

Scalability

Designed with expansion in mind, Astro websites can handle significant growth without performance being compromised. With Astro, your website is inherently scalable because it generates static assets, which can handle large amounts of traffic without needing complex server-side infrastructure.

Performance

Astro uses a technique called partial hydration that guarantees that only necessary JavaScript is loaded on the site resulting in insanely quick load times.

Astro is the ideal solution for small businesses aiming for performance, security, and simplicity if you want to create a new website or redesign your existing one. At J.A Web Design, we specialize in utilizing Astro to deliver fast, secure, and scalable websites that meet your business needs.